Sport(s) Football Bowls 0–2 Overall 108–91–4 | 1958–1977 Ohio 1951–1957 Ohio State (assistant) Name Bill Hess | |
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Born February 5, 1923 ( 1923-02-05 ) Died June 10, 1978(1978-06-10) (aged 55)
Athens, Ohio | ||
William R. Hess (February 5, 1923 – June 10, 1978) was an American football coach. He served as the head football coach at Ohio University from 1958 to 1977. In his tenure as head coach for the Ohio Bobcats football team, Hess compiled a 108–91–4 record, ranking him second only to coach Don Peden on Ohio's all-time victories list. Hess's teams won four Mid-American Conference (MAC) championships (1960, 1963, 1967, and 1968) and won a National Small College Championship in 1960 after having an undefeated season. Hess also led the Bobcats to two bowl games, losing 15–14 to West Texas State in the 1962 Sun Bowl and losing 49–42 to Richmond in the 1968 Tangerine Bowl. His 1968 team is the only team in school history to finish ranked in the major polls. Hess was a native of Columbus, Ohio. He coached high school football in Portsmouth and Grandview Heights, Ohio before joining Woody Hayes's staff at Ohio State University in 1951.
