William C. "King" Cole

William Cutler "King" Cole (October 7, 1881 – April 23, 1968) was the University of Virginia's head football coach for two seasons. In 1906 the Virginia Orange and Blue football team represented UVA as an independent during the 1906 college football season, led by Cole in his second and final season as head coach.

Cole's career record as the head coach at Marietta, Virginia, and Nebraska was 44–17–5. In his seven years of head coaching, he never had a losing record.

Cole was born on October 7, 1881 in Washington County, Ohio. He attended high school at Charlottesville. Cole was married to Lily Brooke Booker, daughter of Lucy Page Booker who built the Booker House, an rooming house on University Avenue across the street from the Rotunda in the late 1880’s.

In January 1905, at age 25, Cole was hired by the University of Virginia as its head football coach, effective upon his graduation from Michigan in the spring. He was hired at a salary of $1,800 (equivalent to about $60,580 in 2022). Cole coached the 1905 Virginia Orange and Blue football team to a 5–4 record. After the season, Cole practiced law in Toledo, Ohio. In August 1906, he agreed to return to Virginia for another season as head football coach. His 1906 Virginia football team improved its record to 7–2–2, including a close 18–17 loss to Carlisle.

While still serving as a coach, Cole practiced law in Ohio, in between football seasons. In 1911, Cole left the coaching profession. He later worked for the US Department of Labor until his retirement. In 1968, Cole died in Charlottesville, at age 87. He was buried at Richmond's Hollywood Cemetery.