Hall of Fame
Football (1942-46)
Bill Mackrides, who passed the Nevada Wolf Pack to national statistical honors in 1946, went on to spend seven years as a quarterback in the pro ranks. Prior to 1946, he was a versatile player, seeing action at center, guard, end, and fullback under the late coach Jim Aiken. Mackrides was recruited by Aiken from his hometown of Philadelphia and played four seasons with Nevada, punctuated by a hitch in the Marines. Nevada won nine of its 11 games in 1946 and because its running game was so strong, passing was effective but not emphasized. “Mackrides threw only 156 attempts, and his 68 completions were not remarkable but were very productive,” according to NCAA statistician Homer Cooke. In eight games, Mackrides tallied 1,254 yards and an average of 10.9 yards per attempt. This was the highest in football history up to that time, and the 198.1 yards per game was third highest of all time then. Nevada ranked first in passing in NCAA statistics and third in total offense behind Notre Dame and Georgia. Mackrides passed for 17 touchdowns. He actually threw 20 TD’s, but the NCAA statisticians closed their 1946 books early and didn’t include the three he tallied in Nevada’s December 7 win at Hawaii in its figures. “Mackrides was the most productive passer of modern times, “commented the NCAA’s Cooke. He was selected for the East-West Shrine All-Star game and then signed with the Philadelphia Eagles for whom he had been the mascot as a small boy. He played 1947 through 1951 with the Eagles, 1952 with the Pittsburgh Steelers, and 1953 with the New York Giants. He went onto serve as head coach at Springfield High School near Philadelphia.
