Jim Mann ’56 will never forget the days when his father took him to Shocker football games. He was a big fan of Linwood Sexton ’48.
Now of Wayne, Pa., and CEO of SunGard Data Systems Inc., he still is, noting that Sexton is “probably one of the first Wichita State athletes whose name was known outside Kansas.”
To commemorate Sexton’s accomplishments, Mann planned and gave a five-figure lead gift for the establishment of the Linwood Sexton Endowed Scholarship and Current Scholarship.
Applicants must have a “B” average or higher and write an essay on their life objectives. Preference will be given to minority students and those majoring in business and education.
As Sexton wrote in 1990: “Education is the key to minority progress in America. … Freeing the mind is the first and most important step toward social and economic freedom.”
Sexton Stats
• Holds WSU career rushing record (1,995 yards)
• Led Shockers to Raisin Bowl appearance, 1948
• Played pro ball for the Los Angeles Dons, 1948
• Appointed to Citizens Advisory Committee on Civil Rights in Agriculture, 1971
• Presented Conference of Christians and Jews, Kansas Region, Brotherhood Award, 1974; WSU Alumni Association Achievement Award, 1977; and WSU Board of Trustees Award, 1995
• Named charter inductee, Pizza Hut Shocker Sports Hall of Fame, 1979
• Served on Kansas Board of Regents, 1987-91, and has served on WSU’s National Advisory Council since 1997
