Bill Cofield

William Lawrence Cofield (September 21, 1939 – June 20, 1983) was an American basketball coach.

[1] Cofield's first coaching assignment was at H. E. Davis Junior High School in Cleveland, Ohio in 1963.

[1] Cofield became the nation's first black athletic director and head coach at a predominantly white institution of higher learning by accepting both positions at the College of Racine in 1973.

Cofield joined the University of Virginia staff, where he served as an assistant under head coach Terry Holland for two seasons.

Cofield signed a five-year contract to become the head coach at Wisconsin on March 16, 1976, succeeding John Powless who had resigned one month prior on February 11 during a Badgers' 14-game losing streak.