Elmer Wilhoite
Guard | |
| College | University of Southern California |
|---|---|
| High school | Merced High School |
| Career history | |
| As player | |
| 1951–1952 | USC Trojans |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Elmer Ellsworth Wilhoite (May 3, 1930 – August 19, 2008)
Early years
Wilhoite was born in Merced County, California, in 1930. He attended Merced High School.[3] He was a star athlete in the shot put while in high school, throwing the 12-pound shot 56 feet, 6 inches, breaking a high school athletic record set by Bob Mathias.[4]
USC
Whilhoite enrolled at the
Later years
Wilhoite was selected by the Cleveland Browns in the 12th round of the 1953 NFL draft, but he instead pursued a career as a boxer. In his first fight, he won by a knockout after 45 second of the first round against Humphrey Jiminez at Merced, California. In September 1953, he won his second professional bout by a second-round technical knockout (TKO) over Clayton Mann in a match at the Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles.[7]
In 1954, he tried out with the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League (CFL), but he was released in early August 1954.[8] He signed with the Baltimore Colts in December 1954,[9] but did not make the team in 1955. In July 1957, he signed with the Calgary Stampeders of the CFL.
Wilhoite returned briefly to boxing in 1958.[10] He later operated H&S International, a salvage company. Wilhoite was married to Judy Berg and had a son, Edward, in addition to her sons, Anthony and Bill, from a previous marriage. The couple later divorced. He had six grandchildren: Travis Wilhoite (Edward), Courtney, Kyle, Angela and Rachel Vassalo (Bill), and Lily Vassalo (Anthony). Wilhoite died in 2008 at Hawthorne, Nevada.[3]
References
- ^ Ancestry.com. California Birth Index, 1905-1995 [database on-line]. Birth record for Elmer Elsworth Wilhoite, born 3 May 1930, mother's maiden name Logue, birth county Merced.
- ^ Ancestry.com. U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014 [database on-line]. Entry for Elmer E. Willhoite, last residence 89415 Hawthorne, Mineral, Nevada, USA, born 5 May 1930, died 18 Aug 2008. SSN issued in California (before 1951).
- ^ a b "Former USC All-American Elmer Wilhoite Dies". USCTrojans.com. CBS Interactive. September 2, 2008. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
- ^ "Standout High School List Enters West Coast Relays". Nevada State Journal. May 8, 1949.
- ^ John Cherwa (November 15, 1993). "Rose Bowl Showdown UCLA vs USC: Historians Uncover a Big-Game Pattern". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ "2012 NCAA Football Records: Consensus All-America Selections" (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). 2012. p. 5. Retrieved August 15, 2014.
- ^ "Wilhoite Wins by TKO in 2nd". Nevada State Journal (UP story). September 4, 1953.
- ^ "Argos Release Two". The Times Recorder, Zanesville, Ohio. August 11, 1954. p. 12.
- ^ "Wilhoite Returns". Nevada State Journal. December 21, 1954.
- ^ "Aceves Battles Wilhoite at Olympic This Evening". Van Nuys (Calif.) News. February 6, 1958. p. 17C.