After years of changing coaches and an almost consistant losing streaks, football at New Hampshire College clearly needed a leader. William "Butch" Cowell, a charismatic coach from Kansas, was hired in 1915 as NHC athletic director and first full-time football coach. Considered by most as a gentleman, Cowell had what one fan called "the rare attributes of a good executive: enthusiasm, energy, and a penetrating business mind." During his tenure he built a strong and reputable football team and elevated the number of team sports from three to eleven.

Between 1915 and 1939, when Cowell retired, UNH played some of the strongest teams in the country, before the Yankee conference was established in 1947. During this time it was not uncommon to see their schedule include the "power houses of New England", teams like Harvard, Yale, Brown, Holy Cross and the Army.