William McCracken

Geneva College

McCracken was the first head football coach at Geneva College in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania and he held that position for seven seasons, from 1890 until 1896. His coaching record at Geneva was 17–18–1.

Northern Michigan

After starting the program at Geneva College, McCracken went to the newly formed Normal School of Northern Michigan in Marquette, Michigan (now Northern Michigan University) to teach chemistry and physics. Records show that he was on staff at Normal as early as 1901.

In 1904, he was asked to start the program there, making the second school where he was the first coach. His team produced a record of 2–1 in the inaugural 1904 season and played their games at the County Fairgrounds.

Contributions to education

In 1907, McCracken took a position as head of the chemistry department at Michigan's Western State Normal School in Kalamazoo (now called Western Michigan University). He remained at Western Michigan until his retirement in 1939, also serving as acting university president in the 1922–23 school year. In 1946, the school began plans for McCracken Hall to honor his legacy.

McCracken offered his services wherever he believed he could add value to the school and its students. In yet another string of "firsts", he was the first faculty advisor for the Western Herald student newspaper in 1916.