Hall of Fame
- Induction:
- 1991
- Class:
- 1946
C. William “Bill” Hildebrand lettered at Mississippi State from 1944-46, where he started at end all three seasons he played under Coach Allyn McKeen.
During his three seasons with the Bulldogs, the team went 20-7. Hildebrand earned All-SEC honors each year he starred on the gridiron, and he served as team captain in 1945.
Hildebrand was a familiar presence at the annual Blue-Grey games in Montgomery, Ala., being selected to play in both 1945 and 1946. The Mississippi State end would go on to become the first former player to return to Montgomery as a coach.
Hildebrand would go on to have an illustrious coaching career that took him around the country. Following his graduation, he would join Coach McKeen’s coaching staff in Starkville as an assistant before relocating to Purdue in 1949. After a season with the Boilermakers, Hildebrand would return to the SEC as an assistant coach at the University of Tennessee.
In 1951, Hildebrand stepped into the next chapter of his coaching career after being named as the newest head coach at Whitworth College in Spokane, Wash. He spent one season with the Pirates before finding his way back to Starkville. He would continue going from coaching job to coaching job before joining the Wake Forest staff in 1956.
For three years, Hildebrand would serve the Demon Deacons as an assistant line coach before ultimately being promoted to head coach in 1960. He spent three seasons at the helm before moving on to his next job. After a stint with the Canadian League, Hildebrand would find himself back in Starkville.
Hildebrand joined the staff of first-year Head Coach Charley Shira as the team’s defensive coordinator. He left Starkville following the 1968 season to return to the Canadian League.
In 1970, Hildebrand retired from coaching. He moved back to his hometown of Memphis and began working in real estate. However, he could not stay away from the game of football for long. During Billy “Spook” Murphy’s tenure at Memphis State, Hildebrand served as the team network’s color announcer.
Hildebrand and his wife, Cubie, had three children: Allyn, Paul and Boo. The couple’s daughter would follow in her father’s footsteps as a student-athlete at Mississippi State as a varsity tennis player.
Hildebrand passed away in 1992. He was 67 years old.
