William Marshall "Big Bill" Hollenback (February 22, 1886 – March 12, 1968) was an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

player and coach. He played football at the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...

, where he was selected as an All-American fullback three straight years, from 1906 to 1908. Hollenback served as the head football coach at

Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsylvan ...

(1909, 1911–1914), the

University of Missouri The University of Missouri (Mizzou, MU, or Missouri) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus Universit ...

(1910), Pennsylvania Military College, now

Widener University Widener University is a private university in Chester, Pennsylvania. The university has three other campuses: two in Pennsylvania (Harrisburg and Exton) and one in Wilmington, Delaware. Founded as The Bullock School for Boys in 1821, the school ...

(1912, 1915), and

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York. Established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church, the university has been nonsectarian since 1920. Locate ...

(1916), compiling a career

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

record of 46–19–8. He was inducted into the

College Football Hall of Fame The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and interactive attraction devoted to college football. The National Football Foundation (NFF) founded the Hall in 1951 to immortalize the players and coaches of college football that were vote ...

as a player in 1951.

Early life and playing career

Born in

Blue Bell, Pennsylvania Blue Bell is a census-designated place (CDP) in Whitpain Township in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2010 census, its population was 6,067. Blue Bell was originally known as Pigeontown, after the large flocks of the n ...

, Hollenback attended Phillipsburg High School. As an undergraduate at the

from 1904 to 1908, he became one of the school's most renowned football players. He played

end End, END, Ending, or variation, may refer to: End *In mathematics: ** End (category theory) ** End (topology) **End (graph theory) ** End (group theory) (a subcase of the previous) **End (endomorphism) *In sports and games **End (gridiron footbal ...

in 1904. He was unable to play during the 1905 season due to a broken leg. After returning from the injury, Hollenback was moved to the fullback, a position he played from 1906 to 1908. He was selected as an All-American fullback in each of those years. As a senior in 1908, Holleback was the captain of the undefeated Penn team that was named national champion.

Jim Thorpe James Francis Thorpe ( Sac and Fox (Sauk): ''Wa-Tho-Huk'', translated as "Bright Path"; May 22 or 28, 1887March 28, 1953) was an American athlete and Olympic gold medalist. A member of the Sac and Fox Nation, Thorpe was the first Native ...

, whose Carlisle Indians team played Penn to a 6–6 tie in 1908, called Hollenback his "greatest and toughest opponent." In 1921, Hollenback played professional football for the

Union Quakers of Philadelphia The Union Quakers of Philadelphia were a professional independent football team, based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1921. The team evolved from a number of pro players who played with the Union Club of Phoenixville during their 1920 season. ...

alongside future

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays ...

founder, co-owner and coach,

Bert Bell De Benneville "Bert" Bell (February 25, 1895 – October 11, 1959) was the National Football League (NFL) commissioner from 1946 until his death in 1959. As commissioner, he introduced competitive parity into the NFL to improve the league's comme ...

. In 1925, Hollenback served as the

referee A referee is an official, in a variety of sports and competition, responsible for enforcing the rules of the sport, including sportsmanship decisions such as ejection. The official tasked with this job may be known by a variety of other titl ...

for the

Pottsville Maroons The Pottsville Maroons were an American football team based in Pottsville, Pennsylvania, in the northeastern part of the state. Founded in 1920, they played in the National Football League (NFL) from 1925 to 1928. In 1929 they relocated to Bosto ...

' 9–7 victory over the Notre Dame All-Stars, featuring the legendary

Four Horsemen The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are figures in the Christian scriptures, first appearing in the Book of Revelation, a piece of apocalypse literature written by John of Patmos. Revelation 6 tells of a book or scroll in God's right hand tha ...

, at

Shibe Park Shibe Park, known later as Connie Mack Stadium, was a ballpark located in Philadelphia. It was the home of the Philadelphia Athletics of the American League (AL) and the Philadelphia Phillies of the National League (NL). When it opened April 12, 1 ...

. The game resulted in a controversy that stripped the Maroons of their 1925 NFL championship

Coaching career

Hollenback received a degree in dentistry, but opted to become a football coach after graduating from Penn. He served as the head football coach at

Penn State #Redirect Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campu ...

(1909, 1911–1914), the

(1910),

Pennsylvania Military College Widener University is a private university in Chester, Pennsylvania. The university has three other campuses: two in Pennsylvania (Harrisburg and Exton) and one in Wilmington, Delaware. Founded as The Bullock School for Boys in 1821, the school ...

(1915) and

(1916). During his tenure, he compiled a 28–9–4 (.732) record.

Business and politics

Hollenback served briefly as the president of the Bird Coal Company in 1914. He also owned the William M. Hollenback Coal Company. He was also active in politics, and served on the

Philadelphia City Council The Philadelphia City Council, the legislative body of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, consists of ten members elected by district and seven members elected at-large. The council president is elected by the members from among their number. Each ...

from 1940 to 1944.

Family and death

Hollenback married Marion Cressman in 1917. They had one child, William M. Hollenback, Jr. His older brother,

Jack Hollenback John Coffey Hollenback (August 10, 1884 – 1959) was an American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at Franklin & Marshall College from 1908 to 1909, Pennsylvania State University in 1910, and Pennsylvania Military ...

, was also a head football coach at Penn State. Hollenback died on March 12, 1968, at Bryn Mawr Convalescent Center in

Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania Bryn Mawr, pronounced , from Welsh for big hill, is a census-designated place (CDP) located across three townships: Radnor Township and Haverford Township in Delaware County, and Lower Merion Township in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. It i ...

Head coaching record

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hollenback, Bill 1886 births 1968 deaths 19th-century players of American football 20th-century American politicians American football ends American football fullbacks American football officials Missouri Tigers football coaches Penn Quakers football coaches Penn Quakers football players Penn State Nittany Lions football coaches Syracuse Orange football coaches Union Quakers of Philadelphia players Widener Pride football coaches Philadelphia City Council members University of Missouri faculty All-American college football players College Football Hall of Fame inductees People from Whitpain Township, Pennsylvania Coaches of American football from Pennsylvania Players of American football from Pennsylvania