“Big Bill” Steers (April 13, 1897 – December 20, 1957) made a name for himself at the University of Oregon as an all-around football player and member of the 1920 Rose Bowl squad, and later earned national respect as a coach, educator and administrator.
Steers grew up in The Dalles and came to Eugene in 1917. He began playing for the Webfoots after a year in military service. In 1919 Steers helped the Ducks win the Pacific Coast Conference title with a 5-2 record – earning a spot in the 1920 Rose Bowl. Oregon lost 7-6 to Harvard, but Steers scored the Ducks’ points on a pair of drop kicks. The future legendary coach George Halas was named the game MVP, playing for Harvard.
In 1920 Bill served as the team captain for a 3-2-1 squad. Steers earned All-PCC First-Team honors in three seasons, twice as a quarterback (1917 and ‘19), and as a guard in 1920. He was also named second-team All-America.
After graduating from Oregon, Steers was a do-everything player who turned around the fortunes of the Multnomah Athletic Club team for two seasons.
Steers then headed east, earning a master’s degree from Columbia in 1928. He coached the football team at California University – Pennsylvania for twelve seasons before returning to Columbia to earn a doctorate in physical education.
He served in the Navy in 1943-45 and led the project to build a recreation facility at Admiralty Island in the South Pacific. Steers was also head of the Physical Education program at Miami University in Florida.
Bill Steers, also known as "Wild Bill", was inducted into the University of Oregon Athletics Hall of Fame in 1996. The Eugene Register-Guard named Steers to its Oregon All-Time team in 1992.