1898–1901 Brown 1905–1906 Franklin & Marshall 1903 Auburn Name William Bates | 1904–1905 Franklin & Marshall Role American football player 1903–1905 Franklin & Marshall Positions Fullback | |
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Sport(s) Football, basketball, baseball Born June 7, 1879
Providence, Rhode Island ( 1879-06-07 ) Died March 2, 1956, Sarasota, Florida, United States | ||
William Penn "Billy" Bates (June 7, 1879 – March 2, 1956) was an American football player and coach of football, basketball, and baseball. He played college football as a fullback at Brown University for four years, including as team captain in 1901. Bates served as the head football coach at Auburn University in 1903 and at Franklin & Marshall College from 1904 to 1905, compiling a career coaching record of 8–19. Bates was also the head basketball coach at Franklin & Marshall from 1903 to 1905, tallying a mark of 11–9, and the head baseball coach at the school from 1905 to 1906, notching a record of 6–14–1.
Coaching career
After graduating from Brown in 1902, Bates was the head football coach for the 1903 Auburn Tigers football team. His team compiled a record of 4–3.
The following year, he became the head football coach at Franklin & Marshall College located in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. He held that position for the 1904 and 1905 seasons. His coaching record at Franklin & Marshall was 4–16.