Birton Neill Wilson (November 16, 1874 – January 27, 1948) was an American professor, engineer, and

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 ...

coach. He served as a professor of mechanical engineering and the head football coach at Arkansas Industrial University (now known as the University of Arkansas).

Biography

Wilson was born in Philadelphia in 1874. Residing in

Fayetteville, Arkansas Fayetteville () is the second-largest city in Arkansas, the county seat of Washington County, and the biggest city in Northwest Arkansas. The city is on the outskirts of the Boston Mountains, deep within the Ozarks. Known as Washington until ...

, Wilson attended the Georgia School of Technology where he earned a bachelor of science in mechanical engineering in 1896. Wilson was elected president of his senior class and "always maintained a high standing in college." He was a member of the

American Society of Mechanical Engineers The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) is an American professional association that, in its own words, "promotes the art, science, and practice of multidisciplinary engineering and allied sciences around the globe" via "continuing ...

and the Alpha Tau chapter of Kappa Sigma. After graduation, Wilson began teaching at the University of Arkansas as an instructor in mechanical engineering until 1899. From 1897 to 1898, Wilson coached the Arkansas football team and over the course of two seasons amassed a record of 4–1–1. Later in his life, Wilson enjoyed recalling a quote from a partisan newspaper after his team played Fort Smith: "Thugs, pug-uglies, and roughnecks. Such are B. N. Wilson and the University of Arkansas football team." From 1899 until 1902, he was an adjunct professor of mechanical engineering and assistant superintendent of mechanical arts. In 1902, the University of Arkansas promoted him to the post of professor of mechanical engineering. In 1903, he studied at the University of Michigan,''Catalogue of the University of Arkansas, Thirty-Second Edition''
p. 33, University of Arkansas, 1905. and eventually received a master of engineering degree from Michigan in 1909. By 1908, he was the superintendent of mechanical arts. He received an M.M.E. degree from Cornell University. He taught at the University of Arkansas until 1923.William Jordan Patty
''Mechanical engineering at the University of Arkansas, 1874-2004''
p. 26, University of Arkansas Press, 2004, . Wilson died suddenly at his Fayetteville home on January 27, 1948.

Head coaching record

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, B. N. 1874 births 1948 deaths American mechanical engineers Arkansas Razorbacks football coaches Cornell University College of Engineering alumni Georgia Tech alumni Oklahoma State University faculty University of Arkansas faculty University of Michigan College of Engineering alumni Sportspeople from Fayetteville, Arkansas