Bill Latto
American athlete, coach, and professor (1897–1962)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
William T. Latto (September 16, 1897 – June 13, 1962) was an American football player and coach and professor at Bethany College in West Virginia.
Uhrichsville, Ohio, U.S.
Uhrichsville, Ohio, U.S.
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 16, 1897 Uhrichsville, Ohio, U.S. |
| Died | June 13, 1962 (aged 64) Uhrichsville, Ohio, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Bethany College, 1921 |
| Playing career | |
| Football | |
| 1916–1919 | Bethany (WV) |
| Baseball | |
| c. 1920 | Bethany (WV) |
| Positions | Guard (football) Catcher (baseball) |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| Football | |
| 1922 | Broaddus |
| Track and field | |
| 1925–? | Bethany (WV) |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 3–3 (football) |
Early years
Latto was born in 1897 in Uhrichsville, Ohio, and graduated from Urhichsville Hith School.[1] He attended Bethany College in West Virginia.[2] He played college football as a guard at Bethany for four years and was elected as the team's captain for the 1918 and 1919 seasons.[3][4][5] He was the first player in the school's history to be selected captain of the football team for two seasons.[6] He also played catcher for the Bethany baseball team.[3]
Coaching, military, and academic career
After graduating from Bethany, Latto coached the athletic teams at Vameron High School.[3] Latto was also a veteran of World War I.[1]
In August 1922, he was hired as the football coach at Broaddus College (now known as Alderson Broaddus University) in Philippi, West Virginia.[3] He coached the Broaddus football team for one year, in 1922, compiling a record of 3–3.[7]
In August 1923, Latto returned to his alma mater, Bethany College, as gymnasium instructor and freshman coach.[6] He took coaching studies at the Springfield Y.M.C.A. School (now Springfield College) and Columbia University also became director of physical education and in 1925 took over as the school's track coach.[8][9] He later also took on the responsibility as coach of Bethany's tennis team.[10][11] He eventually became a professor at Bethany College. He also served during World War II as a field worker for the Red Cross.[1]