William Enlow Amos (July 6, 1898 – April 26, 1987) was an American

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football in the United States, American football rules first gained populari ...

player and coach. He is considered to be one of the best college football players in

Washington & Jefferson College Washington & Jefferson College (W&J College or W&J) is a private liberal arts college in Washington, Pennsylvania. The college traces its origin to three log cabin colleges in Washington County established by three Presbyterian missionaries t ...

history. Amos was born in

Graysville, Pennsylvania Graysville is an unincorporated community in Gray Township in Greene County, Pennsylvania, United States. The community is located along Pennsylvania Route 21, west-northwest of Waynesburg. Graysville has a post office A post office is a ...

. He attended

The Kiski School , motto_translation = Guide Us Lord , address = 1888 Brett Lane , town = Saltsburg , state = Pennsylvania , zipcode = 15681-8951 , country = Uni ...

and was a veteran of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

. As a fullback for Washington & Jefferson for was named to the

1926 College Football All-America Team The 1926 College Football All-America team is composed of college football players who were selected as All-Americans by various organizations and writers that chose College Football All-America Teams in 1926. The six selectors recognized by the ...

and the

1927 College Football All-America Team The 1927 College Football All-America team is composed of college football players who were selected as All-Americans by various organizations and writers that chose College Football All-America Teams in 1927. The seven selectors recognized by the ...

. After graduation, he turned down an offer from

Pete Henry Wilbur Francis "Pete" Henry (October 31, 1897 – February 7, 1952) was an American football player, coach, and athletic administrator. He was a charter inductee into both the College Football Hall of Fame in 1951 and the Pro Football Hall of Fam ...

to play for 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 club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisio ...

and a minor league baseball contract. He returned to coach the Washington & Jefferson College football team from 1929 to 1931, amassing a record of 17–8–3. During the 1929 football season, Amos shared the head coach title with Ray Ride, who resigned after the season citing it being impossible to operate under dual authority. From 1937 through 1946, he was a multi-sport coach at Washington High School. He was a driving force in the creation of

PONY Baseball and Softball PONY Baseball and Softball is a non-profit organization with headquarters in Washington, Pennsylvania. Started in 1951, PONY organizes youth baseball and softball leagues and tournaments, as over 500,000 players annually play PONY in over 4,000 l ...

. He also volunteered at the

Brownson House The Brownson House is a non-profit charitable organization in providing recreation, education, and character development services in Washington, Pennsylvania. The organization's primary facility provides athletic venues for flag football, baske ...

. In 1932, Amos was seriously injured in an automobile collision, sustaining a fractured skull and broken left arm. He married Dora Polan in 1928 and with her had three children. Amos died in 1987 at the age of 88. Dora died the following year.

Head coaching record

College

References

External links

* 1898 births 1987 deaths American football fullbacks Grove City Wolverines football coaches Washington & Jefferson Presidents football coaches Washington & Jefferson Presidents football players High school football coaches in Pennsylvania The Kiski School alumni People from Greene County, Pennsylvania Coaches of American football from Pennsylvania Players of American football from Pennsylvania {{1920s-collegefootball-coach-stub