Hall of Fame
- Induction:
- 2014
- Class:
- 1969
As a member of the first Freshman team at Kent in 1965, Bill established himself as a dynamic goal scorer. The Kent Team Awards for Freshman at the conclusion of the season recognized him as a Co-Offensive Player of the Year. That post-season, Bill participated in the Midwest Colleges Area Try-Outs for the U.S. Teams being formed for the 1967 Pan-American Games and the 1968 Olympic Games.
In the 1966 season-opening Varsity game, Bill had the misfortune of an injury when he chipped bones in both wrists. He returned to the lineup by the third game. At season end, having played in only 8 games, Bill ranked second on the team in Shots.
Bill came on strong as a Junior in 1967 by scoring 3 goals in the season opener vs. Miami. His first game dominance resulted in The Daily Kent Stater newspaper selecting Bill as the K-Man of the Week. Bill then proceeded to add another 3 goals in the next game vs. Toledo which included two goals just :16 apart. This feat set a Kent Teams and Players Record as well as then-ranking at #1 in Ohio Collegiate Soccer Association and NCAA Division 1 Record Books for Fastest Consecutive Goals by the Same Player.
Later in that season, Bill had a third Hat Trick game to total 10 goals and 3 assists for 13 points in 10 games. That output ranked Bill in the OCSA Scoring Leaders list as tied at #7 in the State. His goal-scoring prowess was noted by coaches who voted him as an OCSA All-Ohio Honorable Mention and a NSCAA All-Midwest Honorable Mention. In the Kent Team Awards, Bill was recognized as the Outstanding Offensive Player.
For his 1968 Senior year, Bill was not on the scoresheet for the first few games but warmed up by mid-season to once again lead the team. On Friday 10/11/68 in a home match versus Ohio State, Bill scored only :53 into the game, scored a second goal and then assisted on another two in the 4-1 win. His first goal that day set the Kent Teams Record for Earliest Goal in a Game and it sits as the seventh fastest in the OCSA Teams Record Book.
Bill’s 5 goals and 5 assists for 10 points that season ranked in the OCSA Scoring Leaders list with the 5 assists placing his name in the OCSA Players Record Book at #12 tied for Most Assists in One Season. At the conclusion of his Varsity career, he held Kent Players Records for Shots in a Game, Assists in a Career and Points in a Career. Again, Bill was an OCSA All-Ohio pick at Honorable Mention plus the Outstanding Offensive Player in the Kent Team Awards.
Bill earned three Varsity letters over his three seasons. He became a Kent Varsity K Athletic Hall of Fame inductee in 2014. As an additional honor, Bill was elected to the Kent Men’s Soccer All-Decade Team of the 1960s at a Forward spot with the announcement from Kent Athletics in 2020.
(Bio courtesy of Fred Jermyn)
