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https://twitter.com/coach_fleck/status/4...5729968128

I'll never forget his uncanny ability to remember every persons name that he met !!! Coach

If this is true, we have indeed lost one of the great faces of WMU... And a great guy

Doo had been hospitalized March 10 with pneumonia.

Although he had rallied enough to go home, his lungs couldn't take it any more. He suffered a heart attack yesterday morning and passed.

Did more for me than I could ever repay. Sad day to be a Bronco, we've lost one of the best.

Coach Doolittle was an honorable man. He leaves a legacy of commitment, respect, and integrity.

Western was fortunate to have such a man as their football coach.

Only met him a few times but he left an impression each time. We lost a good one today. RIP Coach Doo

(04-11-2014 07:43 PM)bostonbronco Wrote:  Coach Doolittle was an honorable man. He leaves a legacy of commitment, respect, and integrity.

Western was fortunate to have such a man as their football coach.

Dittto. Genuinely a nice person. Combine that with his ability to coach you understand the affection so many had for him.

My memory of him is at games wearing his hat, telling us that we were late getting in. I realized a year later that he was someone more esteemed than he let on. Very unassuming.

Major, sounds like you lost more than a coach. I'm sorry.

(04-11-2014 09:33 AM)broncojohnny Wrote:  I'll never forget his uncanny ability to remember every persons name that he met !!! Coach

If this is true, we have indeed lost one of the great faces of WMU... And a great guy

I still remember him coming out of the tunnel wearing the cowboy hat and bow tie. He was truly a Bronco through and through and very proud of it. I always felt special when he called me "coach".

My dad played for Doo and had tons of great stories about him. Was part of the 66 championship team that remains so close. My old man got to see him last week and spend some time with him. Definitely the greatest coach our university has had in football but apparently an even better man.

KALAMAZOO, Mich. – Western Michigan football coach (1964-1974) and WMU Athletic Hall of Famer, Francis William “Bill” Doolittle passed away on Thursday, April 10 due to a brief illness. He was 90 years old. Doolittle coached 11 seasons at WMU, compiling a 58-49-2 record and leading the Broncos to the 1966 Mid-American Conference title.

A native of Mansfield, Ohio, Doolittle was an All-State quarterback and guided his team to a state championship in 1941. He enrolled at The Ohio State University in 1942. After his freshman season, Doolittle left to join the Marine Corps and served 27 months in the South Pacific, earning the Bronze Star for his service in Guam. Doolittle returned to quarterback Ohio State from 1946-48.

Doolittle’s first coaching job was at Grandview High School (Columbus, Ohio) in 1949. In 1950, he moved to Brown University as backfield coach for two years. Following his tenure at Brown, Doolittle went back to the high school ranks with stints at Lincoln (Canton, Ohio), Owosso, Flint Central and his hometown of Mansfield (1951-1961), Doolittle served as the offensive backfield coach at the United States Military Academy for two seasons. He was hired as WMU’s head coach in 1964. Doolittle would lead the Broncos for 11 seasons, compiling a 58-49-2 record. In 1966, he won MAC coach of the Year honors, along with his team winning the first ever MAC title in school history. Doolittle produced seven winning seasons during his tenure, including four in a row from 1970-73. During his time roaming the sidelines at WMU, he was the most visible head coach in college football wearing his signature cowboy hat and bow tie.

After resigning as coach, he would be named the Director of the Mike Gary Athletic Fund in 1975. In his 15 years of service, the Gary Fund grew and became known as one of the best in the MAC. When first started the Gary Fund had annual contributions of $25,000, but during Doolittle’s time the fund had contributions of $455,000 a year and raised a total of $3,284,000.

Doolittle is a member of the Mansfield High School Athletic Hall of Fame. He was recognized as the Alumni “W” Club “Man of the Year” in 1988 for his efforts with the Mike Gary Athletic Fund. In 1996, Doolittle was inducted into the WMU Athletic Hall of Fame. He was also inducted in 2005, into the Greater Flint Area Sports Hall of Fame.

Doolittle was preceded in death by his wife Lenore and his son Stephen. He is survived by his daughter Karen, three grand children and two great grand children. A memorial service is pending.

(04-11-2014 08:38 PM)DesertBronco Wrote:  My memory of him is at games wearing his hat, telling us that we were late getting in. I realized a year later that he was someone more esteemed than he let on. Very unassuming.

Doo was the coach when I arrived on campus. I knew several players and they would have run through a wall for him. Such love and respect for the man by those guys. That iconic cowboy hat was his signature, in a way.

The University has lost a cherished man and figure. R.I.P.

Bronze Star,US Marine, QB @ Ohio State and successful coach, very impressive track record.That resume is one of a GREAT American. God Bless you Mr. Doolittle.

Never met him, but everything I have heard is positive. Fortunately, his legacy will live on at WMU.

The test of time is a good measure of anything or anyone successful.

Bill Doolittle embodied that. As MHB stated Doo was the HC when many of us arrived in Kalamazoo. I saw first hand the unfortunate unraveling at the end of his tenure.

But instead of being bitter and withdrawing he took on new duties after awhile and was wildly successful in growing the Gary Fund as written about. All while never missing a beat being a gentleman and a genuinely great human being.

I know an older gent at church, Bob Black, who played HS football with Doo but was a couple years younger back in Mansfield, Ohio. I have known Bob for 25 years but it was only a couple years ago that he and I made a connection regarding WMU and of course Bill Doolittle.

The Mansfield family remains tight. They would still occassionally get together over the summers. Bob spoke highly of Coach Doo as if he were still a HS sophomore to Doo's being a senior. Bob will be 88 shortly and was very successful in life himself. Back then Bill Doolittle as a leader left an imprint. And still had many a fan following from 70+ years ago. Not surprising if you ever had the pleasure of knowing him even just the little I was fortunate to.