Born: |
Wheeling, Missouri |
April 21, 1907
---|---|
Died: | November 1, 1959 Cedar Rapids, Iowa |
(aged 52)
Career information | |
Position(s) | Halfback |
College | University of Iowa |
Career history | |
As player | |
1927–1929 | Iowa Hawkeyes |
1930 | Portsmouth Spartans |
1931 | Chicago Cardinals |
Awards | Chicago Tribune Silver Football, 1929 |
Honors | First-team All-American, 1929 |
Willis Allen "Bill" Glasgow (April 21, 1907 – November 1, 1959) was an American football player and attorney. He played halfback for the University of Iowa from 1927 to 1929, was selected as a first-team All-American in 1929, and received the 1929 Chicago Tribune Silver Football as the best football player in the Big Ten Conference. He played two seasons of professional football in the National Football League for the Portsmouth Spartans in 1930 and the Chicago Cardinals in 1931. He practiced law in Iowa from 1933 to 1959, including two terms as the Page County Attorney (1935–1939) and three terms as the Linn County Attorney (1951–1957).
Glasgow was born in Wheeling, Missouri, in 1907. He was the son of Franklin and Nellie (Williams) Glasgow and lived on a farm west of Wheeling for the first ten years of his life. He moved with his family to Shenandoah, Iowa, in 1916 and attended Shenandoah High School where he was selected as Iowa's all-state quarterback as a sophomore in 1922. He was the captain of Shenandoah's 1923 football team.
Glasgow enrolled at the University of Nebraska in 1925. As a freshman at Nebraska, Glasgow saw that the Cornhuskers were emphasizing "beef and brawn" over "speed and agility." At 5 feet, 8 inches, and 175 pounds, Glasgow concluded he would see more playing time elsewhere and transferred to the University of Iowa.
After sitting out the 1926 season following his transfer, Glasgow played three years each for Iowa's football and baseball teams. As a baseball player, he played shortstop and won three varsity letters. He was the starting shortstop and leading hitter of the 1927 Iowa baseball team that tied for the Big Ten Conference championship. He gained his greatest acclaim playing at the halfback position for Iowa's football team from 1927 to 1929. Glasgow was the football team's leading ground gainer three straight years, a record that has not been equaled. In addition to his talent as a runner, Glasgow was also known as "a deadly tackler while operating at safety in the old diamond defense." He also handled punting and place kicking responsibilities for the Hawkeyes. Iowa coach Burt Ingwersen later said of Glasgow: