The Other Bill

By Phil Sutton, OTC member Special to the Oregon Track Club

Track and field fans know the names Bill Bowerman and Bill Dellinger. They both made their mark on the sport while coaching at the University of Oregon.

Well, there was another “Bill” in sports at the University of Oregon.

Bill Hayward coached at the UO for 44 years (yes, over four decades!). He was Oregon’s first full time track coach. He laid the foundation for the University Oregon’s track and field program and molded it into a national powerhouse. He is considered the grandfather of today’s Duck program.

Historic Hayward Field is named in his honor.

William Louis Heyward was born in 1868 in Detroit, Michigan. His last name was Heyward with an “e” but he changed the spelling to Hayward in the early 1890’s. His father was English and his mother Canadian. When Bill was ten, his parents moved to Peru to manage a rubber plantation. They left Bill, his brother and three sisters with grandparents. They raised the children for the next ten years, first in Detroit and then in Toronto, Canada.

As a young man Bill lived in Vancouver, Canada. He was employed as a fireman in one of the city’s firehouse brigades. Bill and his wife also owned a fruit and cigar stand.

The photo of Bill Hayward above was taken in the 1940's. All photographs and video in this article are credited to University of Oregon Libraries, Special Collections & University Archives unless otherwise indicated. The Vancouver B.C. Fire Department crew were the world's speed champions in 1889, Counting from the left, W.L. Heyward is the 12th man in the photo. Published in a Vancouver newspaper, 1935

Growing up, Hayward was an outstanding athlete. He excelled in ice hockey, rowing, wrestling, boxing and lacrosse. He was a member of the Ottawa Capitals Canadian champion lacrosse team.

He was best known in the 1890’s as one of the top track and field and road racing athletes in Canada and parts of the United States.

In that era, the best athletes traveled from town to town competing with the local athletes at carnivals, fairs and picnics. They also competed in events hosted by Caledonia Clubs around the country. Caledonia Clubs were formed by Scottish immigrants and Scottish Americans to maintain the tradition of Scotland’s Highland Games. Many historians point to the Caledonia Clubs as the single most important promoters of track and field in the United States during the middle and late 1800’s.

Challenge Races for Money

Often there were one-to-one challenge races with money at stake, and these races were publicized in advance by local papers. Hayward won a large amount of prize money from these competitions.

A September 1890 article in the Vancouver paper touted a 100-yard challenge race in Victoria, B.C. between Hayward and a fellow named H. E. Peck. Hayward had defeated Peak in a previous race and Peck asked for a rematch. The winner would take home a $100 prize. $100 was a sizable sum in 1890! That amount is equivalent to over $2,500 in 2017. The winner would claim the honor of being the provincial champion of British Columbia according to the newspaper. The race took place in October and the stakes had increased to $150. The newspaper headlined the results of the race: "Hayward Won Easily". Vaulting with a Pole

In one Vancouver track and field event held in August 1894, the Vancouver Daily World reported Hayward finished first in the running long jump, second in the “hop, step and jump,” first in the hundred yard race, first in putting the 14 pound shot and first in “vaulting with a pole,” (8 feet, 6 inches). The article said the vault winner gave an exhibition following the competition putting the vault bar at 9 feet and “clearing it handsomely.”

Bill loved boxing. He was a trainer and sparring partner for Gentlemen Jim Corbett, former world heavyweight champion. Hayward toured the country with Corbett making vaudeville appearances. Bill had an Indian Club act that he performed. Years later while coaching at the UO, he would often be asked to referee boxing matches staged by promoters in Eugene or Portland.

First Stop, Princeton

In the 1800’s and early 1900’s a coach was called a “trainer” rather than “coach.”

Hayward started his coaching career in 1898 as an assistant at Princeton University. Hayward met Walter Christie while competing at the Caledonian events where they were rivals on the track. Christie had taken the job as Princeton head trainer (coach) and asked Hayward to be his track and field assistant.

In 1901 Christie was hired by the University of California and Bill followed him to Berkeley. Hayward was there only a year before he was hired as the head trainer (coach) at Pacific University, Forest Grove, Oregon.

Hayward admitted that one of the reasons he took the Pacific job was to be closer to the great fly fishing rivers in the Pacific Northwest. He loved to fly fish. Hayward once said, “It is immoral to fish using bait or a lure.” An 1886 photo of Bill Heyward in his vaudeville costume and the Indian Clubs he used in his act. Photo from the Eugene Register Guard, 1933. Oregon Hires Hayward In 1903 the small Albany College, Albany, Oregon (later moved to Portland and named Lewis & Clark) hired Hayward as head trainer. His Albany team defeated the Oregon track team that year 76 1/2 to 49 1/2. The University of Oregon took notice and hired him to head its program.

He officially started his new trainer job on April 18, 1904. There were 268 students enrolled at the University when Hayward arrived on campus. UO had five coaching changes in nine years before Hayward arrived in Eugene.

The Eugene community and the state were excited about the new coach. A Portland newspaper story proclaimed, "Trainer Hayward will have the finest bunch of material that ever represented Oregon on the track." The story added, "Unless signs fail, Hayward, who by Bill's first season at UO was 1904. Hayward the way is one of the cleverest trainers in the business, (seated), team captain C. N. Perkins, (left), will develop a number of 'surprises'." manager V. W. Tomlinson.

During this period, it was common for trainers to work with more than one team and be involved in more than one sport. For example, Hayward continued to help with the University of California track team for a few years after he was hired as the University of Oregon coach. He coached other teams like the Marine Corp football team during WW1, the Multnomah Athletic Club, and the Seattle Athletic Club.

The undefeated 1906 Northwest champions. Bill Hayward (coat and tie) is center in the standing row. Dan Kelly seated right next to trophy. A Rough Start The University had no outdoor oval track when Hayward arrived on campus. In bad weather, the track team practiced in the shed behind the Kincaid Field football venue. The shed measured 110 yards long and 15 feet wide.

Hayward’s first full season at Oregon (1904) was rocky. There were only three meets and he lost all three to Pacific University. University of Washington and Oregon Agricultural College, today known as Oregon State University.

Hayward eventually found success. His 1906-1909 teams were dominant and undefeated. His teams won ten Northwest Championships by 1922. During his time at Oregon he coached four track world record holders, six American record holders, four NCAA champions,

nine Olympians and helped coach six U.S. teams at the McKenzie River catch circa 1920's. Olympic Games from 1908 to 1932.

Keep in mind that during Hayward’s era there was only a men’s track and field team. UO women did not compete in intercollegiate athletics until the 1970’s.

First Full-Time Coach One of the reasons for Hayward’s early success was a freckle-faced kid from Baker City, Oregon named Dan Kelly. In June of 1906, Kelly set the world record in the 100- yard dash with a mark of 9.6 seconds. He also tied the 220-yard dash world record with a time of 21.2 seconds. In 1907, Kelly won the national broad jump title. Hayward and Kelly went to the 1908 London Olympics where Kelly won a silver medal in the broad jump.

In 1906 the student association and the University made Hayward a year-around coach with a two-year contract. Thus Hayward became the first full-time track Hayward was an avid amateur photographer. This is a photo from his personal photo album showing Jim Thorpe competing in the decathlon coach at Oregon. broad jump at the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden. Thorpe won the gold medal in the decathlon and pentathlon. . Hayward not only served as the track coach, but also during his Oregon career he was the primary athletic trainer for all the sports. He also helped coach the football team and served as the head basketball coach from 1909 to 1913 and 1917-1918. Other titles he held during his career were Director of Physical Education and Athletic Director.

Hayward was well liked on campus. The 1915-16 UO yearbook was dedicated to him. Part of the tribute stated, “So far and wide has Bill's fame spread that his name is even lisped by the embryonic track athletes in their cradles, and the high school 'phenoms' look forward to the time when they can say they are one of his proteges.”

One of Hayward’s nicknames was “Colonel Bill.” How he got that name is not clear. Some sources say he was given the name by the captain of the UO football team in the late 1920’s. Another source says the label came from a Portland sports writer. Yet another story is Bill used the name back in Canada while running in local races. Whatever the source, the name stuck.

A Jigger of Wizardry In addition to his track and field coaching duties, Hayward developed a reputation as a top athletic trainer. He was known for inventing braces, special harnesses, pads, and other equipment to keep athletes in competition.

A July 1939 Corvallis newspaper article described his skills, “Hayward could take a badly broken athlete, a sheet or two of aluminum, a couple of hunks of wire, and a liberal jigger of his own wizardry and produce a semi-mechanical monster more awe-inspiring and more dangerous than Orson Welles’ men from Mars.”

Hayward in his athletic trainer role patches up a football player in 1913. Photo from the 1915 Oregon yearbook.

Yet another article revealed, “Whenever Hayward could not be found on the track or in his office, he would usually be in a makeshift cubbyhole in the basement of McArthur Court fashioning amazing braces and pads from leather, sponge rubber and aluminum.”

The UO football team as well as the track team used Kincaid Field for their events and training from 1902 to 1922. Kincaid Field was located where the UO Memorial Quadrangle is today.

Hayward Field was completed in 1919. During halftime of the first Webfoot football game on the new field, the venue was dedicated on Saturday, November 15, 1919 and named Hayward Field in honor of Bill. It was homecoming and the Civil War game, Oregon versus Oregon Agricultural College (O.A.C.). Newspaper reports put the crowd at 9,000; capacity was estimated at 7,000. The excited fans gave out a loud cheer when Cecil Wooley of the Eugene Aero Company flew the company’s Curtiss biplane low over the field before kickoff. Two University of Oregon yell kings (in white) in the middle of a throng of students at Hayward Field before the first game and dedication in November, 1919. The grandstand in the background is packed and there are even spectators on the roof.

Oregon Governor Ben Olcott and UO President Prince Lucien Campbell were on hand for the low- key dedication. According to the Sunday Oregonian, Olcott and Campbell came on the field just before the start of the second half. Bill Hayward was not with them. Neither Olcott or Campbell made a speech, Olcott simply said, “I dedicate this field as Hayward Field.” Campbell then handed him a football and Olcott tossed it to an O.A.C. player who then kicked it for the start of the second half. The University of Oregon defeated the Oregon Agricultural College 9-0. Unfortunately Bill was busy as the athletic trainer for the football team and was not on the field for the ceremony. He did not find out about the honor until the next day.

First Meet at Hayward Field

Hayward was used as a football venue from 1919 to 1966. The track and field team did not start using Hayward Field until 1921 after a six-lane, $10,000 cider track was constructed around the football field. Field events could be held on a thirty-foot strip of ground lying between the inside rail of the track and the sideline of the football field, directly in front of the grandstand .

The two-year delay in installing the track was due to the new football field needing to settle before the track could be installed. The Hayward Field area had previously had a creek running through it and dairy cows (their milk supplied the dormitories) grazed the land. A large volume of gravel (averaging over 20 inches in depth) and sandy loam (14 inches in depth) was necessary to stabilize the new venue.

The first varsity track meet at Hayward Field was staged on May 14, 1921. It was a 2:15 p.m. dual meet between the University of Oregon and Oregon Agricultural College. The Lemon Yellow lost 71 to 60. Newspaper accounts indicate the UO freshman track team hosted a meet the previous Saturday (May 7). Bill, Don't Leave!

A Hayward resignation story was front page news in the Eugene paper in December 1919. Rumors that Hayward might leave the UO were common over the years. This time the possibility was serious. In the newspaper article, Bill promised to hold off on a decision until he spoke with President Campbell. A local Eugene fan said, “I for one will go any route to retain the one man who has put us on top in the sporting world. Can we afford to see Bill go elsewhere?”

In one newspaper story, Oregon Governor Olcott jokingly said if Bill left the state, he would punish him by taking his name off Hayward Field. Bill Hayward, 1919.

In January 1920 the University increased Hayward’s wages by $700 to an annual salary of $4,000 in part because of the rumors of his departure. The UO alumni gave Hayward a new Templar automobile. Bill did not resign.

Hayward Hall Gymnasium

Long before Hayward Field was dedicated, Bill was previously honored by having a new university gymnasium named for him. Hayward Hall was completed in 1910 at a cost of $30,000 and located at the northeast corner of 13th Avenue and University Street where Columbia Hall is today. The gym hosted sports, gym classes and social events until 1927 when McArthur Court was completed. The gym was torn down in 1936.

Not long after Hayward Hall opened, Bill staged an indoor track meet (who said the UO can not host indoor track!) to attract students to join the track team. On April 5, 1910, Hayward Hall was the site of a meet that featured 25, 100, 300, 600 and 1,000-yard runs. The high jump, broad jump, pole vault and shot put events were also scheduled.

Coach Hayward in 1910 A very dapper Bill Hayward proudly poses with his Ford automobile painted a brilliant baby blue. He called the car "bluebird".

How Old is He?

Hayward met the daughter of a University of Oregon professor in 1920. Bill was 52 and Alice 26. Bill and Alice Bertina Orton were married in February, 1921. Bertina, as she preferred to be called, was a graduate of Oregon Agricultural College, a fact that did not sit well with Bill. Hayward’s former wife, Lyda, had died in 1917. Lyda and Bill had one son, William Hayward Jr.

For many years Bertina and Bill lived at 1195 High Street, Eugene. Toward the end of Bill’s career, they had a home in Vida on the McKenzie River.

Through the years, there was much confusion about Hayward’s age. Hayward promoted the confusion by using different birth dates. For years he listed his age as 109 on his Oregon fishing licenses. His insurance polices listed a different birth date than the University records. Today, his grave marker mistakenly lists 1878 as his year of birth .

He finally admitted in the 1940’s his real birth date is July 2, 1868. He used that date on several legal documents including his U.S. Passport application and a delayed birth certificate filed in Oregon.

Hayward was a “meat and potatoes” kind of fellow. His favorite dish was corned beef and cabbage. In contrast, his taste in clothing was quality and stylish. The same was true for his automobiles: flashy and fast.

The Great Depression in the United States was just starting in 1929 and a freshman from Medford named Bill Bowerman arrived on campus. Hayward would help coach Bowerman in football and eventually recruited him to the track team. Some Oregon students made a short silent film in 1929 entitled, "Ed's Coed". Bill Hayward made a cameo appearance in the film. The film segment involving Hayward can be viewed here on YouTube.

Hayward did his best to attract new track and field fans by increasing the knowledge and appreciation of the sport. He went on an extensive lecture tour of Oregon high schools in 1914. A newspaper story pointed out he used a “moving picture machine” in his lectures. Hayward was a pioneer in using the motion picture camera to illustrate correct form to the track athlete. Bill's Moving Picture Machine

He wrote a series of articles in 1921 for the Eugene and Portland newspapers. In each article he focused on a specific track and field event. He explained the event to the Hayward and an unidentified man on the field at Multnomah Civic Stadium in Portland in late 1947. reader, including the basic skills required to compete and Hayward was being honored for his 44 years of training techniques. service to the UO. One of the last pictures taken of the coach. He also started the Hayward Relays in 1937, a competition that brought high school teams to the UO campus. Six schools showed up for the 1937 relays and by 1945 there were 40 schools sending competitors.

Hayward Passes at Age 79

Hayward retired as an athletic trainer of the UO teams in July of 1939, but remained head track coach. Hayward retired from coaching in the fall of 1947. He was forced to retire because of a new state law that required all instructors to retire when they reached 65 years of age. Hayward’s final track meet was May 1947 at Hayward Field. Oregon defeated Oregon State College 79-52.

Hayward’s assistant, John Warren, served as coach for a year after Bill’s retirement. Then Bill Bowerman took over as head coach. In the middle of the 1950’s, Bill Dellinger became a member of Bowerman’s track team and was later named the head coach in 1973.

Hayward was hospitalized a few months after his retirement with heart issues. He had suffered previous heart attacks in 1939 and 1946. He died December 14, 1947 at age 79.

Bertina remained in Eugene after Bill’s death. For several years she worked for the Lane County Election Board and later archived court records at the county courthouse. She died January 6, 1986 at age 90.

Bertina and William Hayward are buried in Eugene’s Rest-Haven Memorial Park. In 1980, Hayward was inducted into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame and in 1992 into the University of Oregon Athletic Hall of Fame. In 2005, Hayward was inducted into the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Hall of Fame. The Bill Hayward Amateur Athlete of the Year Award is given annually to the best amateur athlete in the state of Oregon.

What if Bill Hayward had not accepted the University of Oregon coaching position back in 1904? What if Hayward had resigned from Oregon back in 1920?

The Hayward-Bowerman-Dellinger connection at Oregon would not have happened. Would the UO track program be the gold standard for track and field today? Would Eugene be TrackTown USA? Would there be an Oregon Track Club?

Next time you are at Hayward Field, stop a minute and thank Colonel Bill for helping bring you all those exciting Hayward memories.

The author is a long time member of the Oregon Track Club (OTC) and a current member of the OTC Board of Directors. He is also a United States Track and Field Association certified official.

The author utilized numerous resources to write this article but wants to specifically thank the University of Oregon Libraries’ Special Collections and University Archives for its work in preserving the history related to Bill Hayward and his legacy at the university. Especially helpful is the material from Sally Mitchell. Mitchell was a secretary in the University Athletic Department and a student at the University in the late 1930’s and early 1940’s. She seems to be one of the few people over Hayward’s long career to convince Hayward to recount his life’s story in some detail. Mitchell’s notes from a series of interviews with Hayward, and help from Hayward’s wife, were the basis for Mitchell’s spring term 1941 working draft of a proposed thesis entitled, “The Life Story of Colonel William Hayward.” The thesis draft is archived in the University Special Collections.