College Football Player. The University of Michigan's first two-time All American football hero. He was born in Illinois to a farmer and Civil War veteran. The family was very poor, and he often left school to work. In 1894 his father received a veterans' pension, allowing the family to relocate to land in Grants Pass, Oregon. Now that the family was financially stable, he finished high school and set his sites on San Jose State Normal school to become a teacher. At the school he was convinced to play football, and because of his speed, made more touchdowns than other players. Coach Fielding Yost convinced him to transfer to University of Michigan, and he played for Yost in their highly successful 1900 season. During William Heston's four year career, 1901 to 1904, Yost's "point-a-minute" teams compiled a 43-0-1 record and were credited with four national championships. William Heston re-wrote the Michigan record book, his 72 career touchdowns is still tops on the list and his 170 yards rushing in the 1902 tournament of Roses game (the first Rose Bowl) stood for 59 years. He received his degree from the Law Department in 1904 and after coaching stints at Drake and North Carolina, set up law practice in Detroit in 1908. He was a Wayne County assistant prosecuting attorney from 1911 to 1916 and later served as Recorders Court judge from 1916 to 1923. After stepping down from the bench, he entered the real estate business and later established a cemetery in Flat Rock, Michigan. In 1954 he was elected into the College Football Hall of Fame.
College Football Player. The University of Michigan's first two-time All American football hero. He was born in Illinois to a farmer and Civil War veteran. The family was very poor, and he often left school to work. In 1894 his father received a veterans' pension, allowing the family to relocate to land in Grants Pass, Oregon. Now that the family was financially stable, he finished high school and set his sites on San Jose State Normal school to become a teacher. At the school he was convinced to play football, and because of his speed, made more touchdowns than other players. Coach Fielding Yost convinced him to transfer to University of Michigan, and he played for Yost in their highly successful 1900 season. During William Heston's four year career, 1901 to 1904, Yost's "point-a-minute" teams compiled a 43-0-1 record and were credited with four national championships. William Heston re-wrote the Michigan record book, his 72 career touchdowns is still tops on the list and his 170 yards rushing in the 1902 tournament of Roses game (the first Rose Bowl) stood for 59 years. He received his degree from the Law Department in 1904 and after coaching stints at Drake and North Carolina, set up law practice in Detroit in 1908. He was a Wayne County assistant prosecuting attorney from 1911 to 1916 and later served as Recorders Court judge from 1916 to 1923. After stepping down from the bench, he entered the real estate business and later established a cemetery in Flat Rock, Michigan. In 1954 he was elected into the College Football Hall of Fame.
Bio by: RB
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