William W. Church

William W. Church
Church cropped from 1897 Purdue team photo
Biographical details
Born(1874-12-17)December 17, 1874
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
DiedMarch 28, 1966(1966-03-28) (aged 91)
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S.
Alma materPrinceton University (1897)
Playing career
1896Princeton
1898Duquesne Country and Athletic Club
1900Homestead Library & Athletic Club
Position(s)Tackle
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1897Purdue
1899, 1901Georgetown
Head coaching record
Overall13–8–4
Accomplishments and honors
Awards

William Wells Church (December 17, 1874 – March 28, 1966) was an American football player and coach. A native of Chicago,[1] he played college football at Princeton University, where he was selected as an All-American at tackle in 1896.[2] He served as the head football coach at Purdue University for one season, in 1897, and at Georgetown University for two seasons, in 1899 and 1901, compiling a career college football record of 5–3–1. Church participated in early professional football: He played tackle for the Duquesne Country and Athletic Club in 1898[3] and the Homestead Library & Athletic Club in 1900, also coaching the latter team.[4] He married Mary Myrtle Brock in 1902.[5]

He later resided in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, where he died in 1966.

  1. ^ Hughes, T.P.; Munsell, F. (1898). American Ancestry: Embracing lineages from the whole of the United States. 1888[-1898. Ed. by Frank Munsell. J. Munsell's sons. Retrieved December 14, 2014.
  2. ^ Leitch, Alexander (1978). A Princeton Companion. Princeton University Press. p. 196. ISBN 9781400870011.
  3. ^ PFRA Research. "The Worst Season Ever: Pittsburgh Pro Teams Find Hard Times: 1900" (PDF). Professional Football Researchers Association. p. 1. Retrieved December 9, 2022.
  4. ^ PFRA Research. "Stars Over All-Stars: An All-Star Team: 1898" (PDF). Professional Football Researchers Association. p. 2. Retrieved December 9, 2022.
  5. ^ "Duodecennial record of the class of eighteen hundred and ninety-seven ... number four, 1909 ..." Retrieved December 14, 2014.