Eugene Luther “Gene” Vidal was an American commercial aviation pioneer, New Deal official and athlete. He competed in the 1920 Olympic games in the 100 meter dash. He worked closely with Amelia Earnhart in a number of aviation-related enterprises.

James “Jim” Wacker was an American football coach and college athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at Texas Lutheran University (1971-1975), North Dakota State University (1976-1978), Southwest Texas State University–now Texas State University–San Marcos (1979-1982), Texas Christian University (1983-1991), and the University of Minnesota (1992-1996), compiling a career college football record of 159-131-3.

Wacker won two NAIA Division II National Championships with Texas Lutheran in 1974 and 1975 and two NCAA Division II National Championships with Southwest Texas State in 1981 and 1982. Wacker was named as National Coach of the Year by ESPN, the UPI, and The Sporting News. He was awarded the 1984 Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Award.

After his time at Minnesota, Wacker was an announcer on CBS Radio for two years and then returned to Southwest Texas State University in 1998 to serve as athletic director until 2001. In November 2003, Southwest Texas State named its football field at Bobcat Stadium “Jim Wacker Field” in his honor.

Ewell Doak Walker, Jr. was an American football player. He played college football as a halfback at Southern Methodist University (SMU). As a sophomore, he led SMU to a 1947 SWC championship and was named to a myriad of All-American teams. He gained similar All-American honors in 1948, and 1949. Walker won the Maxwell Award as a sophomore in 1947 and the Heisman Trophy in 1948 as a junior. Walker then played professionally in the National Football League with the Detroit Lions for six seasons, from 1950 to 1955.

Walker was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1959 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1986. The Doak Walker Award, awarded annually since 1990 to the top running back in college football, is named after him. Walker left pro football in 1955 to concentrate on his private business interests in sporting goods and as a sales executive with an electrical contracting company. He later founded Walker Chemicals in Denver, a company he sold upon retirement. In 2007, Walker was ranked #4 on ESPN’s list of the top 25 players in college football history.

Wayne Walker played college football at the University of Idaho. During his senior year, he was named team captain and played in the 1958 College All-Star Game.

Walker then went on to the NFL, where he played 15 years for the Detroit Lions from 1958 to 1972.

After his retirement from the NFL, Walker began his career in broadcasting at KPIX-TV, the CBS affiliate in San Francisco, where he stayed as sports director for twenty years from 1974 to 1994. During his later years, Walker was also a sports commentator for the San Francisco 49ers’ and Oakland Athletics broadcasts. He was also a color commentated on regional CBS NFL games.

Robert “Bob” Richard Ward was an American football coach and player. He played college football for the Terrapins at the University of Maryland. He is considered, alongside Randy White, as one of the greatest linemen to have ever played for Maryland. Ward is the only player to have been named an Associated Press first-team All-American for both an offensive and defensive position.

In 1950, Ward was named a first-team All-American, and the following year, he received consensus first-team honors. He served as the Maryland head football coach from 1967 to 1968, but without success. He coached football for a total of 22 years, including assistant coaching positions at Oklahoma, Iowa State, and Army, and in the Canadian Football League. Ward was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a player in 1980.
During WWII, Ward enlisted in the United States Army as a paratrooper stationed at Fort Benning, Georgia and later served as a first lieutenant in the United States Air Force.

Richard Wade “Dick” Wehr was an American professional basketball player and college coach. Wehr was selected in the 1948 BAA Draft by the Indianapolis Jets after a collegiate career at Rice. He played for the Jets in only nine total games, recording 12 points and 3 assists.

Wehr coached Georgia State University’s men’s basketball and golf teams following his playing career.

Phi Delta Theta Sports Hall of Fame Inductee

Welker is an American football wide receiver. He played college football at Texas Tech and was signed by the San Diego Chargers as an undrafted free agent in 2004. Welker has also played for the Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, Denver Broncos and St. Louis Rams.

Despite being undrafted, Welker has had a successful career. Only one player in NFL history, Gale Sayers, had more all-purpose yards in his first three NFL seasons than Welker did with the Dolphins. Welker holds the Dolphins’ all-time records for total kickoff returns, kickoff return yardage and total punt returns. He also holds the record for most receptions by any undrafted player in NFL history, passing Rod Smith in 2014.

As a Patriot, Welker led the league in receptions in 2007, 2009, and 2011. He holds the four highest single-season reception totals in Patriots’ history, as well as four of the top 10 receiving yardage totals, including the franchise record. He also holds the franchise records for most receptions in a single game, most receiving yards in a single game, longest reception,and career receptions. Welker, who had three consecutive 110-reception seasons (and has five total), is the first receiver in NFL history with at least three 110-reception seasons, and the first with five 100-reception seasons. Welker was selected to the Pro Bowl, the All-Pro Team, or both, in every season of his Patriots career.

Wayne Alton Wells is an esteemed wrestler, finishing fourth at the 1968 Olympics. Following the games, he became even more decorated, winning a Pan American Games gold medal, three AAU titles, three U.S. Wrestling Federation championships, finishing second at the 1969 World Championships, and winning the 1970 World Championship.

Wells returned to the Olympic platform for the 1972 München games and as expected, he won the gold. After his career, he became a practicing attorney and was later was inducted into the National Wresting Hall of Fame in 1982.

After playing college football at Stanford University, Paul Wiggin played his entire pro football career with the Cleveland Browns, in which he twice earned Pro Bowl honors. In 1968, Wiggin was named an assistant coach for the San Francisco 49ers and spent seven seasons with them. He then joined the Kansas City Chiefs as head coach. After little success, Wiggin left the Chiefs and became the defensive coordination with the New Orleans Saints in 1978. After just two years in that position, he was named head coach of his alma mater, Stanford University, where he spent four seasons.

Richard Kay “Dick” Wildung was an American football tackle in the National Football League for the Green Bay Packers. Wildung attended the University of Minnesota, where he was a two-time consensus All-American as a tackle following the 1941 and 1942 seasons. He served in World War II as a Navy lieutenant on a PT boat in the Pacific Ocean from 1943 through 1945.

Wildung was drafted in the first round of the 1943 NFL draft by the Green Bay Packers and played with the team from 1946-51 and in 1953. He played in the Pro Bowl following the 1951 season. In 1957, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, and in 1973, he was inducted into the Packers Hall of Fame.