Walter Driskill
Walter Scott Driskill | |
|---|---|
| Born | Template:Birth date |
| Died | July 25, 1998 (aged 84) |
| Occupation(s) | Football coach, football executive, brewing industry entrepreneur |
Walter Scott Driskill (September 20, 1913 – July 25, 1998) was an American football coach and executive affiliated with the University of Maryland and the Baltimore Colts. Following his career in football, he ventured into the brewing sector by establishing Dribeck Importers, which held exclusive rights to import Beck's beer into the United States.
Playing
Driskill completed both his bachelor's degree in 1936 and master's degree in 1940 in history at the University of Colorado. While there, he played football from 1931 through 1935, earning three varsity letters as a tackle and sharing the field with Byron "Whizzer" White.
Coaching
He spent five seasons coaching at Colorado before accepting a position at Wyoming. During World War II, Driskill served as a Navy officer involved in the Navy's pre-flight training program.
After the war, he worked as an assistant coach under Jim Tatum at Oklahoma, then followed Tatum to Maryland in 1947. Before that season began, Driskill took over as Maryland's athletic director, allowing Tatum to concentrate solely on coaching duties.
In 1948, Driskill was appointed general manager of the Baltimore Colts, and by 1949 he had been promoted to team president. Due to a difficult start that year, he also assumed head coaching responsibilities. He stepped down from his roles as coach and president after the season but continued as general manager.
Head coaching record
| Team | Year | Regular season | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Won | Lost | Ties | Win % | Finish | Result | ||
| BAL | 1949 | 1 | 7 | 0 | Template:Winpct | 7th in AAFC | |
| Total | 1 | 7 | 0 | Template:Winpct | |||
Brewing
Following the dissolution of the Colts franchise, Driskill shifted his focus to the brewing industry. He held positions as marketing director at Ruppert Brewing Company and vice president at Gunther Brewing Company. In 1961, he joined Miller Brewing Company as marketing director. After leaving Miller in 1964, he founded Dribeck Importers, which secured exclusive U.S. import rights for Beck's beer. In 1989, Driskill sold Dribeck to Beck's for $28 million.
In 2009, a $750,000 donation was made by Driskill's estate to support the history department at the University of Colorado.