William Caley

William H. Caley
Caley cropped from 1898 Michigan Wolverines football team portrait
Born:July 1873 (1873-07)
Missouri, United States
Died:January 15, 1918(1918-01-15) (aged 44)
Los Cerrillos, New Mexico
Career information
Position(s)Guard, Halfback, Fullback
Height6 ft 0.5 in (184 cm)
Weight195 lb (88 kg)
Career history
As player
1893–1895Colorado
1896–1898Michigan
Career highlights and awards
AwardsAll-Western, 1898

William Henry "Big Bill" Caley (July 1873 – January 15, 1918) was an American football player, lawyer, and mine operator. He played college football for the University of Colorado at Boulder from 1893 to 1895 and for the University of Michigan from 1896 to 1898. With runs of 75 and 80 yards in 1894 and 1895, he set the all-time Colorado Buffaloes record for longest rushing play – a record that was not broken for nearly 40 years. He was also the second leading scorer on the undefeated 1898 Michigan Wolverines football team that won the university's first Western Conference (now known as the Big Ten Conference) football championship. He was selected as a first-team All-Western player by both Caspar Whitney and the Chicago Daily Tribune. After graduating from Michigan, he returned to Colorado where he practiced law and operated grocery and mining businesses.