Ivy Williamson

Williamson was born and grew up near Toledo, Ohio in Prairie Depot, now known as Wayne, Ohio.^[1][2] He attended Bowling Green High School where he was a star athlete. During his senior year, Williamson contracted osteomyelitis, an infection in his ankle bone. Despite being told that he would probably not play football again, Williamson worked himself back into shape and became a star football player in college.^[3]

Williamson attended the University of Michigan, where he played basketball and football. He won two varsity letters in basketball and three in football.^[4] He was first-team All-Big Ten in football in 1931 and 1932 and was captain of the national champion 1932 Michigan football team.^[1] Michigan's head coach Harry Kipke said, "Ivy Williamson is the smartest I have ever had or hope to have."^[5] In his three years playing football for Michigan, the Wolverines won three straight Big Ten titles and had an overall record of 24 wins, one loss and two ties.^[6][7][8] Williamson graduated from the University of Michigan in 1933 with distinction and received the Gold Medal award from university president as "the outstanding gentleman, athlete and scholar in the Class of 1933."^[5]

After graduating from Michigan in 1933, Williamson taught economics and history and coached basketball and football at Roseville High School in Roseville, Michigan.^[4][5] He led Roseville's football team to an undefeated season in 1933.^[2]

In 1934, Williamson was hired as an assistant football coach at Yale University. He remained an assistant coach under Ducky Pond from 1934 to 1940 and remained on the staff under head coach Spike Nelson in 1941.

In June 1942, Williamson was commissioned a lieutenant junior grade in the United States Naval Reserve entered the U.S. Navy.^[9] He was assigned to coach a Navy football team in 1942 with Potsy Clark at Pensacola, Florida.^[4] During three years in the military, Williamson had tours of duty at a Naval station in Sanford, Florida, a gunnery school in Hollywood, Florida, the cadet selection board in Detroit, Michigan and the carrier USS Wolverine in Chicago.^[5] He remained in the Navy for three years and was discharged in 1945.^[4]

Williamson rejoined the Yale coaching staff in 1945 under head coach Howard Odell. Williamson also served as the head basketball coach at Yale University for the 1946–47 season.

In 1947, Williamson was hired as the head coach at Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania. In the two years before Williamson was hired, the Lafayette football team won only 3 games, lost 14 and tied 1.^[10] Williamson immediately turned the program around, leading the team to a 6–3 record in 1947 and 7–2 in 1948.^[11] The only losses in 1947 were to Army and Rutgers.^[10]

In February 1949, Williamson was hired as the head football coach at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.^[1][2] He again took over a program with a losing record, as the Badgers finished 2–7 the year before Williamson was hired.^[12] The team steadily improved in the first there years under Williamson, finishing 5–3–1 in 1949, 6–3 in 1950, and 7–1–1 in 1951.^[11] The 1952 team finished the regular season 6–2–1, tied for the Big Ten championship. The Badgers lost to the USC Trojans in the 1953 Rose Bowl by a 7–0 score.^[12]

In January 1951, Williamson was approached by the University of Southern California about taking the head coaching job for the Trojans. The University of Wisconsin offered Williamson a pay raise of $2,000 (from $10,300 to $12,500), and raises of $1,500 to his four assistant coaches, in order to persuade him to stay.^[13] In 1953, the Saturday Evening Post published an article on Williamson titled, "That Gentlemanly Coach at Wisconsin." The article's author, Harry Paxton, wrote: "Ivy Williamson is a big, unruffled Midwesterner from a small Ohio farm town. He speaks mildly and calmly. He never dramatizes himself, but somehow with him seems to get the feeling that here is a nice, honest fellow with a good head on his shoulders. He has a natural gift for winning and keeping the confidence of all sorts of people—alumni and other boosters; faculty and school officials, players and prospective players."^[4]

The team continued to thrive in 1953 with a record of 6–2–1 and in 1954 with a record of 7–2. Williamson experienced his first losing season as a head coach in 1955 with a record of 4–5.^[11]

In November 1955, Williamson became Wisconsin's athletic director following the death of athletic director Guy Sundt.^[14] He was replaced as head football coach by Milt Bruhn. Due to a university policy providing that the athletic director could not be paid a salary higher than that of the dean, the move to athletic director came with a salary cut from $15,300 to $13,500.^[15][16]

During Williamson's 13 years as athletic director, he increased the capacity of Camp Randall Stadium to 77,000 with the construction of an upper deck, expanded intramural facilities, restored men's ice hockey as a varsity sport, and built a new natatorium, a new baseball field and running track.^[17] In 1955, the University of Wisconsin announced that the newly established Ivy Williamson Trophy would be presented each year to the senior football player showing the highest degree of sportsmanship throughout his career.^[18] In December 1957, Williamson was one of 25 former college football players chosen by Sports Illustrated for its silver anniversary All-American team honoring players with outstanding career and community service records.^[19] In January 1963, Williamson was elected permanent chairman of the NCAA Football Rules Committee.^[20]

The football program continued to thrive into the early 1960s, but went into a steep decline later in the decade, finishing 8–19 from 1964 to 1966 and then having consecutive winless seasons in 1967 and 1968.^[11]

In January 1969, after five straight losing seasons and with the athletic department having a deficit, Williamson was fired as Wisconsin's athletic director at age 57. He was reassigned to a new position in the school of physical education with a reduction in salary from $23,000 to $18,800.^[17] He was described by those who knew him as "a man crushed in spirit" after his removal as athletic director.^[17]

Less than six weeks after his firing, Williamson died from irreversible brain stem damage after falling down the basement stairs at his home in Maple Bluff, Wisconsin.^[1][21] He was taken by ambulance to the University hospital in Madison, where he was pronounced dead.^[22] He was survived by his wife, Beulah, and twin sons, Jack and David.^[22]

• Ivy Williamson at Find a Grave