Evening star., 1938-09-09
END DLAURE[S WON
ON HOPKINS TEAM
Game First Attempted at
B. P. !. by Quiet, Sincere
West Point Tutor.
BY LAWRENCE PERRY.

Special Correspondent Of The Star.
WEST POINT. N. Y, Sept. 9.-Seat-
ed at his desk in the Army football
ONCE, surrounded by members Of his
staff, Capt William H. Wood sur
veyed with complacency all the work
he and his assistants have begun for
the 1898 campaign, which started with
squad of some so cadets.
Now that Bill Wood holds the
throne of the West Point gridiron
realm. it is timely to tell the world
something about him. Slender, with
legs slightly bowed after the manner
Of your true cavalryman. he has blue
thoughtful eyes and sharply defined
features. He loves football, always
did
He loved it so much that upon re-
ceiving his commission in 1925 he
spent the weeks of his graduation
leave at the University of Illinois
summer school where Bob Zupke re-
calls him as one of his most brilliant
and serious pupils. He came back to
the Point that fall as an assistant
under Capt. McEwan and since then
he has appeared of and on as a men,
ber of the Army football faculty.
Rated All-Maryland End.
Born in Waterbury, Conn, in 1900,
his family moved to Swarthmore, Pa,
when he was a small boy and it was
there at the local high school in 1918
that he gave high promise in basket
ball and baseball.
The Woods moved to Baltimore that
year and at Baltimore Polytechnic
High. where he completed his pre-
paratory education, he added foot
ball to his athletic repertory.
Then the United States entered the
World War, whereupon Bill enrolled
In the Student Army Training Corps
at Johns Hopkins University. Here.
in addition to laurels in baseball and
basket ball, he was named as an all
Maryland end in football. Remain
ing at the Baltimore institution until
Junior year, elected captain of the
Hopkins eleven, he decided to transfer
to West Point
Those were the days when piebes
could play football and the newcomer
was at once recognized as one of the
Days squad.
It was not long before he became
known as the outstanding punter in
the East, but the fact that he could do
more than boot the ball was attested
in the fall of 1922 when he scored the
first touchdown against Navy which an
Army outfit had made in six years;
since 1915. to be exact.
In all, Wood won IL major sports let
tiers throughout his career as a cadet.
As a basket ball player, he was a men,
Der Of the first five ever to deefat the
Midshipmen and he served as captain
OF the 1925 quintet. Cited as one Of
the leading guards in this section, he
was no less successful at baseball,
wherein he held down the left field job
with brilliance during the four years of
his student life.
He was an assistant coach in foot
ball at West Point in 1926-7-8, leaving
In 1929 to attend the Cavalry School
1T Fort Riley. Then he went to Fort
Oglethorpe, Ga, as a lieutenant In the
9Th Cavalry and remained there until
the fall Of 1892 when he came back
to the academy to coach under Mai. =,
now Col. Ralph Sasse.
Quiet, Sincere Coach.
Here he stayed as an academic in
structor and backf1eld coach through
out the remainder of COL Sasse's ad-
ministration and held over with Gar
Davidson until he was detailed as a
student in the Command General Staff
School, Fort Leavenworth, Kans.
Graduated there last June, he was
named by the War Department as
Capt. DeNdson's successor as head
coach.
A quiet and sincere man, these are
the qualities rather than inspira-
tional dynamics, with which he grips
and holds the boys playing under him
and with which he attracts brother
omcers and civilians. His technical
equipment Is comprehensive and he
knows how to project what he knous