Fred J. Walters (1972) - Hall of Fame

Fred J. Walters

Induction:
1972
Class:
1937

Fred Walters was one of State’s most decorated lettermen during its initial years in the SEC. He was an end in football from 1934-36, a basketball forward from 1934-35 to 1936-37 and a catcher on the baseball team from 1935-37.

Highlights for Walters on the gridiron include hauling in the game-winning 65-yard touchdown in State’s 13-7 win at Army in 1935. He also caught a 40-yard touchdown pass versus Duquesne during the second quarter of the 1937 Orange Bowl.

After State, Walters played 40 games for the Boston Red Sox in 1945 where he was a battery mate of another State legend David ‘Boo’ Ferriss. He also served as an SEC football official and SEC basketball referee for 23 years following his pro career.

Walters, a Laurel, Mississippi native, also was inducted into the state of Mississippi’s Sports Hall of Fame in 1971. He passed way in 1980.