Walter Driskill

Walter Scott Driskill (September 20, 1913 – July 25, 1998) was a football coach and administrator for the University of Maryland and the Baltimore Colts. After leaving football he worked in the brewing industry. He founded his own company, Dribeck Importers, that was the sole American importer of Beck's beer.

Walter Driskill
Personal information
Born:(1913-09-20)September 20, 1913
Died:July 25, 1998(1998-07-25) (aged 84)
Delray Beach, Florida, U.S.
Career information
College:Colorado
Career history
As a coach:
As an administrator:
  • Maryland Terrapins (1947–1948)
    Athletic director
  • Baltimore Colts (1948–1950)
    General Manager
  • Baltimore Colts (1949)
    President

Playing

Driskill earned his bachelor's in history from the University of Colorado in 1936 and his master's in history in 1940. He also played football for the school from 1931 until 1935, where he lettered three times as a tackle and was a teammate of Byron "Whizzer" White.

Coaching

Driskill coached at Colorado for five seasons then moved to Wyoming. He served in the United States Navy during World War II as an officer assigned to the Navy's pre-flight educational program.[1]

Driskill returned to coaching as an assistant to Jim Tatum at Oklahoma. He followed Tatum to Maryland in 1947.[2] Before the season started, Driskill replaced Tatum, who wanted to focus on his duties as head football coach, as Maryland's athletic director.[3]

In 1948, Driskill became the general manager of the Baltimore Colts. He became the team's president in 1949 and took over as head coach after the Colts got off to a poor start that year.[4] He stepped down as head coach and president after the season, but remained as general manager.[5]

Head coaching record
Team Year Regular season Postseason
WonLostTiesWin %FinishResult
BAL1949 170.1257th in AAFC
Total[6]170.125

Brewing

Driskill left football after the Colts folded. He was director of marketing of Ruppert Brewing Company and vice president of Gunther Brewing Company. In 1961 he became the director of marketing for Miller Brewing Company.[7] He was fired by Miller in 1964 and started his own company, Dribeck Importers, which was the sole American importer of Beck's.[8] He sold Dribeck to Beck's in 1989 for $28 million.[7][9]

In 2009, Driskill's estate donated $750,000 to the University of Colorado's history department.[10]

References
  1. Atchison, Lewis F. (May 19, 1947). "Maryland to Have Coaching Clinic This Summer". Evening Star. Retrieved 16 May 2023.
  2. "Leaving Oklahoma for Five-Year Guarantee as Mentor of Terrapins, He Is Replaced by Wilkinson in Sooner Post". The New York Times. January 19, 1947.
  3. "Maryland Names Driskill". The New York Times. May 15, 1947.
  4. "Driskill Takes Over as Colts' New Chief". Evening Star. March 2, 1949. Retrieved 16 May 2023.
  5. "Watner to Head Colts". The New York Times. December 18, 1949.
  6. "Walt Driskoll Record, Statistics, and Category Ranks". Pro-football-reference.com. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
  7. Maxymuk, John (2012). NFL Head Coaches: A Biographical Dictionary, 1920-2011. McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers. p. 73. Retrieved 16 May 2023.
  8. Gorman, John (May 17, 1985). "Beer Lovers Spread The Word: Beck's". Chicago Tribune.
  9. Behar, Hank (November 15, 2003). "Reinventing Beck's North America". Beverage World Preview publication details.
  10. "CU history department to get boost from German beer importer". dailycamera.com.
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