William Goodyear

William Goodyear

Goodyear from Pullman Herald, Nov. 1934
Biographical details
Born May 21, 1865
New Haven, Connecticut
Died June 18, 1936 (aged 71)
Olympia, Washington
Playing career
c. 1885 Williams
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1894 Washington State
Head coaching record
Overall 1–1

Statistics

William "Billy" Goodyear (May 21, 1865 – June 18, 1936) was an American football coach, newspaper editor, publisher, and politician in Whitman County in eastern Washington. He was the first head coach of the Washington State Cougars football team, holding that position for the 1894 college football season. Goodyear was also a newspaper publisher and editor. His newspapers included the Pullman Herald, the Pullman News, the Colfax Commoner in Colfax, Washington, the Palouse City News in Palouse, Washington, and the Pacific Farmers' Union. He was also active in Democratic Party politics and was the party's candidate for United States Congress in Washington's 3rd congressional district in 1908.

Early years and family

Goodyear was born in New Haven, Connecticut in 1865 to Hannah (née Tuttle) and George Goodyear.[1][2][3] He was described as coming from "good New England stock," and was a direct descendant of Stephen Goodyear, who served as deputy governor of the New Haven Plantation from 1643 to 1658.[4] He attended public schools and graduated from Newton High School in Wellesley, Massachusetts.[5]

Goodyear attended Williams College and received his bachelor of arts degree there in 1887.[5] While attending Williams, he was a member and president of the Delta Upsilon fraternity, editor of the Literary Monthly, and a member of the college football and tug of war teams.[3][4][6]

One week after completing his degree at Williams College, Goodyear moved west and settled in Spokane, Washington (then known as "Spokane Falls") in 1887. He entered the newspaper business as a reporter for the Spokane Falls Review (later known as The Spokesman-Review) from 1887 to 1889, eventually becoming the city editor.[4][5][6] In November 1890, he was married to Neva Carleton Shurtleff at a ceremony in Warren, Rhode Island.[2][4] They had a son, Trevor Shurtleff Goodyear, born in January 1893 at Palouse, Washington.[2]

Football coach

In 1894, Goodyear became the first football coach at Washington State College (now known as Washington State University). He reportedly traveled from his home in Palouse, Washington each night to perform his coaching duties.[7] Goodyear was not paid for teaching the team the elements of the game, and the school did not have a paid coach until 1900.[8]

In the first game in the history of the Washington State Cougars football program, played on November 18, 1894, in Moscow, Idaho, Goodyear led the team to a 10–0 victory over Idaho. Eleven days later, the team suffered its first defeat, losing to the team from Spokane High School by a score of 18–0.[9] Goodyear served only one year as the football coach, leading the team to a record of 1–1.[10][11]

In October 1934, 40 years after the first Washington State football game, Goodyear and 12 of the players from the 1894 team were honored guests at Washington State's homecoming football game.[12]

Publisher and politician

First issue of the Pullman Herald, dated November 3, 1888. Goodyear published the newspaper since 1901.

Goodyear lived in Palouse, Washington in the early part of his career. In 1889, he purchased the Palouse News with partners P. H. Winton and Judge Norman Buck. Goodyear later became the newspaper's sole owner. He owned the newspaper and served as its publisher until 1898.[13][14] In November 1894, he was nominated by Grover Cleveland as the postmaster at Palouse,[15][16] and he served in that position during the second Cleveland administration.[14]

Goodyear later moved to Colfax, Washington.[17] In 1898, he purchased the Colfax Commoner and became its publisher and editor.[18][19][20] While owned by Goodyear, the Commoner became known as "the leading democratic newspaper of eastern Washington".[18] He was also active in Democratic Party politics in Colfax. When William Jennings Bryan visited the area during his 1900 presidential campaign, Goodyear introduced him as "the man whom the trusts hate, but the people love."[21] Goodyear was nominated as the party's candidate for the United States Congress in 1902 but declined the nomination.[22] In 1908, he ran for Congress,[23][24][25] and was the Democratic candidate in Washington's 3rd congressional district which included the entire eastern portion of the state.[26][27] Goodyear was defeated by Miles Poindexter as Republicans swept the 1908 elections throughout the state.[28]

In 1901, Goodyear leased the plant of the Pacific Farmer's Union, the official publication of the Farmers' Union, and the Pullman Herald and managed those papers as well as the Colfax Commoner for a time.[5] Goodyear sold the Commoner in 1911 and moved to Pullman, where he purchased the plant of the Pullman Herald.[17][18] He was the publisher of the Pullman Herald until August 1935.[5]

In 1914, Goodyear was appointed as the receiver for the United States Land Office in Walla Walla, Washington.[29] In 1918, he also became the chairman of the Pullman branch of the home service section of the Red Cross, providing relief to the homes of soldiers and sailors.[30] During World War I, he was also the publicity director for the Liberty loan drives in Whitman County.[5]

Goodyear was outspoken on public policy matters and was an advocate of, among other things, the direct primary system and Prohibition at both the state and national level.[5][31]

Later years

At the time of the 1930 United States Census, Goodyear and his wife Neva were living in Pullman. Goodyear's occupation was listed in the census record as a newspaper publisher.[32]

In January 1935, Goodyear's wife, Neva, died after breaking her shoulder in a fall while visiting their son, Trevor S. Goodyear, in Olympia, Washington.[17]

In May 1936, Goodyear sustained a scratch on his toe that developed into gangrene. He was hospitalized in Colfax for several weeks, and doctors eventually amputated his leg just below the knee.[7][33] He was discharged from the hospital and died weeks later at his son's home in Olympia.[5]

Head coaching record

Year Team Overall Conference Standing Bowl/playoffs
Washington State Cougars (Independent) (1894)
1894 Washington State 1–1
Washington State: 1–1
Total: 1–1

References

  1. ↑ Obituary Record of the Alumni - Williams College, Calvin Durfee, Eben Burt Parsons - Google Books. Books.google.ca. Retrieved 2012-11-22.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Nathaniel Bradstreet Shurtleff (1912). Descendants of William Shurtleff of Plymouth and Marshfield. p. 682.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 The Delta Upsilon Decennial Catalogue. Delta Upsilon. 1903. p. 148.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 "Goodyear to Speak". The Colville Examiner. September 26, 1908.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7 "State History: State of Washington Pioneers". Valley Herald. July 10, 1936. Retrieved November 22, 2012.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Delta Upsilon Quinquennial. Delta Upsilon. 1891. p. 56.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Scratch on Toe Takes Man's Leg". The Spokesman Review. June 6, 1936.
  8. ↑ "WSU’s First Wheat Breeder, Early Football Mentor to be Honored Saturday". Washington State University. October 24, 2006.
  9. ↑ "1894 Washington State". College Football Data Warehouse.
  10. ↑ College Football Reference Washington State University Football Records
  11. ↑ Miami Herald Washington State University all-time football records
  12. ↑ "Cougars to Honor Pioneer Grid Crew". Spokane Daily Chronicle. October 26, 1934.
  13. ↑ "Republic Celebrates 90th Year". The Palouse Republic. January 31, 1969.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 "Plan Welcome for Goodyear: Congressional Candidate Will Close city's Democratic Campaign". The Spokesman Review. October 31, 1908.
  15. ↑ "Spirit of the Home Press". The Spokane Weekly Review. November 22, 1894.
  16. ↑ "Flashes From the Wires". Los Angeles Times. December 7, 1894.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 "Mrs. Goodyear Dies On Coast: Pioneer Pullman Matron Stricken After Fall on Christmas Eve". The Spokesman Review. January 2, 1935.
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 "Washington". The Spokesman Review. September 29, 1911.
  19. ↑ "Farm Print Firm To Finance Paper: Pacific Union Publishing Company Calls Annual Meeting at Pullman in February; Goodyear Lease Plant". The Spokesman Review. January 24, 1911.
  20. ↑ "Whitman County Genealogy and History, Chapter XVII The Whitman County Press". Genealogy Trails.("In May, 1898, William Goodyear, a well-known journalist of the county, who had for years edited a paper at Palouse, took charge of the Commoner, and he has continued at its head ever since.")
  21. ↑ "Bryan's Trip North: At Every Town in the Palouse Were Crowds; Big Reception at Colfax". The Spokesman Review. March 31, 1900.
  22. ↑ "Neighborhood News of Washington, Oregon". The Spokesman Review. July 3, 1902.
  23. ↑ "William Goodyear Would Go To Congress". Spokane Daily Chronicle. February 19, 1908.
  24. ↑ "Democrats Hope for a Congressman: Goodyear May Run -- Daggett Out of Politics -- Some Gossip". The Evening Chronicle, Spokane, Washington. January 15, 1908.
  25. ↑ "Says Goodyear Violates Primary". The Spokesman-Review. May 10, 1908.
  26. ↑ "Goodyear Talks To Labor". Spokane Daily Chronicle. October 5, 1908.
  27. ↑ "Billy Goodyear Starts Fight". Spokane Daily Chronicle. October 7, 1908.
  28. ↑ "Returns Yet Incomplete: Republicans Appear to Have Swept the Entire State". Spokane Daily Chronicle. November 4, 1908.
  29. ↑ "Billy Goodyear Gets a Job". The Ellensburg Democrat. December 17, 1914.
  30. ↑ "Heads Red Cross Section: William Goodyear Is Chairman of Civilian Relief Committee". The Spokesman Review. August 27, 1918.
  31. ↑ William Goodyear (April 4, 1931). ""Saw Farmers Drunk, Corrupt Politics Hatched in Saloons and Men Ruined; Prohibition Not Utopia But Decided Improvement," Says William Goodyear". Spokane Daily Chronicle.
  32. ↑ Census entry for William and Neva Goodyear. Ancestry.com. 1930 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Year: 1930; Census Place: Pullman, Whitman, Washington; Roll: 2523; Page: 4B; Enumeration District: 73; Image: 1114.0; FHL microfilm: 2342257.
  33. ↑ "Pullman Publisher Undergoes Operation". Spokane Daily Chronicle. June 5, 1936.

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