William Shakespeare

September 27, 1912 – William ‘The Bard” Shakespeare was a former University of Notre Dame halfback and kicker.  No, this is not the Bill Shakespeare that wrote the famous plays like Romeo and Juliet and Hamlet, but he was quite graceful and poetic on the gridiron!

The National Football Foundation tells us that this William was a great punter, runner, and passer for the Irish during the mid-1930s. As a sophomore, he punted five times and held a 53.2-yard average. That stat earned him more playing time as a junior, where he kept a lofty punt average of 40 yards per kick on 41 punts but also established himself as a ball carrier. By the time his senior year rolled around, the Bard was a hero, especially showcased in the Ohio State game when he entered the game with his team trailing the Buckeyes by one point and tossed a perfect touchdown pass with 32 seconds remaining in the game to take the Golden Domers to victory.

During that same 1935 season against Pittsburgh, Shakespeare had one punt travel 86 yards! Talk about flipping the field! That season, he was voted in as a first-team All-American. After college, William served in the U.S. Military and, during World War II, as a Captain, won four battle stars and a Bronze Star for gallantry in battle. The National Football Foundation selected William Shakespeare into its College Football Hall of Fame in 1983.