Hall of Fame
Bill Orwig graduated from Scott High School in Toledo. He went on to star at the University of Michigan, where he was named All-American and led the Wolverines to the Big Ten title in 1928-29. Bill played pro ball in Detroit for two years, then coached and officiated in the Toledo area for 15 years. At Libbey High he coached both basketball and football, winning the city cage title three times, and guiding the 1941-44 grid teams to a 36-3 mark. Bill became head football coach at UT with no previous university experience, and was faced with the task of reviving the football program after the war. He ushered in the modern era of athletics for UT; the first team to fly to a game, first to play under the lights, wore new uniforms, and had its touchdowns tallied on a new Glass Bowl scoreboard. First season went 6-2-2, with a win over Bates College in the first ever Glass Bowl game and outscoring opponents 200-132. The next year they went 9-2 beating previously unbeaten New Hampshire in Glass Bowl game and outscoring opponents 254-125. Bill Orwig served as interim basketball coach for the 1946-47 season and led the team to an 18-6 mark. He left UT for an assisting coaching job at his alma mater. Bill later became the AD at Nebraska, then at Indiana, retiring in 1975. He was the recipient of the 12th annual James J. Corbett Award by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics in 1978.
