McMurry University Athletics

Initially Ed Ammons went west to go to college at Texas Western in El Paso. However, after one semester, the Haskell Native retreated to the eastern-most portion of west Texas to come to school at McMurry University where he played football and was a member of the track & field program.

Ammons played three seasons for the McMurry Indians' football team from 1952-1954 under head coach Wilford Moore and enjoyed a Texas Conference Championship and an 8-1-1 record in 1953. He was named first-team all-Texas Conference in 1952, and in his senior year he helped the Indians snap a four-game losing skid to cross-town rival Abilene Christian and McMurry beat the Wildcats Ammons' senior season 13-7 in 1954.

Ammons said that Grant Teaff, W.T. Stapler and Tommy Watkins along with coach Moore were influential in his development as a student-athlete at McMurry and credits Bill Curry as one of his most influential professors.

He graduated from McMurry with two degrees; he finished with his bachelor's degree in 1955 before completing his master's of education in 1959 after a two-year stint in the U.S. Army.

Following his experiences at McMurry, he went on to teach and coach for 14 years at Weatherford, Clyde and Iraan before becoming a principal at Hart High School from 1972-1988. Then, he went to Merkel Elementary School where he served as principal from 1988-1992 before retiring.

Ammons continues to keep busy serving as a substitute teacher as well as teaching driver's education. He lives in Merkel with his wife of 46 years, Minnie, and has three childresn: Russell, Risha, and Brandon and two grandchildren.