Walter Sprye '43
Baseball, Football,
Basketball
A three-sport standout, Walter Sprye was one of the finest
athletes to attend Hampden-Sydney College. He was also a true
leader, having served as captain for both the football and baseball
squads.
As a football player, Sprye was a triple-threat quarterback for
the Tigers. He called the offensive plays and was equally
adept at running, passing and kicking. In 1942, he was a
member of the state honorable mention All-American. For his
outstanding performance for the Tigers, Sprye was awarded a gold
football by coach Frank Summers.
In baseball, Sprye played first base and as a senior was
co-captain with Roy Duncan. After graduation he remained at
Hampden-Sydney for a year and in 1944 served as assistant football
coach for the Tigers. He was also a head baseball coach for a
year after coach Summers was called overseas during the war.
In 1957, Sprye and S.A. Martin of Farmville established a
sportsmanship award. The first recipient was Hal McVey
'57. Today, Sprye is retired an lives in Rocky Mount, NC.
Bill LeHew '57
Football,
Track
An exciting running back with
breakaway capabilities, Bill LeHew was instrumental in leading the
Tigers to an 8-1 record in 1955 and a 7-2 mark in 1956. As a
senior in 1956, he led the Tigers in scoring and finished in a tie
for second in the state with 42 points.
He was twice honored as an
All-Little Seven pick and an honorable mention All-America
selection. LeHew played both offense and defense for the
Tigers and was also an excellent punter, finishing eighth in the
country with a 40.1 yards-per-punt average in 1954. As a
senior, he served as co-captain, of the squad along with H-SC Hall
of Famer Jim Fraser.
During his career, LeHew
gained 1,900 yards rushing and totaled over 2,500 yards in total
offense, but is perhaps best remembered for his breakaway
runs. Against Johns Hopkins, in a game played in Baltimore,
LeHew scored the winning touchdown on a 63-yard jaunt. In the
1955 game against Randolph-Macon, LeHew gained 172 yards, including
a 77-yard touchdown run that gave Hampden-Sydney at 7-0 lead
entering the fourth quarter. Macon bace back to score and
kicked the winning PAT, breaking Hampden-Sydney's record-setting
12-game winning streak.
Also a two-year letterman in
track, LeHew participated in the 100-yard dash and the 220-yard
dash. LeHew is currently an obstetrician/gynecologist in
Norfolk, VA, and is a member of the Board of Trustees of both
Hampden-Sydney and the Medical College of Hampton Roads. He
son scott is a 1992 graduate of Hampden-Sydney and was a member of
the Tigers' soccer and lacrosse teams.
Gene Cooke '58
Baseball,
Football
One of the finest in a long line of multi-sport standouts at
Hampden-Sydney, Gene Cooke, a speedy 6-foot-2, 195-pounder, earned
eight letters in baseball and football while at the College.
In four years as a baseball standout for the Tigers, Cooke never
finished the season with a batting average below .380. His
highest single-season average of .464 still stands as the best
single-season average in school history. He was a key member
of three successive Mason-Dixon Conference championship teams for
the Tigers. As a senior in 1958, he served as team co-captain
with H-SC Hall of Famer Bobby Humphreys.
Having his choice of several offers, he signed a professional
contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1958. Newspapers
reported a bonus of $20,000. He started out in the state of
Washington, playing for a Class B team.
Also an outstanding football player for the Tigers, Cooke played
tackle for four seasons and was a member of H-SC's 1956 and 1957
Mason Dixon Championship teams. He was an honorable mention
All-Little Eight selection as a junior and a first team selection
as a senior.
Cooke retired from Gravure Packaging Incorporated after having
served as its President and CEO. He and his wife, Mary Jane,
have two children and reside in Midlothian, VA.
Ed Owens '80
Basketball
A gifted athlete, Owens was one of the finest basketball players
ever to play at Hampden-Sydney. Six-feet-six inches tall, he
used his height to become one of the best rebounders in school
history. He is second on H-SC's career list with 1,160
rebounds and holds the single-season record with 464 rebounds
during the 1979-1980 campaign. Also a deadly shooter from
close range, he owns the Virginia state record, all divisions, for
the highest field goal percentage in a season. His .729
percent accuracy during the 1978-79 campaign was the highest field
goal percentage in the country. Owens also holds the Division
III state record for the highest career rebounding average (15.1
per game) and is fifth all-time in Division III for career
rebounding average.
Hampden-Sydney compiled an impressive 65-38 record during Owens'
years as a Tiger. He was the first Hampden-Sydney played to
ever earn first-team All-ODAC honors three straight years
(1978-80). He was also named the Tigers' most valuable player
three seasons in-a-row and served as a tri-captain during his
senior season.
A popular student from South Boston, Owens was instrumental in
the establishment of Alpha Phi Alpha social fraternity. A
charter member, he was its first president. He still lives in
South Boston and is owner of the Edward Owens Insurance Agency.
SPECIAL CITATION
William Bull '96
In the final decade of the 1800s, Hampden-Sydney College was a
school flourishing under the leadership of President Richard
McIlwaine. The student body was the largest in the history of
the College and morale was high. The one area in which the
College was clearly lagging behind other, similar institutions was
in the area of intercollegiate athletics. Hampden-Sydney
could boast only a few "class teams," and according to reports they
played only sporadically. What Hampden-Sydney needed was
someone to lead the College's athletic teams into the modern
era. That leader appeared in 1892 in the form of William Ford
"Billy" Bull.
Originally from Norfolk, Bull entered Hampden-Sydney as a
freshman in the fall of 1892 and immediately saw the need for
organized athletics at the college. He started the first
Hampden-Sydney football team that year and the Tigers faced the
University of Richmond on Thanksgiving Day in what is considered
the first intercollegiate football game of the modern era at
Hampden-Sydney. Bull was the team's captain for three years
and in 1894 led the team to its first-ever victory, 28-0 over
William and Mary. He also served as captain of the baseball
team and is considered the "Father of Intercollegiate Athletics at
Hampden-Sydney."
After leaving Hampden-Sydney in 1896, Bull served with great
distinction as a missionary in Korea for 40 years. He was
responsible for the conversion of numerous Koreans to Christianity
and was great adored by the people of Korea. Following
retirement in 1939, he lived in Norfolk until his death on December
17, 1941.
**All information listed is current as of
1992.
