William H. Spaulding was an American football player and coach of football, basketball, and baseball. Spaulding coached at UCLA from 1925 to 1938. He had a successful tenure, compiling a 72–51–8 record. He also served as the head football coach at the University of Minnesota from 1922 to 1924. His record there was 11–7–4. He succeeded the legendary football coach Henry L. Williams. Prior to coaching at Minnesota he coached Western State Normal School from 1907 to 1921. Spaulding was the head football, basketball and baseball at Western State Normal. Spaulding attended Wabash College, where he played college football. In 1984, he was inducted into the Wabash College Athletic Hall of Fame.
In 1907, Spaulding was hired as the first coach and physical training director at Western State Normal School. He was the head coach of the school's football team for 15 years from 1907 to 1921, compiling a 62–25–3 record. He is still the winningest coach in school history, though he is presently tied on the Broncos' all-time wins list with Al Molde. His players at Western State included Frank Thomas who went on to be the head coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide football team from 1931 to 1946. He was the head coach for the Western State Normal School men's basketball program from 1913 through 1922, compiling a 77–43 record, and finishing.500 or higher in each of his nine seasons. He was also the head coach for Western State's baseball program from 1911 through 1921, compiling a 63–18–4 record.
Minnesota
In January 1922, Spaulding was hired by the University of Minnesota to replace Henry L. Williams as the school's head football coach. He was hired at a salary of $5,500 per year. In 1924, Spaulding's Golden Gopers stopped Red Grange and handed Illinois its only defeat of the 1924 season.
UCLA
In May 1925, Spaulding was hired by the University of California Southern Branch as its head football coach and athletic director. He signed a five-year contract with Southern Branch at a salary of $10,000 per year. Spaulding's 1935 UCLA team was a Pacific Coast Conference co-champion and handed Stanford's "Vow Boys" team its only defeat of the 1935 season. Spaulding later described the 1935 victory over Stanford as the greatest thrill of his career. His players at UCLA included Kenny Washington and Jackie Robinson. In 11 years as UCLA's head football coach, his teams compiled a record of 72–51–8 In February 1938, Spaulding announced that he would resign as UCLA's head football coach after the 1938 season. He had also assumed the role as UCLA's athletic director and stated that he would thereafter confine himself to those duties. Spaulding remained at UCLA as athletic director from 1938 to 1947. After 22 years at UCLA, Spaulding resigned in March 1947, indicating that he intended to go into business.
Later years
Spaulding and his wife, Jess, had a son, William E. Spaulding, and three daughters, Jane, Frances, and Barbara. His wife died in 1953. He later remarried to a second wife, Eleanor. Spaulding died in 1966 at age 86 at the Elizabeth Manor Sanitarium in Los Angeles. He had been ill and in "a virtual coma" for several years before his death.
