Dille pictured in Reveille 1911, Mississippi State yearbook
| |
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1892-10-31)October 31, 1892 |
| Died | August 21, 1964(1964-08-21) (aged 71) |
| Playing career | |
| Football | |
| 1910 | Mississippi A&M |
| Position(s) | Halfback |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| Football | |
| 1914–1916 | Mississippi Normal |
| Basketball | |
| 1913–1916 | Mississippi Normal |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 6–10–1 (football) 29–14 (basketball) |
Avery Benjamin Dille (October 31, 1892 – August 21, 1964) was an American college football and college basketball player and coach and educator. He served as the head football coach at Mississippi Normal College—now known as the University of Southern Mississippi—from 1914 to 1916, compiling a record of 6–10–1. Dille was also the head basketball coach at Mississippi Normal from 1913 to 1916, tallying a mark of 29–14.
Dille played halfback for the Mississippi A&M (now Mississippi State University) football team[1] and was awarded a letter for the 1910 season.[2]
Dille was the coach head football at Mississippi Normal College—now known as the University of Southern Mississippi. He held the position from 1914 until conclusion of the 1916 season and was the third person to hold the position at the school. His record at Mississippi Normal was 6–10–1.[1]
A unique positive turning point occurred in the 1916 season as the result of a loss. In what was called the program's "Greatest pre-World War I success", the team lost to Ole Miss by a score of 13 to 7. The school's leadership at the time took this as a sign that the program could compete nationally in the sport of football.[3]
Due to World War I, the school ceased competing in football after completion of the 1916 season and did not restart the program until 1919.[4]
While at Mississippi Normal, Dille also served as the head basketball coach from 1913 until the conclusion of the 1915–16 season, during which time his teams produced a record of 29–14 (.674). Dille was the second person to hold the position at the school.[5]
In 1917, Dille was hired as the principal and agriculturalist at the newly-formed Tallachatchie County Agricultural High School in Charleston, Mississippi.[6][7]
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mississippi Normal Normalites (Independent) (1914–1916) | |||||||||
| 1914 | Mississippi Normal | 2–3–1 | |||||||
| 1915 | Mississippi Normal | 4–4 | |||||||
| 1916 | Mississippi Normal | 0–3 | |||||||
| Mississippi Normal: | 6–10–1 | ||||||||
| Total: | 6–10–1 | ||||||||
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# denotes interim head coach |
