Bill has been involved in athletics all his life - especially tennis. At Central he played football, hockey and was tops in tennis. As a Junior at Central he along with Dick Roberts won the State High School doubles championship and they were ranked number one in the state. Bill was also ranked number one in singles while at Central. Then at Augsburg College he played football and hockey as well as tennis winning the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship in tennis three times.

After graduating from Augsburg in 1952 he became the tennis pro at Minikahda Golf Club and also coached football at Slayton, Mn until he was called to active duty in the Navy in 1954. He soon became a member of the All-Navy tennis team and was nationally ranked in singles and along with Charley Oliver (national collegiate champion) won the All-Navy East championship in 1955-1956. The team had their own airplane and played the service tennis circuit. Bill played in both the singles and doubles championship at Forest Hills, NY and doubles at Longwood in Boston.

After returning from service he continued playing tennis and was ranked number 1 many times in the Northwest section of the United States Tennis Association in singles and also in doubles with Ken Boyum and Wendell Ottum. He also continued in coaching football, now at Washburn High School and was head coach from 1962-1966. He then left coaching to become vice-president of sales for Advance Machine Co. In 1986 he became owner and president of the Savoie Supply Co. and is still active in the business as of 2007. As he became old enough he played on the national senior tennis circuit and was nationally ranked in the 45, 50 and 55 year age brackets.

In 1979 he was inducted into the original class of the Northern United States Tennis Association Hall of Fame and that same year into the Augsburg College Hall of Fame.

Contributed by John Leak, CHS 1943