William Marshall Hollenback
1886-1968

The New York Times - March 14, 1968

W. M. HOLLENBACK, PENN GRID STAR, 82

Philadelphia, March 13 (AP) - William M. Hollenback, University of Pennsylvania football star and a member of the National Football Hall of Fame, died yesterday at the age of 82.

Big Bill Hollenback, as he was known, was a fullback and captain of Penn’s 1908 team. It won every game but one - a 6-6 tie with the Carlisle Indians, headed by Jim Thorpe. Mr. Hollenback became a dentist after graduation but returned to football a few years later as coach at his alma mater.

In 1940 Mr. Hollenback was elected to Philadelphia’s city council. He had been president of the Bird Coal Company, a director of the New York Shipbuilding Corporation, the Keystone Portland Cement Co., and the Coal Operators Casualty Company.

Who’s Who in American Sports, 1971

HOLLENBACK, "BIG BILL" (William M.) football: b. Feb. 22, 1886, Blue Bell, P.; d. March 12, 1968. Pennsylvania halfback; All-American, 1908; 2nd team, 1906-07. He captained the undefeated Penn team in 1908. Hollenback won a dental degree but coached Penn, Penn State, Missouri, and Syracuse in the early part of the century, before going into practice. Helms Hall of Fame, National Football Foundation Hall of Fame.

Who’s Who in Commerce and Industry, 1958

Hollenback, William Marshall, coal mcht.; b. Blueball, Pa., Feb. 22, 1886; s John Warren and Annie (Coffey) H.; D. D. S., U. Pa., 1908; m Marion Cressman, Apr. 30, 1917; 1 son, William M. Practicing dentist, 1908-09; propr. coal bus. W. M. Hollenback, 1909- ; pres. Bird Coal Co., Phila., 1932-40; dir. N. Y. Shipbldg. Corp., Keystone Portland Cement Co., Coal Operators Casualty Co.; head football coach Pa., 1919-20; former ofcl. Inter-Collegiate football games. Councilman City of Phila., 1940-44. Elected to Nat. Football Hall of Fame, 1953. clubs: Pine Valley Golf (v. p., trustee) (Clementon, N. J.); Racquet, University (Phila.); Princeton (N. Y. C.). Home: 1900 S. Rittenhouse Sq., Phila. 3. Office: Harrison Bldg., Phila. 2.

University Missourian
Columbia, Missouri
September 16, 1910

HOLLENBACK HERE; NOW FOR FOOTBALL

Coach Arrived on a Late Train Last Night - Busy Today
WANTS HEAVY MEN
Preliminary Practice May Start Tomorrow - Old Players Back.

"Holly's" here.

William Hollenback, coach of the 1910 Tiger football team, arrived in Columbia at 9:15 o'clock last night. A. G. Alexander, fullback on last year's team, came on the same train with Coach Hollenback. The two went to the Columbia club at once to talk football with Prof. W. Manly, secretary of the athletic committee, but Prof. Manly was not there.

Football practice will begin tomorrow, according to a statement by the coach last night. Although Hollenback has seen few of the fifty men who will try for the team this fall, he has conferred with William Roper, coach of last year's team, and others about the material for this year. He believes the prospects for a winning team are good.

"The new rules will make little difference in the size of men who will make good football players," said Coach Hollenback last night when greeted by newspaper men. "It will still require 'beefy' men to make the best football players. I believe a man should weigh around 175 pounds to play a good game. I hope to see heavy men out for practice."

He saw the Reno Fight.

Dr. Hollenback has been in San Francisco the last few weeks. He has been in the West all summer. He saw the Jeffries-Johnson fight at Reno, Nev., July, 4, and afterwards visited several mining camps in Nevada. He came yesterday from Kansas City. The new coach left the train and the Wabash station last night, without being recognized by many persons. A large crowd of students and followers of football were at the station to see if the new coach arrived. Many watched the big man who left the train with Alexander, but no one was sure he was the coach. One student walked the up by the side of Alexander and asked if the suspiciously big-looking fellow was the new coach.

"No, he's not the coach - he's a freshman," Alexander replied, as he hurried the coach through the station and up Eighth street.

The big athletic-looking man with Alexander looked too good to several newspaper correspondents to let get away so easily. They followed the men to the Gordon hotel and were introduced to Dr. Hollenback.

After they had "chased" the big coach to the hotel he greeted the correspondents with a smile. Three reporters arrived at the hotel at the same time - about four feet behind Hollenback.

Voted Him a "Good Fellow."

"Yes, I'm the coach," he said. He also smiled. A ballot taken in the next two seconds to obtain impressions of the new coach showed on each vote "Good Fellow." A correspondent for one city paper arrived at the hotel a few minutes after the others. The coach had just about ended his talk with the first men.

"What? Another one?" the coach asked when the belated correspondent was introduced. "I have told these men all - well, I don't know just what I have told them. I guess, though, I can tell you something else, if I can’t remember what I've said." After answering all of the questions - or at least some of them - the coach went to see Prof. Manly.

HOLLENBECK'S BUSY DAY
I'm Here to Beat Kansas, says New Coach.

Coach William Hollenback spent today in seeing Columbia. This morning he went to the Rothwell Gymnasium, inspected the football field and the apparatus and examined the equipment. He is living at the Gordon Hotel. Although Coach Hollenback has not learned much as to the material here, he is very much pleased with the University.

"I had no idea," he said this morning, "that Missouri was so large a school. The gymnasium and the athletic equipment far surpass anything I expected."

Mr. Hollenback talked about his trip to the west this summer, and about what he had heard from his friends in the East. Hollenback does not know much about the football prospects as yet but is enthusiastic about his work.

"I came out to beat Kansas, I believe, and we are going to do it. They have had a week's practice already and that counts for a good deal in the early games. But we ought to get in as good shape as they by Thanksgiving.

"I am sorry we can not begin practice sooner here, but we will make the best of it. I will try to have the men take a little exercise at least. They can run around the track this afternoon and tomorrow and get their wind."

Hollenback knows "Spike" Denny, coach of the Rolla teams. He said he was surprised to learn that he was going to coach a team that would play against Denny's. Hollenback does not think that the game this fall will be very different from that of the last, two seasons. "All the changes have been minor ones," he said last night, "and I think the game will be almost like it has been. The game last fall suited the public and the players. The accidents last fall in the East were unfortunate, as they gave the game a big set back."

See Mrs. Anna J. Hollenback, his mother.

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