East Texas A&M University Athletics

Coach, Athletic Director • 1922-51

Will Hill Acker came to ET in the early parts of 1922 as a teacher of physics and chemistry after playing baseball and football at TCU. He became an assistant coach soon afterward and continued to teach. In 1928, he assumed all duties in the athletic department, coaching the football, baseball and basketball teams.

He coached the football team for two seasons and had a record of 2-13-1. His baseball and basketball teams fared much better. His basketball teams were a combined 49-19 during his three seasons as coach, including the first 20-win season in program history, with the 1929-30 squad posting a 20-5 record while winning 17 of their final 19 games to earn second place in the Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association. During the 1930-31 season, the team went 12-5, winning a share of the TIAA Championship. Acker's baseball teams were also successful, winning the TIAA championship in 1928 and 1929. Acker was the baseball program's first and only coach, as the baseball team was discontinued after the 1930 season.

In 1930, Acker became the school's official Athletic Director, a title he held until 1949. He discontinued all coaching duties in 1931. In 1947, he was also named as the head of the Department of Physical Education. Acker continued to teach at ETSU until his death in 1951.