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Ben T. Craig '54 Ben Craig played his last football game at Davidson in 1953, but his contributions to the school and community have endured for nearly five decades. He was an outstanding tackle in football from 1950 through 1953, and a successful business leader as President of First Union Corporation and Chairman and CEO of First Union National Bank of North Carolina. He also was a member of the Davidson Board of Trustees (1973-88), serving as chairman from 1985-88. In 1987, Craig received the first James P. Hendrix Award, presented to a former Davidson football player whose success after college can be attributed to the lessons learned on the football field. The entrance plaza in front of Baker Sports Complex is named in honor of Craig, who died in 1988.
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Richard E. Lyon '71
Rick Lyon graduated from Davidson nearly 30 years ago but still shares the school 200-meter record. He ran a leg on the 1969 team that won the Southern Conference 440-yard relay championship and he was the SoCon 220-yard champ in 1971. In football, Lyon was an outstanding receiver who set a single-game record with 248 receiving yards when he caught 13 passes against Bucknell. Lyon also achieved in the classroom, ranking 13th in his class and earning an NCAA post-graduate scholarship.
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Homer A. Smith
Homer Smith didn't attend Davidson, but his accomplishments as the 'Cats football coach from 1965 to 1969 are still remembered. He was an All-East tailback at Princeton (class of '53). As Davidson's football coach, he was regarded as an offensive genius, and his teams consistently ranked among the nation's leaders in passing. In 1969 he guided the Wildcats to their only Southern Conference championship and a berth in the Tangerine (now Citrus) Bowl. A former head coach at Pacific and Army and an assistant at UCLA, Alabama, and Arizona, among others, Coach Smith retired from coaching in 1997.
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Julius J. Wade, Jr. '50
Jake Wade intercepted four passes and returned one of them 94 yards for the decisive touchdown in a 20-14 win over N.C. State that took place 50 years ago at Charlotte's Memorial Stadium. If the Wildcats held a play-of-the-century contest, Wade's interception return would be at the top of that list. Wade also played a feisty second base for the Wildcat baseball team. Baseball has remained one of his passions and he has coached in Charlotte's Myers Park Trinity Little League for the past 42 years. One of the league's fields is named in his honor. |
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