William Fisher Lange (February 16, 1897 – June 22, 1953) was an American

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

and

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

player and coach. He played

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 ...

and basketball for

Wittenberg College Wittenberg University is a private liberal arts college in Springfield, Ohio. It has 1,326 full-time students representing 33 states and 9 foreign countries. Wittenberg University is associated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Americ ...

from 1918 to 1921. During the 1922–23 season, he coached the

Cleveland Rosenblums The Cleveland Rosenblums (also known as the ''Rosies'') were an American basketball team based in Cleveland, Ohio that was one of the original members of the American Basketball League. The Rosenblums played in the league between 1925–1930, win ...

, an early professional basketball team that was known at the time as "the fastest basket ball aggregation in this part of the country." From 1923 to 1936, he was the athletic director and head football and basketball coach at

Muskingum College Muskingum University is a private liberal arts college in New Concord, Ohio. Chartered in 1837 as Muskingum College, the institution is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA). Collectively, the university's alumni are referred to as the ...

in Ohio. He was best known for being the

head coach A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches. In some sports, the head coach is instead called the "manager", as in assoc ...

of the North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team from 1939 through 1944.

Early years

Lange was born in

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

in 1897 and raised in

Huron, Ohio Huron is a city in Erie County, Ohio, United States. The population was 7,149 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Sandusky, Ohio Metropolitan Statistical Area. Huron Township surrounds the City of Huron. History and culture Huron Townshi ...

. At the time of the 1910 United States Census in April 1910, Lange was living on a farm in

Berlin Township, Erie County, Ohio Berlin Township is one of the nine townships of Erie County, Ohio, United States. It is part of the Sandusky, Ohio metropolitan statistical area. As of the 2010 census the population was 3,723, of whom 3,009 lived in the unincorporated portions ...

, with his uncle, Adam Fisher, his mother, Mary Lange, and his younger sisters, Hilda and Murnice Lange. Lange attended Huron High School where he starred on the basketball and football teams. In June 1918, Lange was employed by the Cleveland Stevedore Co. in Huron, Ohio. Lange joined the U.S. Naval Reserves in July 1918 and was called to active duty in November 1918. He served 108 days of active duty and attained the rank of seaman second class. At the time of the 1920 United States Census, Lange was living in Huron, Ohio, with his mother, Mary Lange, and his younger sister, Murnice Lange. He received his honorable discharge from the Naval Reserves in September 1921.Entry for William Fisher Lange, Huron, Ohio, born in Cleveland, Feb. 16, 1897. Ancestry.com. Ohio Soldiers in WWI, 1917-1918 atabase on-line This database contains a multi-volume series called Official Roster of Ohio Soldiers, Sailors, and Marines in the World War, 1917-18.

Wittenberg College

Lange subsequently enrolled at

Springfield, Ohio Springfield is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Clark County, Ohio, Clark County. The municipality is located in southwestern Ohio and is situated on the Mad River (Ohio), Mad River, Buck Creek, and Beaver Creek, approxim ...

. He played

as a tackle on Wittenberg football teams that went undefeated for consecutive seasons in 1919 and 1920. His football coach at Wittenberg was

Ernie Godfrey Ernest R. Godfrey (April 19, 1892 – June 12, 1980) was an American football player and coach of football and basketball. Godfrey was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a coach in 1972. Godfrey was born in Dover, Ohio gradua ...

, who later served as a longtime assistant coach for the

Ohio State Buckeyes football The Ohio State Buckeyes football team competes as part of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, representing Ohio State University in the East Division of the Big Ten Conference. Ohio State has played their home games at Ohio Stadium in ...

team and 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 ...

in 1972. Lange also played on Wittenberg's basketball team and was selected to the All-Ohio team in both sports. He graduated from Wittenberg in 1921.

Coaching career

High school coach

After graduating from Wittenberg, Lange coached high school sports at

London, Ohio London is a city in and the county seat of Madison County, Ohio, United States. Located about southwest of the Ohio capital of Columbus, London was established in 1811 to serve as the county seat. The population was 10,279 at the 2020 census. ...

. During the 1922–23 academic year, he was a coach at West Tech High School in Cleveland.

Cleveland Rosenblums

While coaching high school basketball in Cleveland, Lange also coached the

. The Rosenblums were an early professional basketball team that was known in 1923 as "the fastest basket ball aggregation in this part of the country." The Rosenblums later became one of the founding members of the American Basketball League in 1925. Some sources indicate that Lange also played for the team.

Muskingum College

In September 1923, he was hired as the athletic director and head coach at

New Concord, Ohio New Concord is a village (United States)#Ohio, village in Muskingum County, Ohio, Muskingum County, Ohio, United States. The population is 2,491 as of the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. New Concord is the home of Muskingum University and ...

. Upon his hiring, one Ohio newspaper reported: "Lange is a young man of splendid character and has the initiative and ambition together with an attractive personality that make for success as an athletic director and coach." He remained at Muskingum for 13 years until 1936. As the school's head football coach from 1923 to 1935, Lange led the school to an overall record of 71–32–6. He is the third winningest coach in the history of Muskingum's football program. As Muskingum's basketball coach, he compiled a record of 133–94. He also served as the school's athletic director for several years. During the 1925–26 and 1926–27 season, Lange led the Muskingum men's basketball team to records of 17–2 and 19–2. His 1927 Muskingum men's basketball team won the Ohio Conference championship. Lange was instrumental in the construction of McConagha Stadium and a student gymnasium at Muskingum. One Ohio newspaper noted that Lange turned Muskingum into a consistent winner despite several obstacles: "Lange formed winning basketball and football teams despite numerous handicaps. With material never outstanding, Lange put together winning combinations year in and year out." At the time of the

1930 United States Census The United States census of 1930, conducted by the Census Bureau one month from April 1, 1930, determined the resident population of the United States to be 122,775,046, an increase of 13.7 percent over the 106,021,537 persons enumerated during ...

, Lange was living in

Union Township, Muskingum County, Ohio Union Township is one of the twenty-five townships of Muskingum County, Ohio, United States. The 2020 census found 4,265 people in the township. Geography Located on the eastern edge of the county, it borders the following townships: * Highlan ...

, with his wife Juliet Rive Lange and their daughter Harriet S. Lange.Census entry for William F. Lange and family. Lange was identified in the census as age 33 and a native of Ohio. The entry indicates that both of his parents were born in Ohio. His occupation was listed as a teacher of athletics. Ancestry.com. 1930 United States Federal Census atabase on-line Census Place: Union, Muskingum, Ohio; Roll: 1858; Page: 11B; Enumeration District: 32; Image: 1048.0.

University of North Carolina

In July 1936, Lange left Muskingum to accept a position at the

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States ...

as the Tar Heels football team's backfield coach and as an assistant professor of physical education. As an assistant coach on the football team, he worked under head coaches

Raymond Wolf Raymond Bernard Wolf (July 15, 1904 – October 6, 1979), nicknamed "Bear" Wolf, was an American football and baseball player and coach. Wolf was a native of Illinois and an alumnus of Texas Christian University (TCU), where he played college f ...

(1936–1941),

Jim Tatum Jim or JIM may refer to: * Jim (given name), a given name * Jim, a diminutive form of the given name James (given name), James * Jim, a short form of the given name Jimmy (given name), Jimmy * OPCW-UN Joint Investigative Mechanism * Jim (comics), ...

(1942), and Tom Young (1943). He became the head coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team in 1939. In 1940–41, Lange guided the Tar Heels to the school's first ever NCAA tournament appearance. They lost to

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

26–20 in the first round. Also during Lange's time coaching North Carolina,

George Glamack George Gregory Glamack (June 7, 1919 – March 10, 1987) was an American professional basketball player. Biography Born in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, he was of Serbian origin. A 6'6" forward-center, Glamack attended the University of North Caroli ...

became a star player and earned a

national player of the year National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

honor.

Kenyon College

In 1944, Lange left North Carolina to become the

athletic director An athletic director (commonly "athletics director" or "AD") is an administrator at many American clubs or institutions, such as colleges and universities, as well as in larger high schools and middle schools, who oversees the work of coaches and ...

for

Kenyon College Kenyon College is a private liberal arts college in Gambier, Ohio. It was founded in 1824 by Philander Chase. Kenyon College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. Kenyon has 1,708 undergraduates enrolled. Its 1,000-acre campus is se ...

Gambier, Ohio Gambier is a village in Knox County, Ohio, United States. The population was 2,391 at the 2010 census. Gambier is the home of Kenyon College. A major feature is a gravel path running the length of the village, referred to as "Middle Path". This ...

. Lange also served as Kenyon's head football and basketball coach during the 1944–1945 school year. In his lone season as the basketball coach, the Kenyon Lords compiled one win—a 30–29 away game defeat of

Kent State Kent State University (KSU) is a public research university in Kent, Ohio. The university also includes seven regional campuses in Northeast Ohio and additional facilities in the region and internationally. Regional campuses are located in Ash ...

Later years and honors

Lange retired from coaching in 1945 and moved to

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

. He lived in

Englewood, Florida Englewood is a census-designated place (CDP) in Charlotte and Sarasota counties in the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 20,800. The Sarasota County portion of Englewood is part of the North Port–Saras ...

, and worked as a commission merchant dealing in citrus fruit. He later moved to

Leesburg, Florida Leesburg is a city in central Florida. The population was 20,117 at the 2010 census. As of 2019, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau was 23,671. Leesburg is in Lake County, between Lake Harris and Lake Griffin, at the head of the ...

where he operated a tourist court for three years. In June 1953, he died at age 56 while visiting friends in

Wadsworth, Ohio Wadsworth is a city in Medina County, Ohio, United States. It is counted as part of the Cleveland metropolitan area, although it functions mainly as a suburb of Akron. Founded on March 1, 1814, the city was named after General Elijah Wadsworth, a ...

. In 1980, Lange was selected as one of the inaugural inductees into the Muskingum University Athletic Hall of Fame. He was also inducted into the Wittenberg University Athletic Hall of Fame in 1987.

Head coaching record

Football

Basketball

References

;General * * * * ;Specific

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lange, Bill 1897 births 1953 deaths American men's basketball coaches American men's basketball players United States Navy personnel of World War I Basketball coaches from Ohio Basketball players from Cleveland Cleveland Rosenblums coaches Cleveland Rosenblums players High school basketball coaches in the United States Kenyon Lords and Ladies athletic directors Kenyon Lords basketball coaches Kenyon Lords football coaches Muskingum Fighting Muskies athletic directors Muskingum Fighting Muskies football coaches Muskingum Fighting Muskies men's basketball coaches North Carolina Tar Heels football coaches North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball coaches People from Englewood, Florida People from Berlin Heights, Ohio People from Leesburg, Florida Players of American football from Cleveland Sportspeople from Cleveland United States Navy sailors University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill faculty Wittenberg Tigers football players Wittenberg Tigers men's basketball players United States Navy reservists