John W. Gill (November 27, 1898 – March 4, 1997) was an American college football and

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 p ...

coach. Gill graduated from Western State Normal School (now known as

Western Michigan University Western Michigan University (Western Michigan, Western or WMU) is a public research university in Kalamazoo, Michigan. It was initially established as Western State Normal School in 1903 by Governor Aaron T. Bliss for the training of teachers ...

) in 1924 and became an assistant football coach under head coach

Mike Gary Mitchell J. "Mike" Gary (April 17, 1900 – December 30, 1969) was an American college football player and coach and athletics administrator. He was an All-Big Ten football player for the Minnesota Golden Gophers in 1926 and 1927 and served in ...

. 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 durin ...

, Gill was living in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and his occupation was listed as a teacher at a college. In 1939, Gill recommended that the Western Michigan athletic teams change their mascot from "Hilltoppers" to "

Broncos A bucking horse is any breed or either gender of horse with a propensity to buck. They have been, and still are, referred to by various names, including bronco, broncho, and roughstock. The harder they buck, the more desirable they are for rod ...

," and his suggestion was adopted by the school. Gill was awarded $10,000 for submitting the team's nickname, funds which he donated to the

Waldo Stadium Waldo Stadium is a stadium in Kalamazoo, Michigan. It is primarily used for football, and has been the home of Western Michigan University Broncos football in rudimentary form since 1914, and as a complete stadium since 1939. It currently has ...

building fund. He was the head football coach at Michigan College of Education for 11 years from 1942 to 1952. He compiled a record of 50–34–1 as head coach, and his best season was 1948 when he led the Broncos to a 6–3 record as his team outscored opponents 199 to 106. In 1952, Gill was appointed as the associated athletic director at Michigan College of Education. He continued to serve in that capacity until his retirement in 1969.

Head coaching record

Football

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gill, John 1898 births 1997 deaths Western Michigan Broncos baseball coaches Western Michigan Broncos football coaches Western Michigan University alumni People from Tuscola County, Michigan