I was charmed by this picture of Rice baseball (and football and track) star Eddie Dyer finally receiving a diploma almost two decades after he entered the Institute. I’ve written about Dyer before (nearly nine years ago, much to my surprise) and have formed quite a good impression of him, which this story reinforces.
The short article taped to the back is equally charming, what with all the excitement of the dash to the waiting airplane. After perusing the files I gleaned the further detail that it was his wife, a Rice alumna, who insisted that he go back and finish his degree.
Bonus: I can’t remember who sent me this but it’s a beauty from an angle I don’t think I’ve seen before. Whoever you are, unknown benefactor, thanks a million!
Three other outstanding Rice athletes come to mind who returned later to finish their degree requirements. There are probably many more, but I am thinking of Sammy Giammalva (tennis), Ricky Pierce (basketball), and Lance Berk,am (baseball). As for Eddie Dyer, Wiki says, “Dyer left school two credits short of graduation in 1922 when Branch Rickey gave him a $2,500 bonus to sign with the Cardinals.” He played and managed in that organization for decades, and in 1946, his first year as manager of the Cardinals, they won the N. L. pennant and the World Series.