Central Dewitt Hall of Fame Induction Class 2011

Central Dewitt Hall of Fame Induction Class 2011

A 1946 graduate of De. Witt High School, Larry Clay Willimack was an allaround athlete for the De. Hawks. Excelling in football, basketball, and track, L. C. enrolled in Iowa to play all three sports for the Hawkeyes. Leaving Iowa for a short time to attend the US Naval Academy (and play football and track for the Midshipmen), LC returned to Iowa football only to be diagnosed with polio. Eventually overcoming the disease, L. Clay Willimack earned a degree and distinctions at Texas University in Austin, TX.

If you only looked at the athletic accomplishments of Larry Clay Willimack, also known as “L. C. ” or “Big Red, ” they would stand on their own when it comes to his induction into the Central Hall of Fame. The sheer will and determination made this dominant three-sport athlete from the 1940 s much more than just an outstanding student-athlete. One cannot really say which sport was his most dominant because he was that good at all of them. So good, in fact, he later would compete as a freshman at the University of Iowa in football, basketball and track. In high school, L. C. was an All-Illowa right tackle on a De. Witt De. Hawk team that went 6 -1 and won the league title in 1945 under Coach John Magovich. He was a track and field standout and a 1945 state qualifier in discus with a throw of 134 feet 6 inches and shot put with a throw of 47 feet 6 inches, both of which were school records at the time. In 1946, he again qualified for the state championships, throwing a new record of 148 feet 7 -1/2 inches, which was the second best in the state at the time. He also was a leader on the basketball team and was the captain of the 1946 team.

Classmate and teammate Paul Hinck, a current resident of Low Moor, when asked about L. C. , said, “He lived by the rules” and was a “devoted worker at both athletics and academics. He was a leader and I looked up to him. ” This was both a literal and figurative description of L. C. as he was an imposing figure for the time, standing 6 feet 4 inches tall and weighing over 200 pounds. Quite big for the time. His college career began in 1946, attending the University of Iowa, where he lettered in football. He was on the basketball practice squad and also competed in track and field. Although he had a bright future as a student-athlete for the Hawkeyes, The De. Witt Observer reported in 1947 he would give up his scholarship to enter the U. S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, Md. There he competed both in football and track, but in 1948 he returned to the University of Iowa. With the transfer he lost a year of eligibility, so in essence had spent three years as a “freshman” athlete. That fall he competed as a tackle for the Hawkeyes, then standing 6 feet 5 inches and weighing 235 pounds.

During that same fall though, his most impressive battle and victory began with his diagnosis of polio. After feeling ill during practices, he was admitted to the University of Iowa Hospitals and spent five months in and out of an “iron lung” respirator. His chances for survival were not considered good, and his weight had dropped to a mere 135 pounds. His mother stayed by his side for the duration. He was transferred in the spring of 1950 to the famous Franklin Roosevelt Foundation Hospital in Warm Springs, Ga. , for further treatment. He eventually would beat the disease although it ultimately affected the use of his legs. During his illness, he never expressed any selfpity for his situation. In 1951, after leaving Georgia, he enrolled at Texas University in Austin. He chose that school because it was equipped with ramps. He continued to keep his upper body strong through swimming and even coached some fraternity football. He was elected to Beta Gamma Sigma National Honor Society of Collegiate Schools of Business and was named the recipient of the T. W. Mohle Award for outstanding graduate in accounting while at Texas U.

The entire time, his mother lived in Austin, where she set up a hairstyling shop so she could accommodate his needs while his father, Fred, continued to run the family farm in De. Witt Davenport Times Democrat sports editor John wrote an article about LC O’Donnell in December of 1950 and started by saying, “You can’t keep a good man down. ” He mentions Willimack as a the “best” high school athlete De. Witt High School had turned out. “He could make a discus, shotput and javelin “sing, ” O’Donnell observed. Wllimack’s strong will and determination made him more than an outstanding athlete.