William Ayres Reynolds | |
Birth Date: | 30 December 1872 |
Birth Place: | Oxford, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
Death Place: | Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S. |
Player Sport1: | Football |
Player Years2: | 1893–1894 |
Player Team2: | Princeton Scrub Team |
Coach Sport1: | Football |
Coach Years2: | 1895 |
Coach Team2: | Rutgers |
Coach Years3: | 1895 |
Coach Team3: | Sewanee |
Coach Years4: | 1896 |
Coach Team4: | Cincinnati |
Coach Years5: | 1897–1900 |
Coach Team5: | North Carolina |
Coach Years6: | 1901–1902 |
Coach Team6: | Georgia |
Coach Sport7: | Baseball |
Coach Years8: | 1898–1899 |
Coach Team8: | North Carolina |
Coach Years9: | 1902–1903 |
Coach Team9: | Georgia |
Overall Record: | 38–21–9 (football) 34–14–2 (baseball) |
William Ayres Reynolds (December 30, 1872 or December 30, 1874 – August 10, 1928)[1] [2] was an American football player and coach of football and baseball. He played scrub football at Princeton University, serving as team captain in 1894,[3] and served as the head football coach at Rutgers University (1895),[3] (1895),[4] the University of Cincinnati (1896), the University of North Carolina (1897–1900), and the University of Georgia (1901–1902), compiling a career record of 38–21–9. Reynolds was also the head baseball coach at North Carolina (1898–1899) and Georgia (1902–1903), tallying a career mark of 24–14–2.
As North Carolina's football coach, he coached the Tar Heels to an undefeated season in 1898 (9–0) and had an overall record of 27–7–4 during his four seasons. As a baseball coach, Reynolds compiled a 21–5–1 record in two seasons at North Carolina.
Reynolds did not enjoy the same level of success at Georgia in either sport. As the Georgia football head coach, he compiled a record of just 5–7–3 during his two-year stay. As a baseball coach, Reynolds fared better, posting a 13–9–1 record over two seasons.
Reynolds left Georgia in 1903 to pursue a business opportunity in Canada.[5] He was later the vice president of the Southern Cotton Oil Co, original manufacturers of Wesson cooking oil. He died on August 10, 1928, at his home in Charlotte, North Carolina.[6]