William W . Skinner William Woolford Skinner ( March 28 , 1874 – March 10 , 1953 ) was an American chemist , conservationist , and college football coach . He served as the head coach at the Maryland Agricultural College ( now University of Maryland ) and University of Arizona . Early life and college . Skinner was born in Baltimore on March 28 , 1874 , and raised in Cambridge , Maryland . He enrolled at the Maryland Agricultural College in 1891 . In 1892 , he became the football team ' s first quarterback and head coach . During , Maryland went scoreless to finish with a 0 – 3 record . In 1894 , he was instrumental in the formation of the Maryland Intercollegiate Football Association , which was created to award the state football championship . In 1895 , Skinner graduated from the MAC as the valedictorian . He earned a B . S . through its " Agricultural - Scientific " course . Professional career . Upon graduation , Skinner took a job at his alma mater as an assistant chemist , and enrolled in graduate school at Columbian University ( now the George Washington University ) in 1896 . He graduated with an M . S . from Columbian in 1898 . In 1899 , Skinner married Georgia née Mitchell , with whom he later had a daughter . From 1899 to 1901 , he served in an assistant chemist post at the University of Arizona . While there , he also studied geology and coached the football team in 1900 and 1901 . He guided Arizona to 3 – 1 and 4 – 1 records , respectively . In 1904 , Skinner studied botany and physical chemistry at the University of California . That summer , he worked as a chemist at the University of Arizona School of Mines . Following that , he took a job as a food inspection chemist with the Bureau of Chemistry of the United States Department of Agriculture , where he worked until 1908 . Skinner then became the chief of the bureau ' s Water Laboratory . In 1911 , the Maryland Agriculture College awarded him an honorary M . S . degree . As of 1914 , Skinner was living in Kensington , Maryland and continuing his work as the chief of the Water Laboratory . " The Baltimore Sun " described Skinner as " a nationally prominent agricultural chemist and one of the nation ' s foremost conservationists , who was one of the first researchers to study pollution in the Chesapeake Bay . " Skinner served on the Board of Regents at the University of Maryland from 1916 to 1941 , including as its chairman from 1935 onward . Later life . In 1942 , while associate chief of the Bureau of Agricultural Chemistry and Engineering , Skinner attended a meeting to discuss food dehydration as a means to reduce the logistical burden of transporting war supplies . " The Sheboygan Press " noted that he was not called upon during the meeting , and remained quiet until its participants began to disperse . He then spoke up : " I have been a student of dehydration for many years , but I don ' t suppose that counts . Old fellows like me don ' t get much attention . The accent is on youth in these times — so much so that I think it wouldn ' t be out of place to design another flag for the Capitol in addition to Old Glory . Yes , gentlemen , I recommend a background of bright green , with a pair of diapers rampant . " Skinner was promoted to chief of the Bureau in November 1942 . He died on March 10 , 1953 . Skinner was posthumously inducted into the inaugural class of the University of Maryland Alumni Hall of Fame in 1995 . The Skinner Building , constructed on the school ' s campus in 1915 , is named in his honor .