Hall of Fame
Dwayne Wall, 2004 - Wall arrived at Western Illinois after a record-setting track & field career at Metropolis Community High School. His efforts continued as a member of the 1975-78 Leatherneck track & field teams as he became a school-record holder, four-year national qualifier, two-time all-American, and national champion.Â
In his first year at Western Illinois, Wall was a member of the 4x200 relay team that finished second at the Drake Relays and established a then-school-record time of 1:25.6. He also qualified for nationals in the 100-yard dash with a time of :09.7. Wall’s sophomore season included national-qualifying times in three events - the 100-meter dash (:10.2), 200-meter dash (:21.3) and 4x100-meter relay (:40.8). Each of the three qualifying times also set school records.
As a junior, Wall won the NCAA Division II national championship in the 200-meter dash with a time of :21.2. He also placed sixth at nationals in the 100-meter dash (:10.6) and was a member of the 4x100 relay team that clocked a first-place time of :41.7 at the Kansas Relays. Wall was named to the National’s All-American Team that season, was voted the Leathernecks’ Most Valuable Athlete and was the coaches’ recipient of the Top Performer of the Year Award. A tri-captain as a senior and a repeat honoree on the All-America team, Wall and his 1978 4x100 relay team established a school-record time of :39.74 that still stands today, and took second place at the national championships.Â
At Metropolis, Wall was a four-year letterwinner in track, earned three letters in football and two letters in basketball, setting the school record in the 100 and 220 yard dashes. He also qualified for state as a sophomore and junior, and set the record for most touchdowns in a season as a senior.Â
After his Western Illinois career he returned to Metropolis for one year as the head cross country coach where he tutored an athlete to a first-place finish at the Class A Illinois High School Association Meet. Wall spent 1979-80 as a teacher in the Massac Unit School District, and has been employed with the Illinois Department of Corrections system since 1980. In 2003, he was inducted into the NCAA Division II Track & Field Hall of Fame.
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