Bill Royce (born July 14, 1971) is an American former

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 ...

player. He is currently a sales executive for Astec Industries Materials Solutions Group. While at Northmor High School, Royce had top eight finishes during the 1989

Ohio High School Athletic Association The Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) is the governing body of athletic programs for junior and senior high schools in the state of Ohio. The OHSAA governs eligibility of student athletes, resolves disputes, organizes levels of compe ...

championship. At

Ashland College Ashland University is a private university in Ashland, Ohio. The university consists of a main campus and several off-campus centers throughout central and northern Ohio. Ashland was founded in 1878 as Ashland College. It is affiliated with The ...

, Royce was fourth at the shot put held during the 1992

NCAA Division II men's indoor track and field championships The NCAA Men's Division II Indoor Track and Field Championship is an annual collegiate indoor track and field competition organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association to determine the Division II national champions of seventeen di ...

. With the Ashland Eagles football team, he was a Player of the Year for the Midwest Intercollegiate Football Conference and nominated for the Harlon Hill Trophy twice. Royce's 71 sacks became a career record the school and the National Collegiate Athletic Association. Outside of football, Royce began his recycling career with Eagle Crusher during 2002. He held executive positions with the company before joining KPI-JCI and Astec Mobile Screens in 2011. Royce continued to work in sales there throughout the 2010s before joining Astec. Royce joined 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 ...

during 2016.

Early life

Royce was born on July 14, 1971, in Mount Gilead, Ohio. During the late 1980s, he was nicknamed "Rolls" while on the football team for Northmor High School. With the team, Royce was a linebacker and wide receiver. Royce was an All-Mid Ohio Conference player during 1986. He also was on "the 1988 United Press International Division V all-Ohio football team." That year, he received a varsity letter. Overall, Royce accumulated 2839 yards. With the Lexington Lions All-Stars, Royce played in the 1989 McDonald's Football Classic. Outside of football, he participated in athletics while at Northmour. As a Class A athlete, he entered the

championship in 1989. At the event, he had top eight finishes in the

shotput The shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" (throwing) a heavy spherical Ball (sports), ball—the ''shot''—as far as possible. The shot put competition for men has been a part of the Olympic Games, modern Olympics since their r ...

and discus.

College career

With a scholarship, Royce signed to

in 1989. While with the Ashland Eagles throughout the early 1990s, Royce was a tight end before becoming a defensive end. From 1991 to 1993, Royce consecutively had the most season sacks for the school. During this time period, Royce set season records in sacks for the Midwest Intercollegiate Football Conference multiple times. He injured his ACL during the 1994 Snow Bowl. That year, he underwent rehabilitation and surgery for his knee injury. After his time at Ashland, Royce set the National Collegiate Athletic Association career sacks record with 71 sacks. His sacks remained a career record at Ashland during 2023. As an athlete, he " onthe 19-to-24 year-old discus event" at the 1991 Ohio Sports Festival. The following year, He was fourth in shot put at the

. Outside of sports, Royce studied

business administration Business administration, also known as business management, is the administration of a commercial enterprise. It includes all aspects of overseeing and supervising the business operations of an organization. From the point of view of management ...

at Ashland.

Post-football career

Royce had worked "in the finance, banking and insurance industries" before joining Eagle Crusher in 2002. During his recycling career, he became Territory Sales Manager the following year. During 2010, he was the company's president. In 2011, Royce was in sales with KPI-JCI and Astec Mobile Screens. Throughout the 2010s, he worked there as a regional sales manager. By 2020, he joined Astec Industries Materials Solutions Group at Summerlin, Nevada. With Astec, he continued his regional executive career during 2023.

Awards and honors

In 1991, Royce was named an All-MIFC player and won the Best Defensive Back for Ashland. While being re-selected as an All-MIFC player, he won the Player of the Year award once and the Defensive Lineman of the Year award twice leading up to 1993. Royce was nominated twice for the Harlon Hill Trophy. Royce was on ''The Associated Press''

Little All-America team The Little All-America team is an honor given annually to the best small college players at their respective positions. The first Little All-America team for college football, selected with assistance from reporters in every region, was announc ...

during 1992 and 1993. In athletics, he was an All-American during 1992. He was inducted into the Ashland University Hall of Fame in 2005 and the

in 2016.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Royce, Bill 1971 births Living people Ashland Eagles football players College Football Hall of Fame inductees American technology executives Players of American football from Ohio American football defensive ends People from Mount Gilead, Ohio