Renner was a native of
Youngstown, Ohio, the son of Emil and Mary Renner. He enrolled at the
University of Michigan in 1930 where he was on the football roster for parts of five seasons from 1931 to 1935. Injuries and illnesses prevented kept Renner out of the lineup in 1931 and 1932. He was one of the lightest players on the team at 165 pounds and six feet tall, and he developed a reputation as "a 'fragile' athlete." Renner won the starting quarterback job in 1933, and expectations ran high as reflected in the following newspaper profile:"A slender youth from Youngstown, Ohio who specializes in throwing a pigskin to exactly the right place at exactly the right time is the center of attention on Michigan's 1933 team. ... Kipke again has an 'ace in the hole,' an undercover star, to make Wolverine fans forget Bennie Friedman and Harry Newman. Renner throws long ones and short ones, high 'soft' ones and the other kind that go with baseball speed. He heaves them backing up or running toward the sidelines, all with deadly accuracy and timing." Renner's playing time was again limited in 1933 due to injuries and illness, and he started only one game for the Wolverines. In the 1933 Michigan-Ohio State game, played before the largest crowd to see a
Big Ten Conference football game to that date, Renner came into the game at the end of the first half and ran the ball for a game-winning touchdown. An Associated Press story described Renner's impact in the scoring drive against Ohio State: "When he finally trotted out on the gridiron, the consternation of the Buckeyes was obvious to the 93,508 spectators. The defensive halfbacks backed away from the line, the center and fullback retreated and rubbed their hands, the linemen raised their heads." Renner led the Wolverines from midfield and, with the ball at the three-yard line, Renner "rolled around tackle for the touchdown that made it Michigan's afternoon." However, Renner broke his ankle during the first Saturday practice scrimmage in the fall of 1934 and was unable to play in any games that year. Renner's repeated injuries and illnesses won the nickname "Hard Luck Bill." The 1934 team finished with a 1–7 record. Ford was selected as the Most Valuable Player on the 1934 team. During the 1935 season, Renner was Michigan's starting quarterback for all eight of its games. With Renner as captain, the team got off to a 4–1 start but finished the season with three straight losses (to Illinois, Minnesota and Ohio State) in which the Wolverines were unable to score a point. ==Coach==