Former WTW Coach Hallmark Passes Away
Roland Hallmark, the first head football coach at W.T. White High School, died on Wednesday at age 85.
Hallmark coached the Longhorns for three years, the final two of which were the first varsity seasons in program history in 1965 and 1966. His final campaign included a dramatic win over rival Thomas Jefferson.
WTW posted a 4-14-2 varsity record under Hallmark, whose squads provided a foundation for the Longhorns’ best teams in the 1970s. Before coming to WTW, he was an assistant coach at Adamson among other schools.
In recent years, Hallmark lived in the Austin area, where some former players celebrated his legacy by presenting him with a commemorative bronze plaque and other WTW memorabilia in December 2019.
A duplicate plaque will be permanently mounted at the entrance to the school’s renovated athletic facilities after construction is complete. It includes Hallmark’s picture and the following inscription: “He exemplified integrity. He loved his players. He prepared them for life.”
Services will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at Autry’s Carroll-Lehr Funeral Home in Athens.
