Hall of Fame
Position: Fullback
Years: 1936-1938
Place of Birth: Providence, RI
Date of Birth: Dec 29, 1915
Place of Death: Chicago, IL
Date of Death: Dec 25, 1996
Jersey Number: 25
Height: 5-11
Weight: 197
High School: Providence, RI (Central HS)
Bill Osmanski provided the backfield leadership for the greatest teams in Holy Cross history, using his bursting speed, instinctive balance and awesome power to bolster one of the finest offensive threats in Eastern football during the late 1930s. The Holy Cross record in Osmanski's three years was 23-3-3; the losses were by scores of 13-12, 7-6, and 3-0. In 1936 his 85-yard run gave Holy Cross a 7-0 victory over Dartmouth. He had other runs of 92, 68, 65, and 45 yards, was given the nickname "Bullet Bill" and was named All-America in 1938. In 1939, he won the Most Valuable Player trophy in the College All-Star Game. He played pro with the Chicago Bears 1939-43, 1946-47. In between his two terms with the Bears, he served in the Marines in World War II and was at Okinawa, Guadalcanal, and Guam. The Bears won four league championships in his time, and he led the league in rushing yardage in 1939. Osmanski, in addition to playing with the Bears, earned a dental degree from Northwestern University. Osmanski was head football coach at Holy Cross 1948-49. After that he devoted full time to his dentistry practice in Chicago. Holy Cross retired his jersey, No. 25, and instituted the Osmanski Award for scholarship and athletics. Northwestern named an alumni award for him. The Chicago Catholic High School started the Osmanski award for the best scholar in the football ranks. Sports Illustrated in 1963 gave him its Silver Anniversary Award. A YMCA branch in Evanston, Illinois, was named for him. Osmanski was born Dec. 29, 1915, in Providence, R.I., he died Dec. 25, 1996.
