William Melvin "Bill" Libby
Born(1927-11-14)November 14, 1927[1]
Atlantic City, New Jersey
DiedJune 16, 1984[2]
Westminster, California
LanguageEnglish
NationalityAmerican
Alma materIndiana University
Notable worksChampions of College Football
Notable awards
  • National Magazine Sportswriter of the Year (1964)
  • Bill Libby Memorial Award (eponymous) (1968)
  • Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame (2004)
SpouseSharon
ChildrenAllyson, Laurie Libby

William Melvin "Bill" Libby (November 14, 1927 – June 17, 1984) was an American writer and biographer best known for books on sports including 65 on sports figures.[3][4]

Early years

Libby graduated from Shortridge High School in Indianapolis, also attended by several notable authors including Kurt Vonnegut.[4] He served in the United States Navy from September 1945 to October 1948.[1][4] He attended Indiana University from 1948 to 1951. Libby was sports editor of the Herald Statesman, then later worked for the New York Post.[3]

Works

Libby wrote several books on sports figures including Rod Carew, Wilt Chamberlain, Phil Esposito, A. J. Foyt, Catfish Hunter, Fred Lynn, Rocky Marciano, Pete Rose, O. J. Simpson, Willie Stargell, and Fran Tarkenton as well as books on hockey, auto racing, professional football, and college football.

He also co-wrote several books on celebrities and sports people including Nancy Reagan, the Roosevelt family, Rick Barry, Vida Blue, Monty Hall, Richard Petty, John Roseboro, Nolan Ryan, and Jerry West.

Libby national champions

Libby's 1975 book Champions of College Football selected a single college football national champion from the 1900 to 1974 college football seasons.[5] As the highest level of college football does not have an official national champion, Libby's selections are often referenced by the athletic department of the selected university.[citation needed]

Six of Libby's champions, for the years (1910, 1911, 1913, 1929, 1931, 1936), were not selected for that year as national champion by any NCAA-designated "major selector".[6]

Season Champion Record Coach
1900 Yale 12–0 Malcolm McBride
1901 Michigan 11–0 Fielding H. Yost
1902 Michigan 11–0 Fielding H. Yost
1903 Princeton 11–0 Art Hillebrand
1904 Minnesota 13–0 Henry Williams
1905 Chicago 10–0 Amos Alonzo Stagg
1906 Princeton 9–0–1 William Roper
1907 Yale 9–0–1 William F. Knox
1908 Penn 11–0–1 Sol Metzger
1909 Yale 10–0 Howard Jones
1910 † Washington 6–0 Gil Dobie
1911 † Carlisle 11–1 Glenn "Pop" Warner
1912 Harvard 9–0 Percy Haughton
1913 † Notre Dame 7–0 Jesse Harper
1914 Illinois 7–0 Robert Zuppke
1915 Pittsburgh 8–0 Glenn "Pop" Warner
1916 Army 9–0 Charles Daly
1917 Georgia Tech 9–0 John Heisman
1918 Pittsburgh 4–1 Glenn "Pop" Warner
1919 Notre Dame 9–0 Knute Rockne
1920 California 9–0 Andy Smith
1921 Iowa 7–0 Howard Jones
1922 Cornell 8–0 Gil Dobie
1923 Illinois 8–0 Robert Zuppke
1924 Notre Dame 10–0 Knute Rockne
1925 Alabama 10–0 Wallace Wade
1926 Navy 9–0–1 Bill Ingram
1927 Texas A&M 8–0–1 Dana X. Bible
1928 Georgia Tech 10–0 William Alexander
1929 † Tulane 9–0 Bernie Bierman
1930 Notre Dame 10–0 Knute Rockne
1931 † Tennessee 9–0–1 Robert Neyland
1932 USC 10–0 Howard Jones
1933 Princeton 9–0 Fritz Crisler
1934 Alabama 10–0 Frank Thomas
1935 Minnesota 8–0 Bernie Bierman
1936 † Northwestern 7–1 Pappy Waldorf
1937 Pittsburgh 9–0–1 Jock Sutherland
1938 Tennessee 11–0 Robert Neyland
1939 Texas A&M 11–0 Homer Norton
1940 Stanford 10–0 Clark Shaughnessy
1941 Minnesota 8–0 Bernie Bierman
1942 Georgia 11–1 Wally Butts
1943 Notre Dame 9–1 Frank Leahy
1944 Army 9–0 Earl Blaik
1945 Army 9–0 Earl Blaik
1946 Notre Dame 8–0–1 Frank Leahy
1947 Michigan 10–0 Fritz Crisler
1948 Michigan 9–0 Bennie Oosterbaan
1949 Notre Dame 10–0 Frank Leahy
1950 Kentucky 11–1 Paul "Bear" Bryant
1951 Maryland 10–0 Jim Tatum
1952 Michigan State 9–0 Biggie Munn
1953 Notre Dame 9–0–1 Frank Leahy
1954 UCLA 9–0 Henry Sanders
1955 Oklahoma 11–0 Bud Wilkinson
1956 Oklahoma 10–0 Bud Wilkinson
1957 Auburn 10–0 Ralph Jordan
1958 LSU 11–0 Paul Dietzel
1959 Syracuse 11–0 Ben Schwartzwalder
1960 Ole Miss 10–0–1 Johnny Vaught
1961 Alabama 11–0 Paul "Bear" Bryant
1962 USC 11–0 John McKay
1963 Texas 11–0 Darrell Royal
1964 Arkansas 11–0 Frank Broyles
1965 Michigan State 10–1 Duffy Daugherty
1966 Notre Dame 9–0–1 Ara Parseghian
1967 USC 10–1 John McKay
1968 Ohio State 10–0 Woody Hayes
1969 Texas 11–0 Darrell Royal
1970 Nebraska 11–0–1 Bob Devaney
1971 Nebraska 13–0 Bob Devaney
1972 USC 12–0 John McKay
1973 Notre Dame 11–0 Ara Parseghian
1974 Oklahoma 11–0 Barry Switzer

† Champion not selected by any NCAA-designated "major selector".[6]

Awards

In 1964, Libby was named National Magazine Sportswriter of the Year. He was named to the Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 2004.[7]

Family

Libby and wife Sharon had two daughters, Allyson and Laurie Libby.[3]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Index Record for William Libby (1927) Veterans Affairs Beneficiary Identification Records Locator Subsystem Death File", available online at Fold3 by Ancestry.com website. Retrieved December 17, 2021.
  2. ^ AP. "BILL LIBBY". Retrieved 2018-10-03.
  3. ^ a b c "Bill Libby". The New York Times. 18 June 1984.
  4. ^ a b c "The Indianapolis Star from Indianapolis, Indiana on June 17, 1984 · Page 30".
  5. ^ Libby, Bill (1975). Champions of College Football. Hawthorne Books, Inc. pp. 11–14. ISBN 0-8015-1196-8.
  6. ^ a b 2020 NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision Records (PDF). Indianapolis: The National Collegiate Athletic Association. July 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 1, 2020. Retrieved January 12, 2021.
  7. ^ "Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame Home". www.scjewishsportshof.com.
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