14 Facts About Tippy Dye

William Henry Harrison "Tippy" Dye was an American college athlete, coach, and athletic director.

Tippy Dye earned three varsity letters as a football quarterback in 1934,1935, and 1936.

Tippy Dye played guard on the basketball team, lettering in 1935,1936, and 1937.

Tippy Dye was an All-Conference selection in the Big Ten in 1936 and 1937.

In that game, Tippy Dye played in a backfield that included future pro legend, Sammy Baugh.

Tippy Dye then signed to play with the first incarnation of the Cincinnati Bengals, a member of the second American Football League, in 1937.

The next year, Tippy Dye returned to Ohio State to be an assistant for the football and basketball teams.

Tippy Dye then went on to become the basketball coach at his alma mater, Ohio State, from 1947 to 1950.

Tippy Dye then moved on to the University of Washington in Seattle, where he was the head coach from 1950 to 1959.

Long desiring an administrative role, Tippy Dye left Seattle in 1959 to become the athletic director at the University of Wichita, at an annual salary of $13,000.

Tippy Dye hired head basketball coach Joe Cipriano, the scrappy leader from his Final Four team at Washington.

Tippy Dye moved on to Northwestern University in 1967 and retired in 1974, retiring to Florida.

Tippy Dye was named after William Henry Harrison, the ninth US President.

Tippy Dye died in 2012 in Grass Valley, California, ten days after his 97th birthday.