| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1864-11-11)November 11, 1864 New Albany, Indiana, U.S. |
| Died | September 6, 1933(1933-09-06) (aged 68) Lexington, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Yale University (1886) |
| Playing career | |
| 1885 | Yale |
| 1890–1891 | University Club of Chicago |
| 1892 | Chicago Athletic Association |
| Positions | Quarterback,halfback |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1890–1891 | Butler |
| 1892 | Wisconsin |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 11–6–1 |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| 1Indiana Intercollegiate Athletic Association (1890) | |
William Randall Crawford (November 11, 1864 – September 6, 1933) was an Americanfootball player and coach, lawyer, and railroad executive. He playedcollege football atYale University and served as the head football coach atButler University from 1890 to 1891 and the University of Wisconsin—now known as theUniversity of Wisconsin–Madison—in 1892.
Crawford was born on November 11, 1864, inNew Albany, Indiana. He was the son of Henry Crawford, a prominent lawyer inChicago and an officer of theWabash Railroad.[1][2] Crawford played football at Yale University as aquarterback andhalfback, lettering on the1885 Yale Bulldogs football team.[3] He was the lightest player in the history of theYale Bulldogs football program.[2] On November 17, 1885, he was injured during a practice when he collided with a member of the freshman team named Bishop.[4] Crawford graduated from Yale in 1886 with a Bachelor of Arts degree.[5]
In 1890, Crawford played for the Chicago All-University team alongsideKnowlton Ames, who had played atPrinceton University, and Frank G. Peters, a fellow Yale alumnus who was captain of the 1885 Yale team.[6] Crawford scored a touchdown in a 12–8 loss toCornell on Thanksgiving Day.[7]
In 1890, Crawford coached the football team atButler University, leading the team to theIndiana Intercollegiate Athletic Association title.[8][9] He succeededClinton L. Hare, who had left Butler to coach atPurdue University in 1890. Crawford was determined to "get back" at Hare, with whom he had a personal rivalry dating back to a political fight at Yale.[10] He returned to coach at Butler in 1891.[11][12] In 1892, Crawford coached the football team at the University of Wisconsin—now known as theUniversity of Wisconsin–Madison.[13]
After graduating fromHarvard Law School, Crawford moved toKentland, Indiana, where he was a lawyer for a large railway. He then joined his father's law firm in Chicago. Several years later, he went toSeattle, where he practiced law and purchased the Seattle, Renton and Southern electric line, a railroad that ran from Seattle toRenton, Washington.[2]
In December 1896, Crawford was engaged to Katherine Louise Wardner.[14] The couple were married on February 23, 1897, inMilwaukee.[15]
Crawford spent the last two years of his life as a resident ofLexington, Kentucky. He died in Lexington, on September 6, 1933, in an ambulence headed to St. Joseph's Hospital after he had suffered a heart attack.[2][16]
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Butler Christians(Indiana Intercollegiate Athletic Association)(1890–1891) | |||||||||
| 1890[n 1] | Butler | 3–0–1 | 3–0–1 | 1st | |||||
| 1891 | Butler | 4–3 | 3–2 | 2nd | |||||
| Butler: | 7–3–1 | 6–2–1 | |||||||
| Wisconsin Badgers(Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the Northwest)(1892) | |||||||||
| 1892[n 2] | Wisconsin | 4–3 | 2–2 | 2nd | |||||
| Wisconsin: | 4–3 | 2–2 | |||||||
| Total: | 11–6–1 | ||||||||
| National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth | |||||||||
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