Bill Wallace Rice Legend

July 21, 1912 - El Campo, Texas - Bill Wallace, a halfback from Rice University during the seasons of 1932, 1934, and 1935, was born. According to the National Football Foundation, modern fans can't possibly imagine the incredible talents of Wallace. This man was a highly talented and regarded sprinter and hurdler in track and field. On the gridiron, he was an elusive ballcarrier as well as a highly accurate passer, a precision punter, and a talented safety.

In the 1934 Texas game, without relying on his rushing skills, he demonstrated that they could be used as a deterrent to unleash the rest of his skillful arsenal. Bill pinpointed punts three dead just short of the goal line, one even from 70 yards out. On two others in that game, he punted out of bounds inside the ten-yard line, pinning the Longhorns deep. Time after time, he circled to the left, drawing the Texas secondary out of position to leave their coverage and rush towards the line of scrimmage to stop him. Then, with only three minutes to go and Texas in the lead, he circled left again, but instead of advancing, he promptly stopped and fired a long left-handed pass far across the field. End Ray Smith, with no defender even close to him, hauled in the pass and crossed the goal line, putting Rice ahead. After an interception, Rice scored again as the game ended in victory, but Wallace wasn't through yet with the Rice cause. A fan tried to make off with the ball from the point-after kick after that final score. Wallace flew after him, busting through the interference of 20 or 30 spectators. Bill sent them all running and returned to the field with the game ball to celebrate the victory. Wallace was also Rice's initial first-team All-America selection. The collegiate career story of Bill Wallace was entered into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1978. 

For more stats on football people born on July 21st, check out Pro Football Reference.