Man of the Week
Emporia Gazette, May 1970

     Although he is no longer a resident of Emporia, and has not been for many years, he has brought a great deal of credit to the city and its two colleges.
     Bill Hargiss graduated from Kansas State Normal, now Kansas State Teachers College, in 1909. He was an all-around athlete. After graduation he coached the Marion High School teams to a winning season, and then returned to Emporia to coach the College of Emporia "Preachers." He returned
to the Normal in 1914 as head coach. In 1918 he went to coach at Oregon State College in Corvallis.
     He returned to Kansas State Normal in 1920, bringing with him one of his football innovations from Oregon, the huddle. He stayed in Emporia for eight years before going to Kansas University to coach football and track. During his 16 years there, he was the coach of many great athletes, including Glenn Cunningham.
     In recognition of his importance to sports, he is a charter member of the Kansas Athletic Hall of Fame, and a member of the National Athletic Hall of Fame. Thursday night he was honored—with three other alumni of Kansas State Teachers College—with an award for his outstanding service to the college and the community, presented by the Alumni Association.
     Retired now, Mr. Hargiss lives in Lawrence with his daughter, Dr. Genevieve Hargiss, his wife having died in 1955. He has two other children, Mrs. George Oberheide of Hickman Mills, Mo., and Clark Hargiss of Canoga Park, Calif.
     Mr. Hargiss fills his spare time with painting, woodworking and many other activities.