WALTER MCNEW - INDUCTEE #175
hall of fame fast fact:
In 1956, Walter McNew was the first Longhorn to win an NCAA national championship in cross country, winning with a time of 19 minutes and 55 seconds.
Walter McNew
On a fall day in 1956, Walter McNew of Amarillo notched one of the biggest national upsets by an area athlete in history. Before that, McNew played football and ran track at Amarillo High, and was good enough to win the mile at the district meet as early as his sophomore year and was a co-captain as a senior.
McNew earned a scholarship to run track and cross country at the University of Texas. McNew experienced early success for the Longhorns, winning the two-mile at the 1955 Southwest Conference meet and had the top times in the SWC in both the mile and two-mile in 1956. That set the stage for the 1956 NCAA Cross Country Championships in East Lansing, Mich. with heavy favorite Henry Kennedy of Michigan State. Called a “comparative unknown” by the Associated Press, McNew overtook Kennedy in the last half of four miles, winning a national title by a commanding 80 yards in 19:55.7 in, by all accounts, a stunning victory.
Today, McNew lives in Garland.
