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Bill Little, who came to be recognized as one of the nation’s leading figures in college athletics media relations during a 47-year career at the University of Texas and a powerful supporter of the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame, passed away Aug. 18 in Austin, Texas. He was 81.
 
“Bill Little ranks among the special people in college football who brought a grace and historical perspective to our game that truly distinguishes our sport from all others,” said NFF Chairman Archie Manning. “So much of the focus often lies with the players and coaches on the field, but Bill Little was one of those exceptional off-field contributors with and in-depth knowledge and a passion for the game that makes our game such a joy.  He had a natural affinity for the work of the NFF, and we were fortunate to have had his counsel on several NFF committees, as the emcee of the NFF Press Conference in New York City and as a key leader with the NFF Austin Chapter. We are forever grateful for his countless contributions, and we are deeply saddened to learn of his passing.”
 

“In college athletics, we all have the good fortune to meet many exceptional people, but few, if any, come close to the level of class and professionalism of Bill Little,” said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell, who became a close friend of Little’s during 50 years of working together, including when Hatchell was commissioner of the Southwest Conference and the Big 12 Conference. “The consummate storyteller, Bill had an exceptional ability for capturing the moment, and his legacy lives on in the impressive coaching tree of the endless communications professionals he mentored over the years. Our thoughts are with his wife Kim, who is the dearest of friends, his entire family and of course the many, many Longhorns who he impacted over the years.”
 

Little began his career as a sportswriter for the Austin American Statesman after graduating from The University of Texas at Austin in 1964. He proceeded to work at the Associated Press as the sports editor and night editor of the AP bureau in Oklahoma City. In 1968, he returned to his alma mater, becoming assistant sports information director, and he would work in Texas media relations until his retirement in 2014. He served in numerous positions, including Sports Information Director, Assistant Athletics Director and finally as Special Assistant to the Head Football Coach for Communications.
 
Little apprenticed under the legendary Texas’ sports information director Jones Ramsey, who he succeeded in 1982, and Little carried on Ramsey’s tradition of meeting every media request with aplomb. Little became a confident of some of the most significant figures in the history of UT athletics, including Hall of Fame coach Darrell Royal, head football coach Mack Brown and athletics director DeLoss Dodds. At the time of his retirement, Marian Dozier, a longtime supporter of Texas Athletics and a close friend of Little’s, donated the funds to rename both the baseball and football press boxes in his name. 

Little’s involvement with the NFF traced back to 1987, when he attended his first Annual Awards Dinner in New York.  He quickly became a staunch advocate of the NFF’s mission, helping launch the NFF Greater Austin Chapter as a charter member of the board of directors. For nearly a decade, Little lent his skills to moderate the NFF Annual Awards Press Conference in New York City, interviewing the College Football Hall of Fame inductees, NFF National Scholar-Athletes and NFF Major Award winners.

 

At Texas, Little broadcast more than 1,700 baseball games, accompanied Longhorn football teams to 37 bowl games and staffed a record 521-straight football games. He worked with three national championship football teams (1969, 1970, 2005), two Heisman winners and two runners-up, more than 100 players who earned all-America honors and 225 all-conference selectees. During his tenure, Texas boasted nine NFF National Scholar-Athletes, two NFF William V. Campbell Trophy recipients and ten College Football Hall of Fame inductees, and he also served as the public address announcer at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium for Texas’ home football games for more than a decade.

 

He is a member of the Longhorn Hall of Honor and the Big Country Sports Hall of Fame in Texas. He has authored or co-authored nine books and dozens of award-winning magazine and web commentaries, and he has been recognized by his peers in college sports media relations as a member of the College Sports Information Directors’ Hall of Fame and winner of the organization’s most coveted honor—the Arch Ward Award.  His other CoSIDA accolades include the Lester Jordan Award in 1996, “for exemplary service…and the promotion of the ideals of being a student-athlete” and a prestigious CoSIDA Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016. The Football Writers Association of America honored him with their Lifetime Achievement award in 2015, and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association awarded him the Wilbur Snypp Award “for outstanding contributions to college baseball” in 1991. 

 

Born May 14, 1942, in Winters, Texas, Little is survived by his wife, Kim Scofield, who also was an invaluable advisor, editor and travel companion, and was a true partner in his work. They have three children and 10 grandchildren. Celebration of life services are pending and forthcoming.

A Celebration of Life service is set for Sunday, October 1, at 2:30 p.m. CT at the Lady Bird Johnson Auditorium in the LBJ Library (2405 Robert Dedman Drive, Austin, TX 78712) on The University of Texas campus.

In lieu of flowers, the family encourages contributions to three of Little’s favorite organizations: Friends of the Daily Texan, which ensures long-term funding of scholarships for staff members of The Daily Texan (https://www.friendsofthedailytexan.org/donations/); the Texas Exes Cheer and Pom Alumni Network Operating Endowment (https://www.texascheerandpomalumni.org/); and Hospice Austin (https://www.hospiceaustin.org/get-involved/donate/).

Click here for a tribute on the UT Athletics website.

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