In 1898, William John (Billy) Disch began his coaching career at Sacred Heart College in Watertown, Wisconsin. He coached at St. Edward's University in Austin, Texas from 1900 to 1910, and in 1911 he joined the staff of the University of Texas, where he compiled a coaching record of 513-180 (.740) over 29 seasons.
From 1911 until his retirement in 1940, Disch's teams won twenty-one out of a possible twenty-six baseball championships. He was called by some the "Grand Old Man" of Texas baseball and was noted for perfectionism and strict discipline.
Between 1922-39, his UT players earned 87 All-SWC awards. He played an important role in persuading the Southwest Conference to adopt baseball in 1915, and in 1947 "Uncle Billy" was honored at the opening of Disch Field in Austin, named for him.
He was inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame in 1954 and into the Longhorn Hall of Honor in 1957.
