Jack Wallace Sr. †
Inducted 2012
Hometown: Edinburg
High School: Edinburg High School
College: The University of Texas at Austin
Best Known for: Athlete-Football and Basketball
Jan. 1, 1925-July 6, 2013
In high school football he faced off against Mission's legendary Tom Landry, Wallace was a college teammate of the great Bobby Layne, later becoming a leader in Valley agribusiness for more than 40 years.
Wallace was an all-district center for Edinburg High in the early 1940s, leading the team to the state playoffs under legendary Coach Bobby Cannon. The youngest of three gridiron stars in the family, he was noted for a quick punch against defensive linemen and ferocious intensity on both sides of the ball for EHS.
Down the road he earned a starting role for Coach D.X. Bible's Texas Longhorns, snapping the ball to the All-American Layne before moving to guard later in his career on the 40 Acres. Though somewhat undersized at 200 pounds, Wallace Sr. became a trusted leader on the UT squad with brains and brawn, again employing a quick-strike mentality when dealing with the defensive behemoths of the Southwest Conference.
At 6-foot-3, Wallace Sr. was known for his great speed, which enabled him to take to the basketball court for UT during his college days, where he was a superb defender often called upon to hound the opposition's best scorer.
After his playing days, he returned to Edinburg, continuing his father's farming business, while his son, Jack Jr. would follow in his footsteps as a football player for EHS and UT, and as a successful farmer. Both Wallaces appeared in a popular national TV commercial for Frito Lay in 2010.
