Bill Millett
Ellsworth Willis "Bill" Millett was an American baseball, football, and ice hockey player and coach and college professor. He was a fixture at Colby College, in Waterville, Maine, for 25 years, before his retirement in 1948.
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 8, 1901 Whitman, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Died | October 19, 1966 (aged 65) Waterville, Maine, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Colby College (B.S.) Columbia University (M.A.) |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| Baseball | |
| 1925–1927 | Waterville High School |
| 1927–1930 | Colby assistant |
| 1930–1942 | Colby freshman |
| 1933–1942 | Colby assistant |
| Football | |
| 1931–1941 | Colby freshman |
| 1942 | Colby |
| 1945 | Colby |
| 1946–1947 | Colby freshman |
| Ice Hockey | |
| 1929–1942 | Colby |
| 1946–1948 | Colby |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 73–57–9 .558 [hockey] |
Career
Millett began attending Colby College in the fall of 1921. He joined the baseball and football teams as a freshman, playing second base and fullback for the Mules.[1] The following year he also joined the ice hockey team as a defenseman and sometime winger. He helped the Mules win or tie the state championship in all three in 1923. Millett graduated in 1925 and returned to his alma mater as an assistant coach two years later. Millett was eventually promoted to being the head coach of the ice hockey team in 1929 and the freshman baseball team the following spring.[2] By the mid-30s he had taken over the freshman football squad and had also been hired on as an assistant professor by the school.[3] During this time Millett had enrolled at Columbia University and earned his Master's in 1939.[4]
Millett remained with the college during World War II and served as head coach of the football team for one season upon its return to play in 1945. He was back in his familiar position the following year and was such a welcome sight on campus that the class of '47 dedicated the school yearbook in his honor.[5] In 1948, Millett was appointed to a fundraising committee for the Mayflower Hill Campus. Due to the requirements for the new project he was forced to turn over coaching duties to others.
Millett remained in Waterville after his retirement and died in 1966. Colby honors his memory by conferring the Bill Millett Award to one male and one female student athlete who have contributed the most to Colby Athletics over their four years at the college.[6]
Personal
Millett married Mary Rollins in 1932 and they had two daughters; Mary, born in 1933 and Martha, born in 1937.[7]
Head coaching record
Football
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | Coaches# | AP° | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colby (Independent) (1945–1945) | |||||||||
| 1945 | Colby | 1–0–1 | |||||||
| Colby: | |||||||||
| Total: | |||||||||
| National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth | |||||||||
| |||||||||
Ice hockey
| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colby (Independent) (1929–1936) | |||||||||
| Colby (NEIHL) (1936–1942) | |||||||||
| Colby (NEIHL) (1946–1948) | |||||||||
| 1947–48 | Colby | 2–6–0 | 1–4–0 | 10th | |||||
| Colby: | 73–57–9 | ||||||||
| Total: | 73–57–9 | ||||||||
|
National champion
Postseason invitational champion
| |||||||||
References
- "Colby Oracle 1922". Colby College. Retrieved July 13, 2023.
- "Colby Oracle 1930". Colby College. Retrieved July 13, 2023.
- "Colby Oracle 1935". Colby College. Retrieved July 13, 2023.
- "Colby Oracle 1941". Colby College. Retrieved July 13, 2023.
- "Colby Oracle 1947". Colby College. Retrieved July 13, 2023.
- "Winners Announced for 34th Senior Sports Awards". Colby Mules. May 19, 2022. Retrieved July 13, 2023.
- "MILLETT, Ellsworth Willis (55967)". Nova Scotia Roots. Retrieved July 13, 2023.