Bill Dague
Encyclopedia
William Henry "Bill" Dague, Jr. (October 28, 1885 – August 27, 1963) was an American football
player and coach. He played college football
for Wabash College
and the United States Naval Academy
. He was the first consensus All-American football player from the Naval Academy. He later served as an assistant football coach at the Naval Academy starting in 1908 and served as an officer on the USS Cincinnati
on the Asiatic Station from 1912 to 1914. He was the head football coach at Adrian College
in 1915.
in 1885. His father, William Henry Dague, Sr., was a banker who was born in Pennsylvania in December 1844. At the time of the 1900 U.S. Census, Dague was living in Benton, Indiana
with his father and two adult brothers. His mother had died. One brother, Maynard, was born in April 1879 and working as a miner. The other, Samuel, was born in August 1877 and was working as a lawyer.
in Crawfordsville, Indiana
. He played college football as an end for the Wabash Little Giants
in 1902 and 1903. In a game against Notre Dame
on Thanksgiving Day 1903, Dague had the longest run of the game on a 60-yard on the kickoff to start the second half. A newspaper account described Dague's return as follows:
He was admitted to the United States Naval Academy
in July 1904 and played at the end position for the Navy Midshipmen football
team from 1905 to 1907. He was selected as a first-team All-American in both 1906 and 1907. In his final football game for Navy, Dague helped lead the Navy to a 6–0 win over Army
in front of 30,000 spectators at Philadelphia's Franklin Field
. The New York Times
described Dague's contributions to the victory as follows: "Dague was a mercury-footed end that no runner escaped, his tackles being death-dealing in their fierceness. He followed the ball almost by scent and was always ready to pounce on the catcher immediately the ball settled in his arms." He was the first consensus All-American player selected from the U.S. Naval Academy. In December 1907, an Indiana newspaper reported on Dague's achievements as follows: "Will Dague of the U. S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, has bloomed into national celebrity as a star football player. He played right end for the navy in the army-navy game at Philadelphia Nov. 30th, and won special mention in all the eastern papers for the brilliant playing."
In May 1908, Dague was presented with a sword as the best all-around athlete at the Naval Academy. In addition to playing football, he played right field for the Navy baseball team in 1907 and 1908 and led the Navy baseball team in batting. He also competed in wrestling as a lightweight.
In June 1912, Dague was promoted to the rank of lieutenant in the U.S. Navy. He served on the USS Cincinnati
on the Asiatic Station. In November 1914, Dague resigned from the Navy and returned to his home in Fowler, Indiana.
In October 1915, Dague was hired to coach the football team at Adrian College
in Adrian, Michigan
for the remainder of the football season and to "take charge of college athletics all year." Dague was the head coach for the Adrian Bulldogs football for the 1915 season. His coaching record at Adrian was 2 wins and 5 losses. Dague reportedly also had "gained some experience as a coach at Wabash."
. He is buried at the Los Angeles National Cemetery
(Section 191 Row Y Site 17).
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player and coach. He played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
for Wabash College
Wabash College
Wabash College is a small, private, liberal arts college for men, located in Crawfordsville, Indiana. Along with Hampden-Sydney College and Morehouse College, Wabash is one of only three remaining traditional all-men's liberal arts colleges in the United States.-History:Wabash College was founded...
and the United States Naval Academy
United States Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located in Annapolis, Maryland, United States...
. He was the first consensus All-American football player from the Naval Academy. He later served as an assistant football coach at the Naval Academy starting in 1908 and served as an officer on the USS Cincinnati
USS Cincinnati (C-7)
USS Cincinnati was a protected cruiser of the United States Navy and was launched on 10 November 1892 by New York Navy Yard; sponsored by Miss S. Mosby; and commissioned on 16 June 1894, Captain Henry Glass in command...
on the Asiatic Station from 1912 to 1914. He was the head football coach at Adrian College
Adrian College
Adrian College is a private, co-educational liberal arts college related to the United Methodist Church in the city of Adrian, Michigan.-Campus:The school is approximately a 45-minute drive from Ann Arbor and Toledo, Ohio, and 90 minutes from Detroit...
in 1915.
Early years
Dague was born in Fowler, IndianaFowler, Indiana
-External links:*...
in 1885. His father, William Henry Dague, Sr., was a banker who was born in Pennsylvania in December 1844. At the time of the 1900 U.S. Census, Dague was living in Benton, Indiana
Benton, Indiana
Benton is an unincorporated town in Benton Township, Elkhart County, Indiana....
with his father and two adult brothers. His mother had died. One brother, Maynard, was born in April 1879 and working as a miner. The other, Samuel, was born in August 1877 and was working as a lawyer.
College
Dague enrolled at Wabash CollegeWabash College
Wabash College is a small, private, liberal arts college for men, located in Crawfordsville, Indiana. Along with Hampden-Sydney College and Morehouse College, Wabash is one of only three remaining traditional all-men's liberal arts colleges in the United States.-History:Wabash College was founded...
in Crawfordsville, Indiana
Crawfordsville, Indiana
Crawfordsville is a city in Union Township, Montgomery County, Indiana, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 15,915. The city is the county seat of Montgomery County...
. He played college football as an end for the Wabash Little Giants
Wabash Little Giants
The Wabash Little Giants are the intercollegiate athletics teams that represent Wabash College, a small private school for men in Crawfordsville, Indiana. The university belongs to the National Collegiate Athletic Association and participates in Division III sports. The Little Giants compete as...
in 1902 and 1903. In a game against Notre Dame
Notre Dame Fighting Irish football
Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team is the football team of the University of Notre Dame. The team is currently coached by Brian Kelly.Notre Dame competes as an Independent at the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision level, and is a founding member of the Bowl Championship Series coalition. It is an...
on Thanksgiving Day 1903, Dague had the longest run of the game on a 60-yard on the kickoff to start the second half. A newspaper account described Dague's return as follows:
"The mighty Salmon kicked off and Dague caught the ball near his own goal line. He started up the field and by artful dodging wormed his way through the entire bunch. The last to tackle him was Capt. Salmon but the clever little player side-stepped him and the red headed hero of Notre Dame just grazed his ankle. It was sufficient to throw Dague off his balance, however, and before he could recover some four or five excited Catholics were piling upon him."
He was admitted to the United States Naval Academy
United States Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located in Annapolis, Maryland, United States...
in July 1904 and played at the end position for the Navy Midshipmen football
Navy Midshipmen football
The Navy Midshipmen football team represents the United States Naval Academy in NCAA Division I-A college football. They are a Division I Football Bowl Subdivision independent school and coached by Ken Niumatalolo since December 2007...
team from 1905 to 1907. He was selected as a first-team All-American in both 1906 and 1907. In his final football game for Navy, Dague helped lead the Navy to a 6–0 win over Army
Army Black Knights football
The Army Black Knights football program represents the United States Military Academy. Army was recognized as the national champions in 1944, 1945 and 1946....
in front of 30,000 spectators at Philadelphia's Franklin Field
Franklin Field
Franklin Field is the University of Pennsylvania's stadium for football, field hockey, lacrosse, sprint football, and track and field . It is also used by Penn students for recreation, and for intramural and club sports, including touch football and cricket, and is the site of Penn's graduation...
. The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
described Dague's contributions to the victory as follows: "Dague was a mercury-footed end that no runner escaped, his tackles being death-dealing in their fierceness. He followed the ball almost by scent and was always ready to pounce on the catcher immediately the ball settled in his arms." He was the first consensus All-American player selected from the U.S. Naval Academy. In December 1907, an Indiana newspaper reported on Dague's achievements as follows: "Will Dague of the U. S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, has bloomed into national celebrity as a star football player. He played right end for the navy in the army-navy game at Philadelphia Nov. 30th, and won special mention in all the eastern papers for the brilliant playing."
In May 1908, Dague was presented with a sword as the best all-around athlete at the Naval Academy. In addition to playing football, he played right field for the Navy baseball team in 1907 and 1908 and led the Navy baseball team in batting. He also competed in wrestling as a lightweight.
Football coach and military service
In the fall of 1908, Dague joined the football coaching staff at the Naval Academy.In June 1912, Dague was promoted to the rank of lieutenant in the U.S. Navy. He served on the USS Cincinnati
USS Cincinnati (C-7)
USS Cincinnati was a protected cruiser of the United States Navy and was launched on 10 November 1892 by New York Navy Yard; sponsored by Miss S. Mosby; and commissioned on 16 June 1894, Captain Henry Glass in command...
on the Asiatic Station. In November 1914, Dague resigned from the Navy and returned to his home in Fowler, Indiana.
In October 1915, Dague was hired to coach the football team at Adrian College
Adrian College
Adrian College is a private, co-educational liberal arts college related to the United Methodist Church in the city of Adrian, Michigan.-Campus:The school is approximately a 45-minute drive from Ann Arbor and Toledo, Ohio, and 90 minutes from Detroit...
in Adrian, Michigan
Adrian, Michigan
As of the 2010 census Adrian had a population of 21,133. The racial and ethnic makeup of the population was 84.1% white, 4.4% black or African American, 0.6% Native American, 0.9% Asian, 5.9% from some other race and 4.0% from two or more races...
for the remainder of the football season and to "take charge of college athletics all year." Dague was the head coach for the Adrian Bulldogs football for the 1915 season. His coaching record at Adrian was 2 wins and 5 losses. Dague reportedly also had "gained some experience as a coach at Wabash."
Death
Dague died in 1963 at age 77 in Los Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
. He is buried at the Los Angeles National Cemetery
Los Angeles National Cemetery
The Los Angeles National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery in West Los Angeles, at the intersection of Wilshire Boulevard and Sepulveda Boulevard. The cemetery was dedicated in 1889. Interred there are war veterans, from the Spanish-American war, World War I, World War II, Korean War,...
(Section 191 Row Y Site 17).
See also
- 1906 College Football All-America Team1906 College Football All-America TeamThe 1906 College Football All-America team is composed of college football players who were selected as All-Americans by various organizations and writers that chose College Football All-America Teams for the 1906 college football season...
- 1907 College Football All-America Team1907 College Football All-America TeamThe 1907 College Football All-America team is composed of various organizations that chose College Football All-America Teams that season. The organizations that chose the teams included Collier's Weekly selected by Walter Camp.-Key:...