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Walter McCandless was truly one of the Pioneers of McMurry University's athletics program as a member of its football and baseball teams. As a young man, his first association at McMurry was the year the school opened – and also when it fielded its first football team – in 1923…as a member of what was known back then as the Academy. He spent two years honing his skills at the Academy, before moving on to the College and playing football under the Indians' first-ever football coach, R.M. Medley.
As a lineman – especially from the embryonic years of an athletics program – there are virtually no statistics like rushing or kicking, etc., to by which to judge players. However, in McCandless' case a look at some of the team results might be telling. During his four seasons with the College team – 1925-28 – McMurry teams produced 17 shutouts in 35 games…that's nearly 50-percent of the time! His junior year, the team gave up six points to Howard Payne in the season-opener and didn't relinquish a score the rest of the season! That's talking about wins over West Texas State, Tarleton, Stephen F. Austin, North Texas State, Daniel Baker and East Texas State. And that was just the 5th year of existence for the McMurry program!
That same year, in 1927, McMurry won its first-ever conference championship, claiming the Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association title.
In 1923, The Totem yearbook talks about McCandless making a “game-saving tackle” late in the game to preserve a 0-0 tie against Weatherford College that first-ever season of McMurry football.
Just to emphasize how good he was, weighing in at a strapping 175-pounds, McCandless was named as an offensive guard on the All-Time Medley Team (selected from players covering those first 16 seasons under Coach Medley).
There are few records from back then of his baseball career, other than that he was a starting pitcher for the Indians. He also played the outfield and catcher, also earning notation as the team's top hitter during those years.
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