Bill Manlove and Billy “White Shoes” Johnson, who each made themselves legendary figures with Widener's football team, were inducted as part of the inaugural class in the Middle Atlantic Conference Hall of Fame.
One of the true gentlemen in all of athletics, Manlove coached 23 seasons at Widener (1969-91) and guided the team to NCAA Division III championships in 1977 and 1981. He also was a part of 10 Middle Atlantic Conference championships, seven NCAA Tournament appearances and four undefeated regular seasons during his tenure.
During Manlove's time, 31 of Widener's student-athletes were tabbed All-America, three were drafted by National Football League teams and 20 were signed by either NFL, World Football League, United States Football League or Canadian Football League squads.
Manlove, who also is the school's former director of athletics, is the program's winningest coach with a 182-53-1 record for a .773 winning percentage. Widener was 9-5 in the NCAA Tournament during his time and 2-0 in the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl, the Division III title game.
Manlove was honored as MAC Coach of the Year nine times. He was named AFCA (American Football Coaches Association) Division II-III National Coach of the Year in 1977 and Regional/District Coach of the Year in 1977 and 1980.
This comes on top of him being enshrined into the College Football Hall of Fame last July and being honored by the Philadelphia Sports Writers Association in January. He also was inducted into the Camden County Sports Hall of Fame in 2008, the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame one year later and the Delaware County Athletics Hall of Fame last month.
Johnson was one of the most dynamic and amazing open field running backs and kick returners in college football history. During his time at Widener he shattered no less than nine all-time NCAA marks and 12 Middle Atlantic Conference records. Johnson scored 62 touchdowns, rushed for 3,737 yards and accounted for 5,404 all-purpose yards over his career from 1971-73.
His playing days did not end there as he competed professionally for the Houston Oilers, Atlanta Falcons and the Washington Redskins in the National Football League as well as with the Montreal Alouettes in the Canadian Football League. Johnson was taken by the Oilers in the 15th round of the 1974 NFL draft and ended his career with the Redskins in 1988.
Johnson's career did not go unnoticed as he was named to the NFL's 75th Anniversary Team as a punt returner in 1994. He also was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame's inaugural class in 1998.
The MAC inducted 36 individuals in this class, representing 25 schools and 13 different sports.
