We extend our deepest condolences to the families, friends, and teammates of the letterwinners we have recently lost.
“To live in hearts we leave behind is not to die.”
Gary Wisener- Football 1956-59, Track ’57,’59-60
Gary Gayle Wisener, age 82, passed away Monday, Dec. 7, 2020, in Hot Springs. He was born Aug. 24, 1938, in Warren.
Gary grew up in Fort Smith. He graduated from Fort Smith High School before moving on to Baylor University, where he played football as an offensive end and was named All-American on the track and field team. He was also a former wide receiver in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys and the American Football League for the Houston Oilers. He played for the Oilers in their second AFL Championship season. You can read the full obituary here.
Col. Wilbur L. Mehaffey, USAF, Ret. – Football 1948
Wilbur (Wil) L. Mehaffey passed away peacefully on November 21, 2020 in Georgetown, Texas, at the age of 90.
Wil was born on September 14, 1930, in Gorman, Texas to his parents Zulus and Mary Mehaffey. He graduated from Gorman High School and then attended Baylor University on a football scholarship. After graduating with a degree in Accounting, Wil was commissioned into the Air Force as a Second Lieutenant.
Most of Wil’s 28-year Air Force career was spent in the Air Training Command where he flew, instructed, supervised, and ultimately directed flight operations. Wil was a highly decorated Vietnam veteran who flew 198 F-4 missions in Vietnam, and on the day he died, he received The Wall of Honor Certificate of Registry from the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum saying that his name will be inscribed on the Wall of Honor as a permanent testament to his commitment to and passion for flight. You can read the full obituary here.
Nelson Haggerty- Basketball 1992-95
Nelson Haggerty passed away unexpectedly on April 16, 2021. A formal obituary had not been released at the time of this posting.
Haggerty was a star point guard at Baylor from 1991-95, averaging 5.8 points, 2.9 rebounds and 7.1 assist per game and had a 30.4 field goal percentage during his final year with the Bears. At the time of his death, he had been serving as an assistant coach at UNT since 2019, and recently had helped guide the Mean Green to their first NCAA Men’s tournament victory in school history when they knocked off No. 4 Purdue in March.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to Nelson’s family, friends, and teammates.
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