Eddie Crawford, a Jackson native, and the last three-sport letterman in the history of the Southeastern Conference, has passed away.

Crawford excelled in football, basketball and baseball at the University of Mississippi after attaining all-state status in the three sports as a student and 1952 graduate of Jackson High School.

“Eddie grew up on Lambuth (Boulevard), and I knew him well,” Jackson’s Reggie Smith said. “Not many people can play three sports at the college level. At Jackson High School, he was a man among boys. He could have played multiple positions … just outstanding, very special.”

Crawford, who became the first person inducted into the Jackson-Madison County Sports Hall of Fame in 1986, helped lead Ole Miss to back-to-back football titles in the Southeastern Conference in 1954 and 1955.

A running back, Crawford finished his career at Ole Miss averaging 6.4 yards per carry.
Crawford was drafted by the New York Giants of the National Football League, and started as a defensive back.

An injury cut short his football career, and Crawford returned to Jackson as coach of the Golden Bears.
His high school coach Tury Oman and then Commissioner of Education “Buddy” Patey persuaded Crawford to take the position, and in his two seasons at Jackson High, the Bears finished 9-2 and 8-3.

Crawford returned to Oxford and joined the athletics department at Ole Miss in 1962 as head basketball coach, freshman football assistant coach and varsity scout.

He was head basketball coach from 1963-68, and coached the offensive backfield and receivers before taking on full-time recruiting responsibilities in 1977.

Crawford continued serving Ole Miss in a part-time position as Special Assistant to the Athletics Director.

Crawford became the senior associate athletics director, after serving eight years as the associate athletics director for development and director of the Loyalty Foundation – now the Ole Miss Athletics Foundation.

After spending five years as associate director of the Foundation, Crawford was elevated to the position of director in 1985.

He also served as interim athletics director at Ole Miss from April to June 1998.

Besides his induction into the Jackson-Madison County Sports Hall of Fame, he was a member of the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame in 2012, the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame in 1996, and the Ole Miss Sports Hall of Fame in 1988.

Eddie Crawford, who passed away July 9 in Hospice care in Tupelo, Mississippi, was honored in 1990 by the Ole Miss Chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame with its Distinguished American Award.

(PHOTO: Eddie Crawford played football, basketball and baseball at Ole Miss)

David Thomas, Twitter – @DavidThomasWNWS

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