Ivy Williamson Ivan B . " Ivy " Williamson ( February 4 , 1911 – February 19 , 1969 ) was a player and coach of American football and basketball , and a college athletics administrator . He played college football and basketball at the University of Michigan from 1930 to 1932 and was captain of the national champion 1932 Michigan football team . He was an assistant football coach at Yale University ( 1934 – 1941 , 1945 – 1946 ) , the head football coach at Lafayette College ( 1947 – 1948 ) and the University of Wisconsin – Madison ( 1949 – 1955 ) . He served as the athletic director at Wisconsin from 1955 to 1969 . Early life and playing career . Williamson was born and grew up near Toledo , Ohio in Prairie Depot , now known as Wayne , Ohio . He attended Bowling Green High School where he was a star athlete . During his senior year , Williamson contracted osteomyelitis , an infection in his ankle bone . Despite being told that he would probably not play football again , Williamson worked himself back into shape and became a star football player in college . Michigan . Williamson attended the University of Michigan , where he played basketball and football . He won two varsity letters in basketball and three in football . He was first - team All - Big Ten in football in 1931 and 1932 and was captain of the national champion 1932 Michigan football team . Michigan ' s head coach Harry Kipke said , " Ivy Williamson is the smartest I have ever had or hope to have . " In his three years playing football for Michigan , the Wolverines won three straight Big Ten titles and had an overall record of 24 wins , one loss and two ties . Williamson graduated from the University of Michigan in 1933 with distinction and received the Gold Medal award from university president as " the outstanding gentleman , athlete and scholar in the Class of 1933 . " Coaching career . High school coach . After graduating from Michigan in 1933 , Williamson taught economics and history and coached basketball and football at Roseville High School in Roseville , Michigan . He led Roseville ' s football team to an undefeated season in 1933 . Yale and military service . In 1934 , Williamson was hired as an assistant football coach at Yale University . He remained an assistant coach under Ducky Pond from 1934 to 1940 and remained on the staff under head coach Spike Nelson in 1941 . In June 1942 , Williamson was commissioned a lieutenant junior grade in the United States Naval Reserve entered the U . S . Navy . He was assigned to coach a Navy football team in 1942 with Potsy Clark at Pensacola , Florida . During three years in the military , Williamson had tours of duty at a Naval station in Sanford , Florida , a gunnery school in Hollywood , Florida , the cadet selection board in Detroit , Michigan and the carrier USS Wolverine in Chicago . He remained in the Navy for three years and was discharged in 1945 . Williamson rejoined the Yale coaching staff in 1945 under head coach Howie Odell . Williamson also served as the head basketball coach at Yale University for the 1946 – 47 season . Lafayette . In 1947 , Williamson was hired as the head coach at Lafayette College in Easton , Pennsylvania . In the two years before Williamson was hired , the Lafayette football team won only 3 games , lost 14 and tied 1 . Williamson immediately turned the program around , leading the team to a 6 – 3 record in 1947 and 7 - 2 in 1948 . The only losses in 1947 were to Army and Rutgers . Wisconsin . In February 1949 , Williamson was hired as the head football coach at the University of Wisconsin – Madison . He again took over a program with a losing record , as the Badgers finished 2 – 7 the year before Williamson was hired . The team steadily improved in the first there years under Williamson , finishing 5 – 3 – 1 in 1949 , 6 – 3 in 1950 , and 7 – 1 – 1 in 1951 . The 1952 team finished the regular season 6 – 2 – 1 , tied for the Big Ten championship . The Badgers lost to the USC Trojans in the 1953 Rose Bowl by a 7 – 0 score . In January 1951 , Williamson was approached by the University of Southern California about taking the head coaching job for the Trojans . The University of Wisconsin offered Williamson a pay raise of $ 2 , 000 ( from $ 10 , 300 to $ 12 , 500 ) , and raises of $ 1 , 500 to his four assistant coaches , in order to persuade him to stay . In 1953 , the " Saturday Evening Post " published an article on Williamson titled , " That Gentlemanly Coach at Wisconsin . " The article ' s author , Harry Paxton , wrote : " Ivy Williamson is a big , unruffled Midwesterner from a small Ohio farm town . He speaks mildly and calmly . He never dramatizes himself , but somehow with him seems to get the feeling that here is a nice , honest fellow with a good head on his shoulders . He has a natural gift for winning and keeping the confidence of all sorts of people — alumni and other boosters ; faculty and school officials , players and prospective players . " The team continued to thrive in 1953 with a record of 6 – 2 – 1 and in 1954 with a record of 7 – 2 . Williamson experienced his first losing season as a head coach in 1955 with a record of 4 – 5 . Administrative career . In November 1955 , Williamson became Wisconsin ' s athletic director following the death of athletic director Guy Sundt . He was replaced as head football coach by Milt Bruhn . Due to a university policy providing that the athletic director could not be paid a salary higher than that of the dean , the move to athletic director came with a salary cut from $ 15 , 300 to $ 13 , 500 . During Williamson ' s 13 years as athletic director , he increased the capacity of Camp Randall Stadium to 77 , 000 with the construction of an upper deck , expanded intramural facilities , restored men ’ s ice hockey as a varsity sport , and built a new natatorium , a new baseball field and running track . In 1955 , the University of Wisconsin announced that the newly - established Ivy Williamson Trophy would be presented each year to the senior football player showing the highest degree of sportsmanship throughout his career . In December 1957 , Williamson was one of 25 former college football players chosen by " Sports Illustrated " for its silver anniversary All - American team honoring players with outstanding career and community service records . In January 1963 , Williamson was elected permanent chairman of the NCAA Football Rules Committee . The football program continued to thrive into the early 1960s , but went into a steep decline later in the decade , finishing 8 – 19 from 1964 to 1966 and then having consecutive winless seasons in 1967 and 1968 . Firing and death . In January 1969 , after five straight losing seasons and with the athletic department having a deficit , Williamson was fired as Wisconsin ’ s athletic director at age 57 . He was reassigned to a new position in the school of physical education with a reduction in salary from $ 23 , 000 to $ 18 , 800 . He was described by those who knew him as " a man crushed in spirit " after his removal as athletic director . Less than six weeks after his firing , Williamson died from irreversible brain stem damage after falling down the basement stairs at his home in Maple Bluff , Wisconsin . He was taken by ambulance to the University hospital in Madison , where he was pronounced dead . He was survived by his wife , Beulah , and twin sons , Jack and David .