Coleman G. Willging (August 14, 1911 – March 10, 1973) was an

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

end End, END, Ending, or variation, may refer to: End *In mathematics: **End (category theory) ** End (topology) ** End (graph theory) ** End (group theory) (a subcase of the previous) ** End (endomorphism) *In sports and games **End (gridiron footba ...

who played one season in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ma ...

(NFL) for the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

. He also played in the Midwest Football League and

AFL III The American Football League, also known retrospectively as the AFL III to distinguish it from earlier organizations of that name, was a professional American football league that operated from 1940–1941. It was created when three teams, the o ...

as a member of the Cincinnati Models and Bengals. He was assistant coach of the Models from 1936 to 1937.

Early life and education

Willging was born on August 14, 1911, in

Norwood, Ohio Norwood is the third most populous city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and an enclave of the larger city of Cincinnati. The population was 19,207 at the 2010 census. Originally settled as an early suburb of Cincinnati in the wooded c ...

. He attended Norwood High School in the late 1920s, where he was an all-state

tackle Tackle may refer to: * In football: ** Tackle (football move), a play in various forms of football ** Tackle (gridiron football position), a position in American football and Canadian football ** Dump tackle, a forceful move in rugby of picking ...

. In 1930 he joined

Xavier University Xavier University ( ) is a private Jesuit university in Cincinnati and Evanston (Cincinnati), Ohio. It is the sixth-oldest Catholic and fourth-oldest Jesuit university in the United States. Xavier has an undergraduate enrollment of 4,860 stud ...

, playing for their freshman team. He would play for their varsity team from 1931 to 1933, earning a

varsity letter A varsity letter (or monogram) is an award earned in the United States for excellence in school activities. A varsity letter signifies that its recipient was a qualified varsity team member, awarded after a certain standard was met. Description ...

in his final two years. Following his senior year, Willging was named to the All-Ohio, All-Midwestern, and All-Catholic national rosters.

Professional career

Willging joined the local

, of the

(NFL) in 1934. He appeared in four games with the Reds, making two receptions for fourteen yards as an

. It would be his only NFL season, as the Reds forfeited their franchise near the end of the season. After the year he would join the Cincinnati Models of the Midwest Football League, appearing in 12 games over three seasons. He was named All-MWFL in 1937, after helping his team reach the league championship serving as starting guard/tackle and assistant coach. He joined the independent

Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The club's home ...

in 1938, playing in 11 games over three seasons. They were part of the Midwest Football League in 1939, and

in 1940.

Later life and death

Willging was part of the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. Afterwards he lived in Amberley village working as an Ohio claims investigator. His son, Dan, was the starting guard at Miami (Ohio) University in the early 1970s. Willging died on March 10, 1973, at the age of 61, following a heart attack.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Willging, Cole 1911 births 1973 deaths People from Norwood, Ohio Players of American football from Hamilton County, Ohio Xavier Musketeers football players American football ends American football guards American football tackles Cincinnati Reds (NFL) players Midwest Football League (1935–1940) players United States Navy personnel of World War II