Willis O. Hunter
American athletics coach and administrator (1892–1968)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Willis Omenn Hunter (June 8, 1892 – November 8, 1968) was an American college athletics administrator.
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Mount Pleasant, Utah, U.S.
Altadena, California, U.S.
Hunter, circa 1951 | |
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 8, 1892 Mount Pleasant, Utah, U.S. |
| Died | November 8, 1968 (aged 76) Altadena, California, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| c. 1914 | Oberlin |
| Position | Fullback |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| c. 1917 | San Francisco Polytechnic HS (CA) |
| 1919 | USC (backfield) |
| Administrative career (AD unless noted) | |
| 1925–1957 | USC |
Hunter was born in 1892 in Mount Pleasant, Utah. He attended Oberlin College in Ohio, where he played college football as a fullback.[1]
After college, he became a coach at San Francisco Polytechnic High School. He was hired by the University of Southern California in 1919 as an assistant football coach. In 1925, he became USC's athletic director, a position he held for 32 years until 1957.[1][2] During his tenure, the USC Trojans became a major power in intercollegiate sports, winning national championships in football, baseball, track, tennis, and other sports.[1]
Hunter served on the NCAA's football rules committee from 1928 to 1950. He was also a member of the United States Olympic Committee in 1936, 1948, and 1952.[1]
Hunter died in 1968.[3]