William John Disch (October 15, 1872 – February 3, 1953) was an American

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

player and coach. He served as the head baseball coach at the

University of Texas at Austin The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,075 ...

from 1911 to 1939 and as an advisory coach for 12 seasons afterwards.

Career

Often called the

Connie Mack Cornelius McGillicuddy (December 22, 1862 – February 8, 1956), better known as Connie Mack, was an American professional baseball catcher, manager, and team owner. The longest-serving manager in Major League Baseball history, he holds untoucha ...

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional pl ...

, Disch earned a 513–180–12 overall record at Texas, including a collegiate record of 465-115-9, and garnered 20

Southwest Conference The Southwest Conference (SWC) was an NCAA Division I college athletic conference in the United States that existed from 1914 to 1996. Composed primarily of schools from Texas, at various times the conference included schools from Oklahoma an ...

titles with a conference record of 284-70-4. At the time he coached, there were no

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

postseason playoffs for national honors. Along with

Bibb Falk Bibb August Falk (January 27, 1899 – June 8, 1989) was an American left fielder in Major League Baseball who played for the Chicago White Sox (1920–28) and Cleveland Indians (1929–31). Born in Austin, Texas, Falk played football and baseba ...

, Disch is one of the two namesakes of

UFCU Disch–Falk Field UFCU Disch–Falk Field is the baseball stadium of the University of Texas at Austin. It has been home to Texas Longhorns baseball since it opened on February 17, 1975, replacing Clark Field as the home of the Longhorns. The stadium is named ...

. Disch managed in minor league baseball, where he also was a player. He managed the 1911

Beeville Orange Growers The Beeville Orange Growers was the initial moniker of the minor league baseball teams that were based in Beeville, Texas between 1910 and 1977. The Beeville Orange Growers played exclusively as members of the Southwest Texas League in 1910 and 19 ...

to a 63–54 record and the Class D level

Southwest Texas League The Southwest Texas League was a minor league baseball league that played in the 1910 and 1911 seasons. The Southwest Texas League played as a six–team Class D level league and consisted of teams based exclusively in Texas. History The Southwe ...

championship. Disch also managed the 1903

Fort Worth Panthers A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

of the Class D level

Texas League The Texas League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated in the South Central United States since 1902. It is classified as a Double-A league. Despite the league's name, only its five South Division teams are actually based in the ...

and the 1915 Brenham Huskies of the Class D

Middle Texas League The Middle Texas League was a six–team Class D (baseball), Class D level minor league baseball league that played in the 1914 and 1915 seasons. The Middle Texas League featured franchises based in Texas. The Middle Texas League permanently folde ...

for portions of their seasons. He was listed as a

scout Scout may refer to: Youth movement *Scout (Scouting), a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement **Scouts (The Scout Association), section for 10-14 year olds in the United Kingdom **Scouts BSA, sectio ...

for the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

in 1948.

Honors

*In 1947, Disch Field at the

University of Texas The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,075 ...

named for him. Today, the university ballpark,

, is named for Disch and Bibb A. Falk. *Disch was inducted into the

Texas Sports Hall of Fame The Texas Sports Hall of Fame recognizes athletes, coaches, and administrators who have made "lasting fame and honor to Texas sports". It was established in 1951 by the Texas Sports Writers Association. Once it made its first induction (baseball ...

in 1954. *In 1957, Disch was inducted into the Longhorn Hall of Honor at the University of Texas. *The College Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame inducted Disch in 1965.

Head coaching record

College baseball

The records shown below are only the collegiate record, not the overall record against non-collegiate teams.

References

External links

* * 1872 births 1953 deaths Boston Red Sox scouts St. Edward's Hilltoppers baseball coaches St. Edward's Crusaders football coaches Texas Longhorns baseball coaches Texas Longhorns football coaches National College Baseball Hall of Fame inductees People from Benton County, Missouri Beeville Orange Growers players Minor league baseball managers Brenham Kaisers players {{US-baseball-manager-stub