William Reinhart

William Reinhart
Reinhart from the 1934 Oregana
Biographical details
Born(1896-08-02)August 2, 1896
DiedFebruary 14, 1971(1971-02-14) (aged 74)
Washington, D.C., U.S.
Playing career
Football
1919–1921Oregon
Position(s)Quarterback
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
Football
?Oregon (assistant)
1938–1941George Washington
1945Fleet City
1946–1949Merchant Marine
Basketball
1923–1935Oregon
1935–1942George Washington
1949–1966George Washington
Baseball
1924–1935Oregon
1950–1966George Washington
Administrative career (AD unless noted)
1946–1949Merchant Marine
Head coaching record
Overall28–42–3 (football)
499–338 (basketball)
295–225–5 (baseball)
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
Basketball
2 SoCon regular season (1954, 1956)
2 SoCon tournament (1954, 1961)

Baseball
4 SoCon
Awards
Southern Conference Basketball Coach of the Year (1954)
Helms Basketball Hall of Fame (1956)
George Washington University Athletics Hall of Fame (1993)
University of Oregon Athletics Hall of Fame (1994)

William J. Reinhart (August 2, 1896 – February 14, 1971) was an American college basketball, football, and baseball coach at the George Washington University, the University of Oregon, and the United States Merchant Marine Academy. From 1923 to 1935, he served as the head basketball coach at Oregon. He is the school's second-winningest coach with 180 victories. His record through 13 seasons at Oregon was 180–101. He suffered only one losing season. Largely due to his success, Oregon was forced to build McArthur Court to accommodate the large crowds that became fixtures for Ducks games on his watch.[1]

At George Washington, he compiled a 319–237 record in basketball, or .574 winning percentage, including a 23–3 season in 1953–54. His teams twice made the NCAA tournament, in 1954 and 1961, George Washington's only trips to the NCAA Tournament until Mike Jarvis's team in 1993.[2] Players he coached at George Washington included future Basketball Hall of Famer Red Auerbach and future National Basketball Association (NBA) players Joe Holup, Corky Devlin and Gene Guarilia[2] and at Oregon he coached Howard Hobson. Auerbach said Reinhart's coaching and fast break offenses were "15 years ahead of their time."[1]

Reinhart also was head football coach at George Washington and the United States Merchant Marine Academy, assistant football coach at Oregon, and head baseball coach at Oregon and George Washington.

Reinhart died of cancer on February 14, 1971, at Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, D.C.[3] He was inducted into George Washington's athletic hall of fame in 1993.[2]

A collection of papers and memorabilia related to Reinhart is housed in the Special Collections Research Center of The George Washington University. The collection includes correspondence, photographs, certificates, and news clippings. The material ranges in date from 1920 to 1993.[4]

  1. ^ a b University of Oregon Hall of Fame bio
  2. ^ a b c GW bio
  3. ^ "William Reinhart, Coached Basketball in Washington". The New York Times. Associated Press. February 16, 1971. Retrieved March 24, 2018.
  4. ^ Guide to the William Reinhart Papers, 1920-1993, Special Collections Research Center, Estelle and Melvin Gelman Library, The George Washington University