William A. Kay (April 4, 1925 – May 23, 2007) was an

American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...

tackle in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (U of I, UIowa, or Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized int ...

University of Iowa

Kay was a prominent member of the

Iowa Hawkeyes football The Iowa Hawkeyes football program represents the University of Iowa in college football. The Hawkeyes compete in the Big Ten Conference. Iowa joined the Conference (then known as the Western Conference or Big Nine) in 1899 and played their first ...

team of the

. His all-star jersey can be seen in the Iowa Football Museum.

1946

Kay is listed as team MVP. Kay helped clear the way for Bob Smith, the team's first 500-yard rusher since Ozzie Simmons in 1936.

1948

He was selected second-team

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

and first-team All- Big Nine by the ''

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...

''. He led the conference in minutes played. In his final game, he blocked a punt and recovered it in the end zone for an Iowa touchdown in a win over Boston University. Kay also played in all-star football games.

New York Giants

Kay entered the 1949 season injured. He was drafted in the 4th round of the

1949 NFL draft The 1949 NFL draft was held on December 21, 1948, at The Bellevue-Stratford Hotel in Philadelphia. The draft was preceded by a secret draft meeting held November 15, 1948, at the Hotel Schenley in Pittsburgh. This was the third year that the ...

by the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...

. Kay was one of seven tackles signed to the team in 1949. Kay signed a one-year contract reportedly worth $6,750. He entered the draft injured and unfortunately, never played a professional game.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kay, Bill 1925 births 2007 deaths American men's basketball players American football tackles Iowa Hawkeyes football players New York Giants players People from Pottawattamie County, Iowa Players of American football from Iowa Basketball players from Iowa 20th-century American sportsmen