William Jennings Coyle was born on March 18, 1888 in Sutter Creek, California. He moved to Seattle where he attended Seattle High School and joined the football team in 1904. He attended the University of Washington where he became well known as captain and quarterback of the football team. At that time (1910) he was the only quarterback to play four years without losing a game. He also lettered in baseball and track, and is honored in the University Hall of Fame in all three sports.
In September of 1917, at age 29, Coyle graduated from officer’s training camp at Presidio in San Francisco, California. Throughout his career he was a successful lawyer and businessman. He served as Lieutenant Governor of Washington State from 1921-1925 for the Republican Party. As a Seattle resident, he served for 15 years as the manager of the Seattle Civic Auditorium. He died in 1977.
The collection consists of 95 photographs (including 1 album) depicting William Jennings “Wee” Coyle and team members at Seattle High School; Coyle and team members from the University of Washington including sports, fraternities, activities, and events; Coyle after graduation from officer’s training camp; portraits. The collection chronicles Coyle's sports career starting in high school and on through college, and his later career as Lieutenant Governor of Washington State.
Arranged into seven series: Seattle High School, Other High Schools, University of Washington athletics, University of Washington fraternities, University of Washington events and activities, First Officer training, and Portraits.
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The collection is open to the public by appointment.
The Museum of History & Industry is the owner of the materials in the Sophie Frye Bass Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. Written permission must be obtained from MOHAI before any reproduction use. The museum does not necessarily hold copyright to all of the materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from the copyright owners.
William Jennings “Wee” Coyle Photograph Collection, Museum of History & Industry, Seattle
Donor: William Jennings Coyle and Mrs. William J. Coyle in 1960.
Collection includes donation by Mrs. William J. Coyle, accession number 1962.2504 (4 photographs).
These materials are part of a donation that also included artifacts. These artifacts are cataloged and stored separately by MOHAI's Collections Department.
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the online catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or places should search the catalog using these headings.
The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.
Arranged roughly chronologically
Players left to right: Smith, German, McDougall, Shorts, Palmer, Coyle.
Players left to right, inset: Palmer. Top row: ____, Shorts, Morehouse, Ike Dowd. Center row: Rey Ross, Frank Moron, ____, Paul Jarvis, Dave Lewis,. Bottom row: Glen German, Coyle, Jack McDougall, Jay Smith.
Left to right, top row: Mattson, Pollock, Beck, Westover, coach, Frost, Babcock, Smith, Bragdon. Center row: H. Lewis, Henry, Thayer, D. Lewis, Coyle, Belford. Front row: Stillwell, Burke, Barto.
Left to right, top: Coach Fletcher Lewis, Paul Tarris, Silas Deglar. Top row: Neal Ellis, Bill Henry, Dwight Hartmon, ____, ____, Brailey Gish, Frank Coyle, Russel Wayland, Jud Thompson, Joe Barto. Middle row: ____, Sumner Osborne, Thompson, Walter Stroll, Milt Randolph, Walter Yott, “Wee” Coyle. Next row: Dave Lewis, Myron Arenson, ____, ____, ____, ____, ____, ____. Bottom row: Harry Ross, Tom Gillis, Frank Fitts, Al Smith, Bill Cook.
Left to right, top row: Bill Henry, Buck Evans, Joy Smith, “Wee” Coyle, George Rogge, Royal Pullen. Middle row: Floyd Galloway, Russell Mackey, Shirley Treen, Harry Gillis, Herb Jones. Bottom row: Fred Gepner, Roscoe Pike, Ernest Maguire, William O. McKay, Bever Prestley.
Left to right: Coyle, Livingston, Stotalphia, Gish
Photographs of Coyle, sports team members and high school friends.
Arranged roughly chronologically
Sixth from right is “Wee” Coyle. Front is Ten Million.
Third runner from left: West
Arranged roughly chronologically.
Also Phi Delta Theta.
Melville Mucklestone with the ball. Wash- 20, Oregon-6.
Caption on verso: Mucklestone carrying ball. Coyle is on extreme right. 1909 Denny Field.
Left to right, top row: Patton, ____, Fartheringham, ____, Rusty Callow, Galloway, Flint, Sparger, Cahill, Coyle, Wand, Pike, Eakins. Middle row: ____, Pullen, Presley, SIegler, Beck, coach Dobie, manager Zedmick, Swarra, Griffiths, captain Grimm, Grimm, ____, Diether, Sutton. Bottom: Wand, Hosley, ____, ____, ____, Cook, ____, Ohnick, Shiveley.
Left to right, top: Dobie, Zednick, Patton, Sutton, Seeler. Next to top: Husby, Eakins, Pullen, Presley, Husby, Griffith, Polly, Harry Grimm. Next to bottom: ____, Pike, Wand, Cahill, Coyle, Sparger, Hosley. Bottom: ____, Ohnick, Cook, Deither, Fifield, ____.
University of Washington versus University of Oregon at Denny Field.
Only quarterback in the history of football to play four years without loosing a game.
Far left: “Wee” Coyle. Carrying the ball: Melville Mucklestone. Third from right: Max Eakins. Fifth from right: Charles May. Sixth from right: Fred Sparger.
Cropped section from photo 1960.1821.31.
Arranged roughly chronologically
Left to right, top: Ten Million, Ernie Maguire, Dode Brinker, Leo Teats. Middle: Mert Hemingway, Butch Belford, Jimmy Clark, “Wee” Coyle. Bottom: Lockwood, Tracy Baker, Fred Hickenbottom, Jim Sturgis.
Top right: “Wee” Coyle.
Top right: “Wee” Coyle.
Also Phi Gamma Delta.
Arranged roughly chronologically
Left to right, top: Kinnear, Wendell Simonds, Fred Smith. Middle: Clyde Cameron, ____, David Dalby. Front: Max Harrison.
Left top: Pullen. Lower left: Lantz.
Junior Day, May 1.
Minnie Dalby (Coyle) in turtleneck sweater. William Jennings Coyle married Minnie Dalby.
Arranged roughly chronologically
Second from left in third row is David Dalby.
Left to right: Westover, Paulson, Thayer, ____, Mohr, Siever, Diether, Denny, Wand, ____, Burke, Coyle, Estep, ____, ____, Sieler, Hartson, Mullen, Jenson, ____, McKindley, ____, ____, ____, Tegtmier, Durham, ____, Chittenden.
Arranged roughly chronologically
Left to right, top: Dr. Alfred Strauss, ____, Elsie ?, ____. Bottom: Herbert ? Seiler, Professor Myers, ? Hoover, and David Dalby.
Sophomores and Freshmen fight for the ball.
Arranged roughly chronologically
Taken after graduation as Second Lieutenant from First Officer’s training camp at Presidio, San Francisco, California.
Taken on return from Officer’s training camp in California.
Arranged roughly chronologically
Office in the Olympic Hotel. Manager of the Governor’s conference in 1953. Pictures on the wall of President Eisenhower and Governor Langlie.