Eddie Wlodyka
Graduating class: 1928
Inducted into Hall of Fame: 2007
Hall of Fame Category: Athlete
Eddie Wlodyka was an amazing all around athlete who lettered in football, baseball, basketball and track. He was the captain of the baseball team. In football Eddie was selected to the All-Bristol County team as a tackle in 1926. An imposing man at 6' 4" and 250 pounds, they couldn't find a helmet to fit him. His speed and agility made him a force on the playing field.
Track is the sport where Eddie made his mark. He would run to school from Cedar Street carrying his shot put over his head. His hard work and dedication to his sport paid off. He was a member of the Bristol County Championship Track team and held both the Bristol County and Massachusetts Class B state records in the shot put. He was awarded the Tripp Cup in 1927 as the school's top trackman after leading the team in individual points.
Outside of athletics, Eddie served as a lifeguard at Fort Phoenix and in July of 1929 helped rescue two young men after their sailboat capsized about a mile south of the Fort.
Eddie placed first in the shot put in the competition at the New England AAU Track and Field Meet in Boston in 1929. He won hundreds of medals in track and field and at one point the Boston Red Sox were interested in him.
During a summer break in college Eddie had an accident in which he lost a toe, thus putting an end to his athletic career. He graduated from the University of Alabama in 1936 with a Bachelor of Science degree.
Eddie was a director of the Fairhaven Boys Club and treasurer of the Fairhaven Republican Committee. He was awarded the designation of "Knight of the York Cross of Honor," which is the highest of the York Rite of Freemasonry.
Eddie Wlodyka is remembered as a superb athlete who accomplished much during his athletic career.