Bill Orwig

James Wilfred "Bill" Orwig (January 1, 1907 – July 30, 1994) was an American football and basketball player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He played college football and college basketball at the University of Michigan. He later served as the athletic director at the University of Toledo, the University of Nebraska, and the Indiana University Bloomington.

Raised in Toledo, Ohio, Orwig was an all-state athlete in high school and went on to be an All-Big Ten Conference basketball player at Michigan. He received three varsity letters in basketball and one in football. After graduating from Michigan, Orwig was a successful high school football and basketball coach from 1931 to 1945 in Benton Harbor, Michigan, and Toledo. He helped develop an athletic program for the occupation forces in Germany and became the athletic director, football coach, and basketball coach at the University of Toledo after World War II.

From 1948 to 1951, Orwig was an assistant football coach at Michigan in charge of ends, participating in Michigan's 1948 national championship team and the 1950 team that won the Big Ten championship and the Rose Bowl. He accepted a job as athletic director at the University of Nebraska in 1954 and remained there for seven years. In 1961, he was hired as athletic director at Indiana University and led the Hoosiers from a four-year NCAA probation to 37 Big Ten Conference championships and seven NCAA championships. He hired Bobby Knight as basketball coach at Indiana, and has been inducted into the Halls of Fame at Indiana, Michigan and Toledo.

Athlete at Scott High School and University of Michigan Born in Cleveland, Ohio, and won all-state honors in football and basketball. While at Michigan, he was a member of Phi Mu Delta fraternity and a member of the Michigauma society. In five years at Benton Harbor, the football team won 75% of its games, including a 4–0–1 record against rival St. Joseph High School. As the ends coach at Michigan, Orwig helped develop Dick Rifenberg, Lowell Perry, Harry Allis, and Ozzie Clark. He remained at Nebraska until 1961, and during his tenure the Corhuskers started to emerge into national prominence. Orwig was the athletic director who hired Pete Elliott as the football coach at Nebraska in 1956. Elliott later recalled, "I thought the world of him. I thought he was a great guy." In 1961, Orwig quit his position at Nebraska to accept the athletic director job at Indiana; news reports indicated that Orwig had been offered $20,000 a year by Indiana, $5,000 more than he was making at Nebraska. At the time, Orwig said: "The decision to accept the Indiana University position as Director of Athletics was a most difficult one. . . . The people of Nebraska and the University have been most kind to me over the past 7 years. Their understanding of our problems, their excellent help and their friendship have been heartwarming. . . . I leave Nebraska with the greatest admiration for its administrative staff, its teaching staff, and its increasing educational strength. . . . My thanks go out to all my friends throughout the state and best wishes and hopes to the Cornhuskers for many victories in the years to come."

Athletic director at Indiana University Orwig was the athletic director at Indiana University from 1961 to 1975. In the 61 years preceding Orwig's arrival, Indiana had won 49 conference championships and seven NCAA championships.

Later years and awards

After stepping down as Indiana's athletic director in 1975, Orwig retired with his wife to Sister Lakes in southwestern Michigan, where he was a volunteer and fundraiser for the University of Michigan athletic scholarship program and sat on the board of directors of the Michigan Health Care Association, the State Bank of Coloma, the Southwestern Michigan Humane Society, and the Berrien Hills Country Club.

Since 1976, the Bill Orwig Medal has been awarded each year by the Indiana University Alumni Association to recognize outstanding contributions made by a non-alumnus to the IU athletic program.

In 1978, Orwig received the James J. Corbett Memorial Award, presented annually to the collegiate administrator who "through the years has most typified Corbett's devotion to intercollegiate athletics and worked unceasingly for its betterment." On receiving the award, Orwig said: "This award is kind of like being named coach of the year. It's the top award you can get in the field of athletic administration. It pleases me immensely, particularly since I was elected by my peers after I had retired."

Orwig was inducted into the University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor in 1984 and the Indiana University Hall of Fame in 1987. He has also been inducted into the Toledo Rockets' Varsity 'T' Hall of Fame.

Head coaching record College football