Bill Webster (American football)

Bill Webster
Webster from 1924 Hotchkiss yearbook
Yale Bulldogs
PositionGuard, tackle
Personal information
Born:(1903-07-28)July 28, 1903
Fairfield County, Connecticut, U.S.
Died:May 1981 (aged 77)
Tucson, Arizona, U.S.
Height6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight200 lb (91 kg)
Career history
CollegeYale Bulldogs (1925–1927)
High schoolShelton High School
Hotchkiss School
Career highlights and awards

William Adam Hall Webster (July 28, 1903 – May 1981) was an American college football player. He played at Yale University and was a consensus first-team All-American at the guard position in 1927.

Webster was raised in Fairfield County, Connecticut,[1] and attended Shelton High School and preparatory school at the Hotchkiss School in Lakeville, Connecticut. As a senior at the Hotchkiss School during the 1923-24 school year, he was captain of the football team and a member of the Olympian gym team, dramatic association, class hockey team, debating union, St. Luke's board, track team and baseball team.[2]

Webster next enrolled at Yale University. He played for the Yale Bulldogs football team from 1925 to 1927 at the guard and tackle positions. During the 1925 season, he was injured and saw only limited action as a substitute at the tackle position. In September 1926, he again suffered an injury that limited his time with the team.[3] He returned to the team in mid-October 1926 and played at the right tackle position.[4] As a senior, Webster was captain of the 1927 Yale football team that compiled a 7–1 record and was recognized as the national champion by the College Football Researchers Association.[5][6] Despite a further injury in November 1927,[7] Webster became a consensus first-team selection at the guard position on the 1927 College Football All-America Team.[8] In 1928, he became an assistant coach to the Yale football team.[9]

After graduating from Yale, Webster was employed by the firm of Guggenheim Brothers in New York. He was married in September 1931 to Frances Mary Gamble.[10]

  1. ^ "Webster as Yale Captain Is Lucky Omen, As All Connecticut-Led Teams Won Title". The New York Times. November 23, 1926.
  2. ^ 1924 Misch-ianza (Hotchkiss School yearbook), p. 59.
  3. ^ "Webster Hurt at Yale". The New York Times. September 22, 1926.
  4. ^ "Bill Webster Back With Yale Eleven: Veteran Guard, Out 4 Weeks, Goes to Tackle, Replacing Ryan, Hurt on Saturday". The New York Times. October 20, 1926.
  5. ^ "Sports Triumphs Mark Yale's Year: Sabin Carr, Bruce Caldwell and Adam Webster Among Outstanding Athletes". The New York Times. January 1, 1928.
  6. ^ 1927 Yale University football scores and results Archived 2014-07-28 at the Wayback Machine. College Football Data Warehouse. Retrieved on January 20, 2014.
  7. ^ "Webster Doubtful for Yale Lineup: Coaches Say He Will Start, but He Still Limps". The New York Times. November 18, 1927.
  8. ^ "2014 NCAA Football Records: Consensus All-America Selections" (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). 2014. p. 5. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 22, 2014. Retrieved August 16, 2014.
  9. ^ "Yale Staff for 1928 Announced". The New York Times. May 2, 1928.
  10. ^ "Webster-Gamble". The New York Times. September 25, 1931.