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Edwin "Ed" White Jr., Inducted into Baylor Athletic Hall of Fame
Oct. 20, 2007
WACO, Texas - Former Baylor men's tennis player Edwin "Ed" White, Jr., was one of six individuals, including football standouts Melvin Bonner and Randy Grimes, women's basketball coach Kim Mulkey, volleyball's Cory Sivertson and men's basketball star David Wesley, who were inducted into the Baylor University Athletic Hall of Fame's Class of 2007 on Friday, Oct. 19. Baylor's Athletic Hall of Fame, organized in 1960, recognizes and honors individuals whose participation and contributions enriched and strengthened the university's athletics program. Athletes are required to wait 10 years after completing their eligibility before being eligible to be considered for this honor. Since coach Floyd "Uncle Jim" Crow and baseball's Teddy Lyons comprised the hall's first class in 1960 through this year's class, 162 former Baylor student-athletes have been enshrined in the Hall of Fame. The Wall of Honor, established in 2000, boasts 11 total honorees. It was obvious to everyone who saw Ed White Jr. compete in high school that he was a very special player. In fact, his young talent elevated him to rank among the nation's best players as a junior competitor. Rather than contend in the pro circuit, White chose to enroll in Baylor University after winning a national championship and ranking in the Top 20 in junior singles. White came to Baylor in 1953 and continued to hone his tennis skills as a freshman, going undefeated that year. He ultimately earned three letters in the men's tennis program from 1953 to 1956, competing as Baylor's No. 1 player. His many successes throughout his collegiate career include a victory over the top seed and No. 1 player in the United States, Gardner Mulloy of the University of Texas. The match was played in the one of the country's most prestigious tournaments, the River Oaks Invitational in Houston, Texas. White played at the No. 1 position on the team during his sophomore year, going 3-2 in singles against Texas A&M, Rice, Southern Methodist, and Texas Christian University. During his junior season in 1956, he went 14-1 and 5-0 in Southwest Conference play and advanced to the semi-finals in the SWC tournament. That same year, White demonstrated his dominance on the court by defeating three of the conference's top players; UT's team captain and No. 2 player Dave Snyder in three straight sets, the University of Houston's No. 1 player, and Texas Tech's No. 1 player, David Kent.
An outstanding tennis player, White is arguably the best men's tennis player to compete for Baylor prior to the school's recruitment of its international players. He is now a retired dentist and lives in the Austin area. |
