Marvin Crosby "Moose" Bass (August 28, 1919 – December 3, 2010)Official NFL Record & Fact Book, 2002 Edition, page 150 was the head coach of

The College of William & Mary The College of William & Mary (officially The College of William and Mary in Virginia, abbreviated as William & Mary, W&M) is a public research university in Williamsburg, Virginia. Founded in 1693 by letters patent issued by King William III a ...

football team A football team is a group of players selected to play together in the various team sports known as football. Such teams could be selected to play in a match against an opposing team, to represent a football club, group, state or nation, an All-st ...

in 1951. He also coached the

South Carolina Gamecocks football The South Carolina Gamecocks football program represents the University of South Carolina. The Gamecocks compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Eastern Division of the Southeastern ...

team for five seasons. Bass, a native of

Petersburg, Virginia Petersburg is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 33,458. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines Petersburg (along with the city of Colonial Heights) with Din ...

, was a member of the winningest football team in William & Mary history. Bass captained the 1942 Indians, which compiled a 9–1–1 record. He later was an assistant coach at his alma mater when the 1947 Indians were 9–1. In 1974, Bass was an assistant football coach for the

Birmingham Americans The Birmingham Americans were a professional American football team located in Birmingham, Alabama. They were members of the four-team Central Division of the World Football League (WFL). The Americans, founded in late December 1973, played in t ...

of the

World Football League The World Football League (WFL) was an American football league that played one full season in 1974 and most of its second in 1975. Although the league's proclaimed ambition was to bring American football onto a worldwide stage, the farthest t ...

(WFL), a league formed in the early 1970s to rival the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(WLF). He became head coach of the WFL's

Birmingham Vulcans The Birmingham Vulcans were a professional American football team located in Birmingham, Alabama. They were members of the five-team Eastern Division of the World Football League (WFL). The Vulcans, founded in March 1975, played in the upstart lea ...

the following year. The league lured such NFL name players as

Larry Csonka Larry Richard Csonka (; born December 25, 1946) is a former professional American football fullback who played for the Miami Dolphins for the majority of his career, along with the New York Giants for three years, and a short stint with the Mem ...

Paul Warfield Paul Dryden Warfield (born November 28, 1942) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) from 1964 to 1977 for the Cleveland Browns and Miami Dolphins, except for a year in t ...

and

Jim Kiick James Forrest Kiick (; August 9, 1946 – June 20, 2020) was an American professional football player who was a running back. He played for the Miami Dolphins in the American Football League (AFL) from 1968 to 1969 and in the National Footba ...

. It lasted 18 months, losing

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30 million. In his 37-year coaching career, Bass coached in more football leagues than most coaches of his time. This included stints as head coach for teams in the

Southern Conference The Southern Conference (SoCon) is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I. Southern Conference football teams compete in the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly ...

Atlantic Coast Conference The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) is a collegiate athletic conference located in the eastern United States. Headquartered in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC's fifteen member universities compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Associa ...

Continental League The Continental League of Professional Baseball Clubs (known as the Continental League or CL) was a proposed third major league for baseball in the United States and Canada. The league was announced in 1959 and scheduled to begin play in the 19 ...

, and the

Canadian League The Canadian League was a minor league baseball league that operated in Canada in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The first version of the league operated in 1885, then from 1896–1899, becoming a Class-D league in 1899 and merging into the Int ...

. Bass was also assistant coach with the

Calgary Stampeders The Calgary Stampeders are a professional Canadian football team based in Calgary, Alberta. The Stampeders compete in the West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The club plays its home games at McMahon Stadium and are the third-old ...

of the Canadian League. While at William & Mary, Bass was All-State and All-Southern Conference while helping the Indians to defeat the

Oklahoma Sooners The Oklahoma Sooners are the athletic teams that represent the University of Oklahoma, located in Norman. The 19 men's and women's varsity teams are called the "Sooners", a reference to a nickname given to the early participants in the Land Run ...

14–7 in the final 1942 game. He served as head football coach at William & Mary as well as

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

and helped bring American football to Canada when he coached the

Montreal Beavers The Montreal Beavers were a professional American football team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The franchise began as the Indianapolis Warriors of the United Football League in 1961, where they played for four seasons. During that time the Wa ...

in the

Continental Football League The Continental Football League (COFL) was a professional American football minor league that operated in North America from 1965 through 1969. It was established following the collapse of the original United Football League, and hoped to beco ...

. Bass was inducted into the

Virginia Sports Hall of Fame The Virginia Sports Hall of Fame honors athletes, coaches, administrators, journalists and other contributors to athletics. Many of the more than 350 inductees since 1972 were born in Virginia or enjoyed success in college, professional, amateur or ...

in 1981.

Head coaching record

College football

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bass, Marvin 1919 births 2010 deaths Atlanta Falcons coaches Birmingham Americans coaches Birmingham Vulcans coaches Buffalo Bills coaches Calgary Stampeders coaches Continental Football League coaches Denver Broncos coaches Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football coaches New York Giants coaches North Carolina Tar Heels football coaches Richmond Spiders football coaches San Francisco 49ers scouts South Carolina Gamecocks athletic directors South Carolina Gamecocks football coaches Washington Redskins coaches William & Mary Tribe baseball coaches William & Mary Tribe football players William & Mary Tribe football coaches Sportspeople from Petersburg, Virginia