William Marshall "Big Bill" Hollenback (February 22, 1886 – March 12, 1968) was an American

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 ...

player and coach. He played football at the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...

, where he was selected as an

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 ...

fullback three straight years, from 1906 to 1908. Hollenback served as the head football coach at

Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsyl ...

(1909, 1911–1914), the

University of Missouri The University of Missouri (Mizzou or MU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri, United States. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus Univers ...

(1910), Pennsylvania Military College, now

Widener University Widener University is a private university in Chester, Pennsylvania, United States. Established in 1821, the university was known as the Pennsylvania Military College until 1972. Widener enrolls approximately 3,500 undergraduate students across s ...

(1912, 1915), and

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York, United States. It was established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church but has been nonsectarian since 1920 ...

(1916), compiling a career head coaching record of 46–19–8. He was inducted into the

College Football Hall of Fame The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and interactive Tourist attraction, attraction devoted to college football, college American football. The National Football Foundation (NFF) founded the Hall in 1951 to immortalize the players ...

as a player in 1951.

Early life and playing career

Born in

Blue Bell, Pennsylvania Blue Bell is a census-designated place (CDP) in Whitpain Township, Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 6,506. Blue Bell was originally known as Pigeontown, after the large flocks of the now-extinct passenge ...

, Hollenback attended Phillipsburg High School. As an undergraduate at the

from 1904 to 1908, he became one of the school's most renowned football players. He played

end End, END, Ending, or ENDS may refer to: End Mathematics *End (category theory) * End (topology) * End (graph theory) * End (group theory) (a subcase of the previous) * End (endomorphism) Sports and games *End (gridiron football) *End, a division ...

in 1904. He was unable to play during the 1905 season due to a broken leg. After returning from the injury, Hollenback was moved to the fullback, a position he played from 1906 to 1908. He was selected as an All-American fullback in each of those years. As a senior in 1908, Holleback was the captain of the undefeated Penn team that was named national champion.

Jim Thorpe James Francis Thorpe (; May 22 or 28, 1887March 28, 1953) was an American athlete who won Olympic gold medals and played professional American football, football, baseball, and basketball. A citizen of the Sac and Fox Nation, Thorpe was ...

, whose Carlisle Indians team played Penn to a 6–6 tie in 1908, called Hollenback his "greatest and toughest opponent." In 1921, Hollenback played professional football for the Union Quakers of Philadelphia alongside future

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...

founder, co-owner and coach,

Bert Bell De Benneville "Bert" Bell (February 25, 1895 – October 11, 1959) was an American professional football executive and coach. He was the fifth chief executive and second commissioner of the National Football League (NFL) from 1946 until his deat ...

. In 1925, Hollenback served as the

referee A referee is an official, in a variety of sports and competition, responsible for enforcing the rules of the sport, including sportsmanship decisions such as ejection. The official tasked with this job may be known by a variety of other title ...

for the

Pottsville Maroons The Pottsville Maroons were an American football team based in Pottsville, Pennsylvania, in the northeastern part of the state. Founded in 1920, they played in the National Football League (NFL) from 1925 to 1928. In 1929 they relocated to Bost ...

' 9–7 victory over the Notre Dame All-Stars, featuring the legendary Four Horsemen, at

Shibe Park Shibe Park ( , rhymes with "vibe"), known later as Connie Mack Stadium, was a ballpark located in Philadelphia. It was the home of the Philadelphia Athletics of the American League (AL) from 1909 to 1954 and the Philadelphia Phillies of the Natio ...

. The game resulted in a controversy that stripped the Maroons of their 1925 NFL championship

Coaching career

Hollenback received a degree in dentistry, but opted to become a football coach after graduating from Penn. He served as the head football coach at

Penn State #Redirect Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with ca ...

(1909, 1911–1914), the

(1910), Pennsylvania Military College (1915) and

(1916). During his tenure, he compiled a 28–9–4 (.732) record.

Business and politics

Hollenback served briefly as the president of the Bird Coal Company in 1914. He also owned the William M. Hollenback Coal Company. He was also active in politics, and served on the

Philadelphia City Council The Philadelphia City Council is the legislative body of the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the United States. It is composed of 17 councilmembers: ten members elected by district and seven members elected at-large from throughou ...

from 1940 to 1944.

Family and death

Hollenback married Marion Cressman in 1917. They had one child, William M. Hollenback, Jr. His older brother, Jack Hollenback, was also a head football coach at Penn State. Hollenback died on March 12, 1968, at Bryn Mawr Convalescent Center in

Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania Bryn Mawr (, from Welsh language, Welsh for 'big hill') is a census-designated place (CDP) located in Pennsylvania, United States. It is located just west of Philadelphia along Lancaster Avenue, also known as U.S. Route 30 in Pennsylvania, U.S. ...

Head coaching record

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hollenback, Bill 1886 births 1968 deaths 19th-century players of American football American football ends American football fullbacks American football officials Missouri Tigers football coaches Penn Quakers football coaches Penn Quakers football players Penn State Nittany Lions football coaches Syracuse Orange football coaches Union Quakers of Philadelphia players Widener Pride football coaches Philadelphia City Council members All-American college football players College Football Hall of Fame inductees People from Whitpain Township, Pennsylvania Coaches of American football from Pennsylvania Players of American football from Pennsylvania 20th-century Pennsylvania politicians