Marvin Bass
 Bass as a player for William & Mary (c. 1942) | |
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 28, 1919 |
| Died | December 3, 2010 (aged 91) Blythewood, South Carolina |
| Playing career | |
| Football | |
| 1940–1942 | William & Mary |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| Football | |
| 1944–1947 | William & Mary (assistant) |
| 1948 | North Carolina (assistant) |
| 1949–1950 | William & Mary (assistant) |
| 1951 | William & Mary |
| 1952 | Washington Redskins (assistant) |
| 1953–1954 | North Carolina (assistant) |
| 1955–1959 | South Carolina (line) |
| 1960 | Georgia Tech (DC) |
| 1961–1965 | South Carolina |
| 1966–1969 | Montreal Beavers |
| 1970–1972 | Buffalo Bills (assistant) |
| 1973 | Richmond (assistant) |
| 1974 | Birmingham Americans (assistant) |
| 1975 | Birmingham Vulcans |
| 1977–1978 | Buffalo Bills (assistant) |
| 1979–1981 | Calgary Stampeders (assistant) |
| 1982–1992 | Denver Broncos (assistant) |
| Baseball | |
| 1948 | William & Mary |
| Administrative career (AD unless noted) | |
| 1961–1965 | South Carolina |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 24–32–4 (college football) 9–3 (WFL) |
Marvin Crosby Bass (August 28, 1919 – December 3, 2010)[1][2] was the head coach of The College of William & Mary's football team in 1951. He also coached the South Carolina Gamecocks football team for five seasons.
Bass, a native of Petersburg, Virginia, was a member of the winningest football team in William & Mary history. Bass captained the 1942 Indians, which compiled a 9–1–1 record. He later was an assistant coach at his alma mater when the 1947 Indians were 9–1.
In 1974, Bass was an assistant football coach for the Birmingham Americans of the World Football League (WFL), a league formed in the early 1970s to rival the National Football League (WLF). He became head coach of the WFL's Birmingham Vulcans the following year. The league lured such NFL name players as Larry Csonka, Paul Warfield and Jim Kiick. It lasted 18 months, losing US$30,000,000.
In his 37-year coaching career, Bass coached in more football leagues than most coaches of his time. This included stints as head coach for teams in the Southern Conference, Atlantic Coast Conference, Continental League, and the Canadian League. Bass was also assistant coach with the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian League.
While at William & Mary, Bass was All-State and All-Southern Conference while helping the Indians to defeat the Oklahoma Sooners 14–7 in the final 1942 game. He served as head football coach at William & Mary as well as South Carolina and helped bring American football to Canada when he coached the Montreal Beavers in the Continental Football League.
Bass was inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame in 1981.
Head coaching record
College football
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| William & Mary Indians (Southern Conference) (1951) | |||||||||
| 1951 | William & Mary | 7–3 | 5–1 | T–3rd | |||||
| William & Mary: | 7–3 | 5–1 | |||||||
| South Carolina Gamecocks (Atlantic Coast Conference) (1961–1965) | |||||||||
| 1961 | South Carolina | 4–6 | 3–4 | T–5th | |||||
| 1962 | South Carolina | 4–5–1 | 3–4 | 4th | |||||
| 1963 | South Carolina | 1–8–1 | 1–5–1 | 6th | |||||
| 1964 | South Carolina | 3–5–2 | 2–3–1 | 6th | |||||
| 1965 | South Carolina | 5–5 | 4–2 | ||||||
| South Carolina: | 17–29–4 | ||||||||
| Total: | 24–32–4 | ||||||||
References
- ^ Marvin Bass' obituary
- ^ Official NFL Record & Fact Book, 2002 Edition, page 150
- 1919 births
- 2010 deaths
- Atlanta Falcons coaches
- Birmingham Americans coaches
- Birmingham Vulcans coaches
- Buffalo Bills coaches
- Calgary Stampeders coaches
- Continental Football League coaches
- Denver Broncos coaches
- Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football coaches
- New York Giants coaches
- North Carolina Tar Heels football coaches
- Richmond Spiders football coaches
- South Carolina Gamecocks athletic directors
- South Carolina Gamecocks football coaches
- Washington Redskins coaches
- William & Mary Tribe baseball coaches
- William & Mary Tribe football players
- William & Mary Tribe football coaches
- Sportspeople from Petersburg, Virginia