William Reinhart

William Reinhart (1896-1971)

Teams coached: Oregon Ducks, George Washington Colonials
Oregon record: 180-101 (.641)
George Washington record: 319-237 (.574)
Overall record: 499-338 (.596)

Career Accomplishments:

Awards:

Coaching Career (head coach, unless noted):

1949-1966 George Washington
1935-1942 George Washington
1923-1935 Oregon

William Reinhart Facts

  • William J. Reinhart
  • Born August 2, 1896
  • Died February 14, 1971
  • Hometown: Salem, Oregon
  • Alma Mater: University of Oregon (BA, 1921)
  • Helped lead his Salem HS (OR) teams to three state championships in baseball, two in basketball and one in football
  • Went on to play all three sports at Oregon, serving as a team captain for each team as a senior in 1922-23
    • Playing for head coaches Charles A. Huntington and George Bohler; was the starting quarterback in the 1919 Rose Bowl
  • After graduation, Reinhart took over as head basketball coach at his alma mater; led the team for 12 seasons
    • Compiled an overall record of 180-101, finishing above .500 in all but two campaigns
    • Won two PCC North division titles during his tenure, which occurred before the start of the NCAA Tournament and NIT
    • Also served as the head baseball coach from 1924-1935, going 103-92-1 over that time
  • Left Oregon for George Washington in 1935, spending the next seven seasons as the head basketball coach
    • Also took over head football coach duties in 1938, going 16-17-2 in four seasons at the helm
    • His first tenure at GWU was interrupted by World War II
  • After the War, Reinhart spent four seasons as the head football coach and AD at Merchant Marine Academy (NY)
  • Returned to GWU in 1949 to be the head basketball coach, leading the Colonials for another seventeen seasons
    • Over twenty-four total seasons with the basketball program, Reinhart was 319-237
    • Won the SoCon title in 1954 and 1956, the SoCon Tournament in 1954 and 1961 and earned the program’s first two NCAA Tournament bids
    • Between 1953-56, the Colonials were 66-16 and regularly ranked in the AP Top 25 (highest ranking was #5 during the 1954-55 season
    • Coached the Colonials’ baseball team from 1950-1966, going 193-133-4 overall
  • Inducted into the Helms Basketball HOF in 1956, the Arlington (VA) Sports HOF in 1962 and the George Washington Athletics HOF in 1993
  • Passed away in 1971 from cancer at age 74; survived by his wife, Rosyln, their son and two grandchildren

William Reinhart Coaching Tree

  • Red Auerbach (Boston Celtics, Tri-Cities Blackhawks, Washington Capitols)
  • Howard Hobson (Yale, Oregon)
  • Matt Zunic (UMass, Boston University)