Willis Glassgow
Encyclopedia
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).
, 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.
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
.
and baseball teams. As a baseball player, he played shortstop
and won three varsity letter
s. 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:
As a sophomore in 1927, Glasgow ran for three touchdown
s and kicked two extra point
s in the second quarter of his first football game for the Hawkeyes, a 32–6 win over Monmouth College
. His 20-point total in the second quarter against Monmouth remains an Iowa Hawkeyes record for scoring in a single quarter.
As a junior in 1928, Glasgow helped lead Iowa to six straight victories, including a 14–7 win over Ohio State
in which Glasgow ran for 153 yards. The 1928 team lost the Big Ten Conference championship after a 10–7 loss to Michigan
, a game in which Iowa's only touchdown came on a 55-yard run by Glasgow. Glasgow also gained acclaim in 1928 for his punting performance in Iowa's 7–6 win over a Minnesota team featuring Bronko Nagurski
. Glasgow's punting helped keep Minnesota from scoring in the first three quarters. In the fourth quarter, a long punt by Glasgow sailed high over the head of Minnesota's Fred Hovde
, but Hovde ran back to the nine-yard line where he retrieved the punt and ran for a 91-yard touchdown. Glasgow was injured trying to catch Hovde. At the end of the 1928 season, Glasgow was selected as a first-team All-Big Ten and All-Western player. He placed fourth in the voting for the Chicago Tribune Silver Football
trophy as the most valuable player in the Big Ten Conference in 1928 and was elected by his teammates as the captain of the 1929 Iowa Hawkeyes football team. In reporting on his election as Iowa's 1929 captain, one Iowa newspaper described his as the team's "Dancing Master": "Glasgow is commonly known as Iowa's Dancing master because of his shiftiness on the gridiron and because he is manager of the most popular ball room in Iowa City." At the end of the 1928 season, The Des Moines Register wrote:
As a senior in 1929, Glasgow gained further acclaim as the captain of a football team that permitted its opponents to score only 28 points all season. Despite the low-scoring by opponents, the Hawkeyes finished with a record of 4–2–2. On October 5, 1929, Glasgow scored the first touchdown in Iowa's new football stadium, now known as Kinnick Stadium
, on a 31-yard run. He also scored the first touchdown in the official dedication game against the University of Illinois
. In the Illinois game, Glasgow ran for a 78-yard touchdown on the first play from scrimmage. The touchdown was Iowa's only score in a 7–7 tie game against Illinois. Glasgow wore a protective face mask in the 1929 Illinois game (pictured above) to protect a broken cheek bone suffered in an earlier game. Glasgow also kicked a game-winning field goal in Iowa's 9–7 win over Minnesota on November 9, 1929.
The Iowa football program became embroiled in scandal late in the 1929 season. After an investigation revealed a slush fund used to pay football players, Iowa was banned from the Big Ten Conference. Following a 7–0 loss to Purdue
, sports writer Irving Vaughn praised Glasgow in the Chicago Tribune
:
At the conclusion of the 1929 college football season
, Glasgow was selected as a first-team All-American
by Grantland Rice
for Collier's Weekly
, the Newspaper Editors Association (based on a poll of 100 coaches and football writers), The New York Sun, and sports writer Lawrence Perry. He was also named the outstanding back in the country by The New York Sun and received the Chicago Tribune Silver Football
trophy as the most valuable player in the Big Ten Conference
. Glasgow was also honored by being selected to play for the East team in the 1930 East-West Shrine Game
. He scored one of the East's touchdowns in a 19–7 win but also suffered a shoulder injury in the Shrine Game that hampered his professional baseball career.
In four years of football at Iowa, Glasgow was credited with running for 1,424 yards on 364 attempts for an average of four yards per attempt. He scored a total of 80 points for the Hawkeyes on 10 touchdowns 17 extra points, and one field goal. He successfully converted 17 out of 22 extra point kicks.
At the end of 1929, officials of the University of Iowa athletic department selected Glasgow as one of the 12 greatest Iowa athletes of all time in all sports. Glasgow graduated from Iowa with a bachelor of arts degree in 1930.
. Glasgow attended spring training with the Cardinals but was released to the minor leagues at the end of March 1929. He played in 1930 for the Cardinals' Western League club in St. Joseph, Missouri and also for the team in Moline, Illinois
. He was a teammate of Dizzy Dean
at St. Joseph in 1930.
In the fall of 1930, Glasgow played professional football in the National Football League
for the Portsmouth Spartans from Portsmouth, Ohio
- later to become the Detroit Lions. He started all 12 games for the 1930 Spartans. He also played professional football in 1931 for the Chicago Cardinals - later to become St. Louis and then Arizona Cardinals.
while playing professional football, using the money he earned in the NFL to pay for his legal education. During the 1932 college football season, Glasgow was asked to serve as an assistant coach at Iowa under head coach Ossie Solem
. Glasgow was in his final year of law school at the time and sought the extra remuneration to pay his expenses. However, the Big Ten at the time had a rule that prevented players who had played professional football from obtaining coaching positions at Big Ten schools. Glasgow applied to the conference for reinstatement of his amateur status, but the application was denied.
Glasgow received his law degree in 1933 and began practicing law in Shenandoah, Iowa. He was elected as the Page County
Attorney in November 1934 and served two terms in the office from 1935 to 1939. In 1939, Glasgow moved his law practice to Cedar Rapids, Iowa
. He was thrice elected as a Republican
to the position of Linn County
Attorney in 1950, 1952 and 1954.
In 1957, Glasgow left the county attorney's office to enter into private practice. He returned to the county attorney's office in February 1959 as Assistant Linn County Attorney.
. He died of leukemia
in November 1959 at age 52. He was survived by his wife, Hansetta, and two children, Willis Glasgow, Jr., and Nancy Glasgow Cooper. He was a member of St. John's Episcopal Church in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, the Elks Club
, the Cedar Rapids Country Club, the Tri-Centum Lodge of the Antient Free and Accepted Masons
, the Iowa Consistory, the El Kahir Shrine, the Pickwick Club and the American, Iowa and Linn County Bar Associations.
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 attorney. He played halfback
Halfback (American football)
A halfback, sometimes referred to as a tailback, is an offensive position in American football, which lines up in the backfield and generally is responsible for carrying the ball on run plays. Historically, from the 1870s through the 1950s, the halfback position was both an offensive and defensive...
for the University of Iowa
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
from 1927 to 1929, was selected as a first-team All-American in 1929
1929 College Football All-America Team
The 1929 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 1929 college football season...
, and received the 1929 Chicago Tribune Silver Football
Chicago Tribune Silver Football
The Chicago Tribune Silver Football is awarded by the Chicago Tribune to the college football player determined to be the best player from the Big Ten Conference. The award has been presented annually since 1924, when Red Grange of Illinois was the award's first recipient.The winner of the Silver...
as the best football player in the Big Ten Conference
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
. He played two seasons of professional football in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
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
Page County, Iowa
-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 15,932 in the county, with a population density of . There were 7,181 housing units, of which 6,393 were occupied.-2000 census:...
County Attorney (1935–1939) and three terms as the Linn County
Linn County, Iowa
-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 211,226 in the county, with a population density of . There were 92,251 housing units, of which 86,134 were occupied.-2000 census:...
Attorney (1951–1957).
Early years
Glasgow was born in Wheeling, MissouriWheeling, Missouri
Wheeling is a city in Livingston County, Missouri, United States. The population was 268 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Wheeling is located at ....
, 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
Shenandoah, Iowa
Shenandoah is a city in Fremont and Page Counties in the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 5,546 at the 2000 census.Once referred to as the "seed and nursery center of the world," Shenandoah is the home to Earl May Seed Company and the radio station KMA, founded by Earl May...
, in 1916 and attended Shenandoah High School where he was selected as Iowa's all-state quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
as a sophomore in 1922. He was the captain of Shenandoah's 1923 football team.
Nebraska
Glasgow enrolled at the University of NebraskaUniversity of Nebraska–Lincoln
The University of Nebraska–Lincoln is a public research university located in the city of Lincoln in the U.S. state of Nebraska...
in 1925. As a freshman at Nebraska, Glasgow saw that the Cornhuskers
Nebraska Cornhuskers football
The Nebraska Cornhuskers represent the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in college football. The program has established itself as a traditional powerhouse, and has the fourth-most all-time victories of any NCAA Division I-A team. Nebraska is one of only six football programs in NCAA Division I-A...
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
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
.
Iowa
After sitting out the 1926 season following his transfer, Glasgow played three years each for Iowa's footballIowa Hawkeyes football
The Iowa Hawkeyes football team is the interscholastic football team at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa. The Hawkeyes have competed in the Big Ten Conference since 1900, and are currently a Division I Football Bowl Subdivision member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association...
and baseball teams. As a baseball player, he played shortstop
Shortstop
Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball fielding position between second and third base. Shortstop is often regarded as the most dynamic defensive position in baseball, because there are more right-handed hitters in baseball than left-handed hitters, and most hitters have a tendency to pull the...
and won three varsity letter
Varsity letter
A varsity letter is an award earned in the United States for excellence in school activities. A varsity letter signifies that its winner was a qualified varsity team member, awarded after a certain standard was met.- Description :...
s. He was the starting shortstop and leading hitter of the 1927 Iowa baseball team that tied for the Big Ten Conference
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
championship. He gained his greatest acclaim playing at the halfback
Halfback (American football)
A halfback, sometimes referred to as a tailback, is an offensive position in American football, which lines up in the backfield and generally is responsible for carrying the ball on run plays. Historically, from the 1870s through the 1950s, the halfback position was both an offensive and defensive...
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
Placekicker
Placekicker, or simply kicker , is the title of the player in American and Canadian football who is responsible for the kicking duties of field goals, extra points...
responsibilities for the Hawkeyes. Iowa coach Burt Ingwersen
Burt Ingwersen
Burton Aherns Ingwersen was an American football, basketball, and baseball player and coach of football and baseball. He served as the head football coach at the University of Iowa from 1924 to 1931, compiling a career college football record of 33–27–4...
later said of Glasgow:
"I think Bill's greatest attribute as a ball carrier was the fact that you could never run him out of bounds. When tacklers would corner him against the sidelinesSidelinesThe "sidelines" is a term commonly used to define the white or colored lines which mark the outer boundaries of a sports field. American football sidelines, for example, mark the edge of the field. Should a player pass through the sidelines, he is considered out of bounds...
, he'd cut back, put his head down and let them have it. I'll never forget one game at Minnesota. He ran into a tackler so hard the poor Minnesota fellow got up and lined up in our backfieldBackfieldThe backfield is the area of an American football field behind the line of scrimmage. The backfield or offensive backfield can also refer to members of offense who begin plays behind the line, typically including any backs on the field, such as the quarterback, running back, and/or fullback.-Play...
on the next play."
1927
As a sophomore in 1927, Glasgow ran for three touchdown
Touchdown
A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...
s and kicked two extra point
Extra Point
Extra Point is a twice-daily, two-minute segment on ESPN Radio that covers generic sports-related topical news and opinion. The AM edition airs Monday through Saturday at various times between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m. ET, and the PM edition airs Monday through Friday between 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. ET...
s in the second quarter of his first football game for the Hawkeyes, a 32–6 win over Monmouth College
Monmouth College
Monmouth College is a four-year coeducational private liberal arts college located in Monmouth, Illinois, United States.-History:Monmouth College was founded on April 18, 1853 by the Second Presbytery of Illinois, a frontier arm of the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church...
. His 20-point total in the second quarter against Monmouth remains an Iowa Hawkeyes record for scoring in a single quarter.
1928
As a junior in 1928, Glasgow helped lead Iowa to six straight victories, including a 14–7 win over Ohio State
1928 Ohio State Buckeyes football team
The 1928 Ohio State Buckeyes football team represented the Ohio State University in the college football season of 1928-1929. The Buckeyes compiled a 5–2–1 record and got their first win over Michigan in six seasons. They Buckeyes outscored their opponents 135-35. It was John Wilce's...
in which Glasgow ran for 153 yards. The 1928 team lost the Big Ten Conference championship after a 10–7 loss to Michigan
1928 Michigan Wolverines football team
The 1928 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 1928 college football season. The team's head coach was Elton Wieman...
, a game in which Iowa's only touchdown came on a 55-yard run by Glasgow. Glasgow also gained acclaim in 1928 for his punting performance in Iowa's 7–6 win over a Minnesota team featuring Bronko Nagurski
Bronko Nagurski
Bronislau "Bronko" Nagurski was a Canadian-born American football player. He was also a successful professional wrestler, recognized as a multiple-time world heavyweight champion.-Youth and collegiate career:...
. Glasgow's punting helped keep Minnesota from scoring in the first three quarters. In the fourth quarter, a long punt by Glasgow sailed high over the head of Minnesota's Fred Hovde
Frederick L. Hovde
Frederick Lawson Hovde was an American chemical engineer, researcher, educator and president of Purdue University.Born in Erie, Pennsylvania, Hovde received his Bachelor of Chemical Engineering from the University of Minnesota, where he played on the football team...
, but Hovde ran back to the nine-yard line where he retrieved the punt and ran for a 91-yard touchdown. Glasgow was injured trying to catch Hovde. At the end of the 1928 season, Glasgow was selected as a first-team All-Big Ten and All-Western player. He placed fourth in the voting for the Chicago Tribune Silver Football
Chicago Tribune Silver Football
The Chicago Tribune Silver Football is awarded by the Chicago Tribune to the college football player determined to be the best player from the Big Ten Conference. The award has been presented annually since 1924, when Red Grange of Illinois was the award's first recipient.The winner of the Silver...
trophy as the most valuable player in the Big Ten Conference in 1928 and was elected by his teammates as the captain of the 1929 Iowa Hawkeyes football team. In reporting on his election as Iowa's 1929 captain, one Iowa newspaper described his as the team's "Dancing Master": "Glasgow is commonly known as Iowa's Dancing master because of his shiftiness on the gridiron and because he is manager of the most popular ball room in Iowa City." At the end of the 1928 season, The Des Moines Register wrote:
"The new leader is something more than a triple threat manTriple threat manIn gridiron football, the phrase triple-threat man refers to a player who excels at all three of the skills of running, passing, and kicking. In modern usage, such a player would be referred to as a utility player....
. His off-tackle dashes and ability in an open field are supplemented by his accomplishments as a place kicker, punter, and forward passer. Weighing only 160 pounds, Glasgow's 5 feet 9 inches of height ranked him as one of the shortest men on the squad. He was apparently immune to injury, and despite the fact that he was the target of every defense the Hawkeyes encountered, he almost never called for time out."
1929
As a senior in 1929, Glasgow gained further acclaim as the captain of a football team that permitted its opponents to score only 28 points all season. Despite the low-scoring by opponents, the Hawkeyes finished with a record of 4–2–2. On October 5, 1929, Glasgow scored the first touchdown in Iowa's new football stadium, now known as Kinnick Stadium
Kinnick Stadium
Kinnick Stadium, formerly known as Iowa Stadium, and known in the area simply as Kinnick, is a stadium located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the home stadium of the University of Iowa Hawkeyes, in the sport of college football...
, on a 31-yard run. He also scored the first touchdown in the official dedication game against the University of Illinois
Illinois Fighting Illini football
The Illinois Fighting Illini are a major college football program, representing the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign. They compete in NCAA Division I-A and the Big Ten Conference.-Current staff:-All-time win/loss/tie record:*563-513-51...
. In the Illinois game, Glasgow ran for a 78-yard touchdown on the first play from scrimmage. The touchdown was Iowa's only score in a 7–7 tie game against Illinois. Glasgow wore a protective face mask in the 1929 Illinois game (pictured above) to protect a broken cheek bone suffered in an earlier game. Glasgow also kicked a game-winning field goal in Iowa's 9–7 win over Minnesota on November 9, 1929.
The Iowa football program became embroiled in scandal late in the 1929 season. After an investigation revealed a slush fund used to pay football players, Iowa was banned from the Big Ten Conference. Following a 7–0 loss to Purdue
Purdue Boilermakers football
The Purdue Boilermakers football team is the intercollegiate football program of the Purdue University Boilermakers. The program is classified in the NCAA's Division I Bowl Subdivision, and the team competes in the Big Ten Conference. The Boilermakers have an all-time record of...
, sports writer Irving Vaughn praised Glasgow in the Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
:
"If Iowa needs any consolation for its failure to create more havoc in the Big Ten circle from which it is to be banished, it can find it quite easily. Hawkeyes have Capt. Bill Glasgow. No halfback ever revealed himself in a brighter light. He ran off the tackles, he ripped into the line and he passed. He literally carried almost the entire Purdue team with him at times. When tougher and more willing backs are built, they will have to make the model from the stocky lad from Shenandoah, Iowa."
At the conclusion of the 1929 college football season
1929 college football season
The 1929 college football season saw a number of unbeaten and untied teams. Purdue, Tulane, Notre Dame and Pittsburgh all finished the regular season with wins over all their opponents; Notre Dame was recognized as national champion under the Dickinson system...
, Glasgow was selected as a first-team All-American
1929 College Football All-America Team
The 1929 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 1929 college football season...
by Grantland Rice
Grantland Rice
Grantland Rice was an early 20th century American sportswriter known for his elegant prose. His writing was published in newspapers around the country and broadcast on the radio.-Biography:...
for Collier's Weekly
Collier's Weekly
Collier's Weekly was an American magazine founded by Peter Fenelon Collier and published from 1888 to 1957. With the passage of decades, the title was shortened to Collier's....
, the Newspaper Editors Association (based on a poll of 100 coaches and football writers), The New York Sun, and sports writer Lawrence Perry. He was also named the outstanding back in the country by The New York Sun and received the Chicago Tribune Silver Football
Chicago Tribune Silver Football
The Chicago Tribune Silver Football is awarded by the Chicago Tribune to the college football player determined to be the best player from the Big Ten Conference. The award has been presented annually since 1924, when Red Grange of Illinois was the award's first recipient.The winner of the Silver...
trophy as the most valuable player in the Big Ten Conference
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
. Glasgow was also honored by being selected to play for the East team in the 1930 East-West Shrine Game
East-West Shrine Game
The East–West Shrine Game is an annual post-season college football all-star game played each January since 1925. The game is sponsored by the fraternal group Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, and the net proceeds are earmarked to some of the Shrine's charitable works, most notably the Shriners...
. He scored one of the East's touchdowns in a 19–7 win but also suffered a shoulder injury in the Shrine Game that hampered his professional baseball career.
In four years of football at Iowa, Glasgow was credited with running for 1,424 yards on 364 attempts for an average of four yards per attempt. He scored a total of 80 points for the Hawkeyes on 10 touchdowns 17 extra points, and one field goal. He successfully converted 17 out of 22 extra point kicks.
At the end of 1929, officials of the University of Iowa athletic department selected Glasgow as one of the 12 greatest Iowa athletes of all time in all sports. Glasgow graduated from Iowa with a bachelor of arts degree in 1930.
Professional athlete
In January 1930, Branch Rickey signed Glasgow to a contract to play professional baseball for the St. Louis CardinalsSt. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
. Glasgow attended spring training with the Cardinals but was released to the minor leagues at the end of March 1929. He played in 1930 for the Cardinals' Western League club in St. Joseph, Missouri and also for the team in Moline, Illinois
Moline, Illinois
Moline is a city located in Rock Island County, Illinois, United States, with a population of 45,792 in 2010. Moline is one of the Quad Cities, along with neighboring East Moline and Rock Island in Illinois and the cities of Davenport and Bettendorf in Iowa. The Quad Cities has a population of...
. He was a teammate of Dizzy Dean
Dizzy Dean
Jay Hanna "Dizzy" Dean was an American Major League Baseball pitcher. He was the last National League pitcher to win 30 games in one season. Dean was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1953....
at St. Joseph in 1930.
In the fall of 1930, Glasgow played professional football in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
for the Portsmouth Spartans from Portsmouth, Ohio
Portsmouth, Ohio
Portsmouth is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Scioto County. The municipality is located on the northern banks of the Ohio River and east of the Scioto River in Southern Ohio. The population was 20,226 at the 2010 census.-Foundation:...
- later to become the Detroit Lions. He started all 12 games for the 1930 Spartans. He also played professional football in 1931 for the Chicago Cardinals - later to become St. Louis and then Arizona Cardinals.
Legal career
Glasgow attended law school at the University of Iowa College of LawUniversity of Iowa College of Law
The University of Iowa College of Law is one of the eleven professional graduate schools at the University of Iowa, located in Iowa City, Iowa. Founded in 1865, it is the oldest law school in continuous operation west of the Mississippi River. The law school was ranked as the 27th best law school...
while playing professional football, using the money he earned in the NFL to pay for his legal education. During the 1932 college football season, Glasgow was asked to serve as an assistant coach at Iowa under head coach Ossie Solem
Ossie Solem
Oscar Martin "Ossie" Solem was an American football player and coach of football and basketball in the United States...
. Glasgow was in his final year of law school at the time and sought the extra remuneration to pay his expenses. However, the Big Ten at the time had a rule that prevented players who had played professional football from obtaining coaching positions at Big Ten schools. Glasgow applied to the conference for reinstatement of his amateur status, but the application was denied.
Glasgow received his law degree in 1933 and began practicing law in Shenandoah, Iowa. He was elected as the Page County
Page County, Iowa
-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 15,932 in the county, with a population density of . There were 7,181 housing units, of which 6,393 were occupied.-2000 census:...
Attorney in November 1934 and served two terms in the office from 1935 to 1939. In 1939, Glasgow moved his law practice to Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Cedar Rapids is the second largest city in Iowa and is the county seat of Linn County. The city lies on both banks of the Cedar River, north of Iowa City and east of Des Moines, the state's capital and largest city...
. He was thrice elected as a Republican
Republican Party of Iowa
The Republican Party of Iowa is the affiliate of the United States Republican Party in Iowa. The State Central Committee is led by Chairman Matt Strawn and Co-Chairman Bill Schickel...
to the position of Linn County
Linn County, Iowa
-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 211,226 in the county, with a population density of . There were 92,251 housing units, of which 86,134 were occupied.-2000 census:...
Attorney in 1950, 1952 and 1954.
In 1957, Glasgow left the county attorney's office to enter into private practice. He returned to the county attorney's office in February 1959 as Assistant Linn County Attorney.
Death and family
Glasgow married Hansetta McHugh in August 1931 at Princeton, IllinoisPrinceton, Illinois
Princeton is a city in Bureau County, Illinois, United States. The population was 7,501 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Bureau County.Princeton is part of the Ottawa–Streator Micropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
. He died of leukemia
Leukemia
Leukemia or leukaemia is a type of cancer of the blood or bone marrow characterized by an abnormal increase of immature white blood cells called "blasts". Leukemia is a broad term covering a spectrum of diseases...
in November 1959 at age 52. He was survived by his wife, Hansetta, and two children, Willis Glasgow, Jr., and Nancy Glasgow Cooper. He was a member of St. John's Episcopal Church in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, the Elks Club
Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks
The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks is an American fraternal order and social club founded in 1868...
, the Cedar Rapids Country Club, the Tri-Centum Lodge of the Antient Free and Accepted Masons
Freemasonry
Freemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around six million, including approximately 150,000 under the jurisdictions of the Grand Lodge...
, the Iowa Consistory, the El Kahir Shrine, the Pickwick Club and the American, Iowa and Linn County Bar Associations.