William Henry Dietz

Who was William Henry Dietz?

William Henry "Lone Star" Dietz was an American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at Washington State University, Purdue University, Louisiana Tech University, University of Wyoming, Haskell Institute—now Haskell Indian Nations University, and Albright College. From 1933 to 1934, Dietz was the head coach of the National Football League's Boston Redskins, where he tallied a mark of 11–11–2. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a coach in 2012.

Dietz's true identity remains highly controversial. Although he is recognized as an "Indian athlete" by Dan Snyder, owner of the Washington Redskins, Indian Country Today Media Network ran a series of articles in 2004 exposing Dietz as a white man masquerading as an Indian. In 1988, the National Congress of American Indians attempted to meet and discuss the issue with the team’s former owner, Jack Kent Cooke, but Cooke refused a meeting.