William R. Tancred

William Tancred was inducted into the inaugural College of Applied Human Sciences Hall of Fame in the fall of 2025. He was previously inducted into the College of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences Hall of Fame in 2007.

An accomplished international athlete, Tancred represented Great Britain 55 times in discus and shot put from 1964 to 1976. He competed in the 1968 and 1972 Olympic Games and won medals in the Commonwealth Games, taking bronze in 1970 and silver in 1974. He was the first British discus thrower to surpass 200 feet and held the British record for 25 years with a throw of 64.94 meters.

Tancred began his career in the British Army’s Physical Training Corps and later transitioned to academia, teaching in schools, colleges, and universities. He served as Director of Physical Education and Sport at Sheffield University and later as Professor of Sport Studies at Buckinghamshire Chilterns University College. At Sheffield, he led the development of postgraduate programs in sport management and coaching, including a collaboration with the medical school. He also developed a diploma program for the Army Physical Training Corps.

His academic and consulting work extended across sport, health, and fitness. He authored multiple books and more than 100 articles and presented internationally. He has held leadership roles in numerous professional associations and served as a coach and consultant for national sport organizations in the UK and abroad. In 2007, he collaborated with WVU Professor Linda Carson on a youth motor development initiative that helped influence childhood activity programming in the UK.

Tancred’s honors and professional affiliations include Teacher of the Year (1988, 1991, 2001), Fellow of the British Association of Physical Training, Senior Member of the British Institute of Sports Coaches, and leadership roles with the British Amateur Athletic Board and International Athletes’ Club. He was awarded the Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 1992 for services to athletics and received both the Winston Churchill Fellowship and the Bolton University Fellowship. He also served as President of the World Student Games Directorate. In 2008, he was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Suffolk.