Bill Fincher
 | |
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 12, 1896 Spring Place, Georgia, U.S. |
| Died | July 17, 1978 (aged 81) Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1916–1920 | Georgia Tech |
| Position(s) | End, tackle, placekicker |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1921 | William & Mary |
| 1925–1931 | Georgia Tech (line) |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 4–3–1 |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| Awards | |
| 3× Era) | |
| College Football Hall of Fame Inducted in 1974 (profile) | |
William Enoch Fincher (November 12, 1896 – July 17, 1978) was an American
Georgia Institute of Technology. Fincher was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame
as a player in 1974.
Early years
Fincher was born in Spring Place, Georgia. He attended old Tech High School in Atlanta.[1]
Georgia Tech
Fincher attended
Heisman shift offense.[3] He made a record 122 of 136 PAT attempts.[4] He stood 6 feet tall and weighed 182 pounds.[5] He was nominated though not selected for an Associated Press All-Time Southeast 1869–1919 era team.[6]
Fincher had a
glass eye which he would covertly pull out after feigning an injury, turn to his opponents and say: "So that's how you want to play!"[7]
1916
Fincher was a substitute for the
1916
.
1917
He was a starter for the
1918
He was a consensus All-American in 1918, a year in which he was captain.
1920
In
1920 he made Walter Camp
's first team All-American, a rarity for a player from the South.
One writer said Fincher "seemingly ate ten-penny
brass-knuckles or "something equally diabolical."[10] Before the game, Fincher said "You're a great player Bo...I feel awful sorry about it because you are not going to be in there very long—about three minutes."[11]
Fincher also once held a charging
Model-T for no gain.[4] The yearbook remarks "Bill began his great work on the sand lots of Tech Hi here in Atlanta years ago and ended it up by smearing "Fatty" Warren of the Auburn Tigers all over the flats of Grant Field on Turkey Day last."[12]
Coaching
Fincher was head coach of a college football team for one season. In 1921, he led the William & Mary Indians football team to a 4–3–1 record. In 1925, he joined Georgia Tech's coaching staff as a line coach, replacing Fay Wood.[13] He was still a line coach for the school through 1927.[14]
Head coaching record
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| William & Mary Indians (South Atlantic Intercollegiate Athletic Association) (1921) | |||||||||
| 1921 | William & Mary | 4–3–1 | 1–3–1 | 11th | |||||
| William & Mary: | 4–3–1 | 1–3–1 | |||||||
| Total: | 4–3–1 | ||||||||
References
- ISBN 9780820339061.
- ^ "William e. Fincher". 1920.
- ^ Alexander M. Weyand (1962). Football immortals. Macmillan. p. 91.
- ^ a b Lynn Hogan (1973). "They Walked Away Into Legend..." Georgia Tech Alumni Magazine. 51 (4): 15–19.
- Newspapers.com.
- ^ "U-T Greats On All-Time Southeast Team". Kingsport Post. July 31, 1969.
- ISBN 9781616731335.
- ISBN 0313284040.
- ISBN 9780313284045.
- ^ "Fincher, Guyon, Strupper-and Shaw Hardy". The Miami News. November 3, 1943.[dead link]
- Newspapers.com.
- ^ "The Blueprint".
- ^ "Addition of New Coaches Gives Tech Best Stuff in the South". Technique. Vol. XV, no. 1. September 25, 1925. pp. 4, 7. Retrieved April 29, 2022.
- ^ "Bill Fincher". Atlanta Georgian. 1927.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bill Fincher.