Background
Widdoes was the son of the Review and Mistress Howard W. Widdoes.
Widdoes was the son of the Review and Mistress Howard W. Widdoes.
He served as the head coach at Ohio State University (1944–1945) and Ohio University (1949–1957), compiling a career record of 58–38–5. After graduating from Otterbein College in Westerville, Ohio in 1926, Widdoes was an assistant football coach under Paul Brown at Massillon Washington High School in Massillon, Ohio. He followed Brown to Ohio State University as an assistant and assumed the head coaching job in 1944 when Brown joined the Navy, leading the Buckeyes to an undefeated season and a share of the national championship.
In two seasons at Ohio State, Widdoes posted a 16–2 record.
After the 1945 season, Widdoes left Ohio State, choosing his offensive coordinator, Paul Bixler, to be his successor. Widdoes took over as head football coach at Ohio University in 1949, eventually becoming athletic director as well.
In nine seasons as head coach, he led the Bobcats to a 42–36–5 record and a Mid-American Conference title in 1953. Widdoes moved to Lantana, Florida in 1970 and died in 1971 of a heart attack at the age of 67.