William Austin Dewell (January 2, 1917 â January 19, 2000) was an American professional football player. He was selected in the fourth round of the 1939 NFL draft. He played and coached professionally for the Chicago Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL).He served in World War II for the United States Navy before rejoining the Cardinals in 1945. Dewell was inducted into the SMU athletics hall of fame in 1984.