William "Bill" Asp, your remarkable talents and unique
dedication to athletics at WPI made you a three-sport star and one
of the top Worcester-area college student/athletes of your time.
From the moment you stepped on campus, you made your presence
felt on and off the field. For four years, the success of Bill Asp
and WPI's Engineers went hand-in-hand.
The 1932 Peddler said of you, "Bill Asp is popular and
well known to everyone on the Hill. If time had permitted for other
athletic achievements, Bill probably would have obtained more
laurels."
At the conclusion of your freshman year, a year in which you
started in the backfield for the football team, in the backcourt
for the baseball team, you received the Skull trophy for "Having
done more for Tech than anyone else in his class." But your
freshman year was a mere indication of your athletic potential.
Your exciting brand of play as a running back and kicker for the
WPI football team made you a crowd favorite. Your determined play
and leadership through example helped WPI engineer many an exciting
victory. And only an injury during your senior year prevented
you from earning four varsity letters in football.
Through four years as a guard or sometimes a forward or even a
pivot for the Engineer basketball team, you never missed a start.
Known for your tenacious defense, you also scored 279 career
points. Against Trinity, in two straight years, you scored the
winning baskets near the buzzer. Earning the respect of your
teammates for your attitude, play and knowledge of the game, you
were elected captain as a junior.
In the spring, you were a fixture on the Engineer baseball team.
Your versatility allowed you to play wherever the team needed you
most, and you produced for Tech whether you played in the outfield
or the infield. Your prowess with the bat made you a nemesis to
opposing pitchers. You completed your baseball career in the same
way in which you started it as a freshman, with a hit.
Through all four years, with your demanding athletic schedule,
you never let the academic side of your life slip: as a junior you
were elected into Tau Beta Pi.
Even today, fifty-four years after your graduation from WPI, the
traits and strengths so evident as a student continue to shine as
you distinguish yourself as a concerned and involved alumnus.
Bill Asp, your alma mater proudly honors you for your
extraordinary athletic achievements and inducts you as a member of
the WPI Athletic Hall of Fame.
