subscriber servicessubscribecontact usabout ussite mapBuy a Classified
Tue, Feb 09 2010 

Published: July 02, 2008 01:25 am    print this story  

COLUMN: WVU standout Raymond Walsh dies at 76

By Mickey Furfari
For the Times West Virginian

MORGANTOWN Raymond Walsh Jr. of Morgantown, who died last Saturday at the age of 76, was an outstanding defensive player for West Virginia University in the early 1950s.

“He was a tough guy and a super teammate,” recalled Fred Wyant, a teammate of Walsh in 1952-53 and a close friend since then. “I always rated Ray right up there with (fullback) Tommy Allman. He was a great, very dependable lineman.”

While he was born in Pennsylvania, Walsh grew up in Morgantown and succumbed after a short illness at his Point Marion Road home. Wyant remembers playing against him in a high school football game between Morgantown High and Weston.

Walsh lettered in 1951-52-53 after playing a year on the freshman team, as required at that time. He didn’t play much his senior year at MHS because of injury. But Art “Pappy” Lewis, then in his first year as WVU’s head coach, liked what he saw of him in a basketball game.

“He looked more like a football player to us then and, being from Morgantown, he came to us for tuition and books,” recalled Gene Corum, then the Mountaineers’ line coach. “It didn’t take him long to earn a full scholarship.”

It was Lewis who gave Walsh the nickname of “Blade.: The coach explained, “He is the only defensive tackle I ever saw that weighs only 208 pounds.”

No one could have been more appreciative or proud of the opportunity to play football for WVU.

“That was the only thing I ever wanted to do,” Walsh told me a few years ago. “Being from here and playing with so many great guys, it was truly a big, big thrill for me.”

Corum enjoyed working with Walsh back there in the school’s first golden era of football.

“Ray fit in beautifully in our wide-tackle-six defense,” he recalled. “He played a lot of good football for us. He was a tough guy who could slash through offensive lines to make tackles.”

Walsh participated in the first two Mountaineer victories over ranked teams. Old rival Pitt was the victim both times, 16-0 in 1952 and 17-7 in 1953. Both were in underdog roles at old Pitt Stadium.

He also played in WVU’s first major postseason game, the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 1, 1954, in New Orleans. Georgia Tech prevailed, 42-19.

Walsh is a member of the all-time WVU team for the 1950-59 period. Twelve other former teammates also are in that group.

As a result, he was considered by some as an unsung hero. He didn’t mind, though. Walsh loved playing alongside such all-time greats as Bruce Bosley, Sam Huff, Ben Dunkerley and Gene “Beef” Lamon.

After graduating from WVU, Walsh spent 32 years in the insurance business here. But he and others remained close to WVU via the Lettermen’s Club, which solicited public support for worthy charities.

That eventually was replaced by the Varsity Club.

Funeral services for Raymond Walsh Jr. will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday at the Richard R. Herod Funeral Home in Point Marion, Pa. Visitations are Wednesday.

print this story  



autoconx
Premier Guide
Find a business

Walking Fingers
Maps, Menus, Store hours, Coupons, and more...
Premier Guide
Premium Jobs

Cashier
Full time Cashier needed. Must be available any shift. Apply at
K&T Truck Stop, Speedway
Extension, Fairmont
...>MORE

ACTIVITIES DIRECTOR
ACTIVITIES DIRECTOR, SKILLED CARE
UNITED HOSPITAL CENTER
has an immediate optional part time (PRN) opening for
...>MORE

Bartender/Short Order Cook
Fairmont Moose Lodge, 80 Riverside Dr. is looking for a full/part time Bartender/Short Order Cook. Interested applicants...>MORE

Composites Technicia
Composites Technician at RCBI
The Robert C. Byrd Institute for Advanced Flexible Manufacturing (RCBI), West Virgini
...>MORE

Recreation Coordinato
The City of Shinnston is currently accepting applications for the position of Recreation Coordinator. The successful can...>MORE

different positions
The Marion County Parks and Recreation Commission (MCPARC) is now accepting Applications for the 2010 summer season for ...>MORE

PROGRAM MANAGER
PROGRAM MANAGER
NWVCIL, a consumer directed non-profit, disability resource center, has an opening in our Morgantow
...>MORE

MEDICAL TRANSCRIPTIONIST/EDITOR
MEDICAL TRANSCRIPTIONIST/EDITOR
UNITED HOSPITAL CENTER
United Hospital Center has an immediate full time and p
...>MORE

www.muellerreports.com
Insurance Home
Surveyor
Perform field work &
computer reporting for a
national industry leader.
...>MORE

Web Developer
Web Developer
United Hospital Center
the web developer will be responsible for creating iForms for the Compute
...>MORE

See all ads


 

Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc.CNHI Classified Advertising NetworkCNHI News Service
Associated Press content © 2009. All rights reserved. AP content may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Our site is powered by Zope and our Internet Yellow Pages site is powered by PremierGuide.
Some parts of our site may require you to download the Flash Player Plugin.
View our Privacy Policy
Advertiser index