Biographical details | |
---|---|
Born | Elnora, Indiana, U.S. | December 26, 1927
Died | August 12, 2020 Houston, Texas, U.S. | (aged 92)
Playing career | |
1945 | Texas A&M |
1946–1948 | Army |
Position(s) | Center |
Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
1954–1961 | Michigan State (assistant) |
1962–1986 | Houston |
Head coaching record | |
Overall | 160–108–8 |
Bowls | 6–4–1 |
Accomplishments and honors | |
Championships | |
4 SWC (1976, 1978, 1979, 1984) | |
Awards | |
3x SWC Coach of the Year (1976, 1979, 1984) Houston Sports Hall of Fame (2021) Texas Sports Hall of Fame (2003) Second-team All-American (1948) Second-team All-Eastern (1948) | |
College Football Hall of Fame Inducted in 2001 (profile) |
William Frank Yeoman (December 26, 1927 – August 12, 2020) was an American college football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at the University of Houston from 1962 to 1986.[1] In his tenure, he became the winningest coach in Houston Cougars football history, with an overall record of 160–108–8.[2] Yeoman revolutionized offensive football in 1964 by developing the Veer option offense. Yeoman also played a prominent role in the racial integration of collegiate athletics in the South by being the first coach at a predominantly white school in the State of Texas to sign a black player. Yeoman's Cougars finished the season ranked in the top ten of the AP Poll four times and finished 11 times in the AP or UPI top 20.[3]