Bill Dellastatious

{{Short description|American football player and coach (1922–2023)}}

{{Infobox college coach

| name = Bill Dellastatious

| image =

| alt =

| caption =

| birth_date = {{birth date|1922|10|2}}

| birth_place = Washington, D.C., U.S.

| death_date = {{death date and age|2023|11|6|1922|10|2}}

| death_place =

| alma_mater =

| player_sport1 = Football

| player_years2 = 1943–1945

| player_team2 = Missouri

| player_positions = Quarterback

| coach_sport1 = Football

| coach_years2 = 1948–1952

| coach_team2 = Florida (assistant)

| coach_years3 = 1953–1954

| coach_team3 = Southwest Missouri State

| coach_sport4 = Golf

| coach_years5 = 1949–1952

| coach_team5 = Florida

| overall_record = 5–12 (football)

| bowl_record =

| tournament_record =

| championships =

| awards =

First-team All-Big Six (1944)
Second-team All-Big Six (1943)

| coaching_records =

}}

Joseph William Dellastatious (October 2, 1922 – November 6, 2023) was an American college football player and coach. He played as a quarterback with the Missouri Tigers.

Career

Dellastatious played college football at the University of Missouri, where he was a quarterback.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RzsHP7_ITBwC|title=College Football's Most Memorable Games, 2d ed.|publisher=McFarland Publishing|first=Fred|last=Eisenhammer|date=January 10, 2014|access-date=April 14, 2019}} He had previously played at Clemson University and attended Bucknell and George Washington University.{{cite news|url=https://dataomaha.com/huskers/history/game/1943-10-30-missouri|date=October 30, 1943|publisher=Omaha World Herald|access-date=April 15, 2019|title=Tigers Score Par 54; U.N. Totals 20}}

Dellastatious was drafted by National Football League (NFL) teams twice. In the 1945 NFL draft he was chosen with the 19th overall pick by the Pittsburgh Steelers, but was ruled "not yet eligible" by the NFL and the pick was forfeited.George Strickler (ed.), The National Football League Record and Rules Manual, 1945. Chicago: National Football League, 1945; p. 84. He was then properly drafted in the first round of the 1946 NFL draft by the Detroit Lions.{{cite web|url=https://www.profootballarchives.com/playerd/dell00170.html|title=Bill Dellastatious|publisher=Pro Football Archives|access-date=December 30, 2018}}

Despite being such a highly-sought recruit, instead of playing professional football, Dellastatious chose to take a job as an assistant coach at the University of Florida.

He went on to coach and teach at Southwest Missouri State College, the Citadel, Wake Forest University, and Salem College in West Virginia.{{cite web |title=Joseph William Dellastatious (Bill), age 101 of Jackson, passed away on November 6, 2023 |url=https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/jackson-tn/joseph-william-bill-dellastatious-11529705 |access-date=27 February 2024}} Dellastatious served as the head football coach at Southwest Missouri State—now known as Missouri State University–from 1953 to 1954, compiling a record of 5–12.

Personal life and death

Dellastatious was born in Washington D.C. on October 2, 1922.{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/105326433/the-jackson-sun/ |title=Living a full life |newspaper=Jackson Sun |date=August 30, 2011 |page=B1}}{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/328760029/?article=a3df6cb7-e02d-4956-95a5-9bc8821745e1&focus=0.02168422,0.026323527,0.27787605,0.47530228&xid=3398 |title=Miss Ane Walker Lee Plans December Wedding |newspaper=Tampa Sunday Tribune |location=Florida |date=December 3, 1950 |page=8D |quote=marriage of her daughter, Anne Walker Lee, to Joseph William Dellastatious ... Mr. Dellastatious attended Clemson College and was graduated from the University of Missouri, ... and at present is a member of the faculty of the University of Florida, serving in the capacity of golf coach and instructor in required physical education. |via=newspapers.com |url-access=subscription}} He was married to Anne Lee, who died in Jackson, Tennessee, on May 13, 2017, at the age of 87.{{cite news |title=Anne Lee Dellastatious obituary |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/117634564/anne-lee-dellastatious/ |access-date=31 January 2023 |newspaper=The Jackson Sun |date=14 May 2017}} He died on November 6, 2023, at the age of 101.{{cite web |title=Joseph William (Bill) Dellastatious Obituary - Jackson, TN |url=https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/jackson-tn/joseph-william-bill-dellastatious-11529705 |website=Dignity Memorial |access-date=11 November 2023}}