KENNESAW, GA, July 31, 2019 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Marquis Who's Who, the world's premier publisher of biographical profiles, is proud to present David L. Waples, EdD, with the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award. An accomplished listee, Dr. Waples celebrates 45-years of experience in his professional network and has been noted for achievements, leadership qualities, and the credentials and successes he has accrued in his field. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process
A 1959 graduate of Grove City (Ohio) High School, where he participated in football, basketball and baseball, DAVE WAPLES attended West Liberty University, near Wheeling, W.Va., graduating in January of 1963 with a BA in history and physical education. He played football and baseball for the Hilltoppers. After receiving a graduate assistantship from Temple University, he was awarded a master's degree in the spring of 1964, from the Philadelphia institution.
His first athletic position came as part of a graduate assistantship to the University of New Mexico, from 1964-66. He taught physical education courses, managed a portion of a dormitory and served as an assistant football coach, for the Lobos. In 1966, Waples returned to central Ohio, taking a teaching and coaching position at Pleasant View High School, where he taught history and was an assistant football and baseball coach. He spent the summer of 1967 coaching the Grove City (Paschall Post 164) American Legion baseball team, before returning to West Liberty in the fall, as an assistant football coach and the school's head baseball mentor. During his two years with the Gold and Black, his diamond teams went 43-13, winning both the West Virginia Conference and NAIA District championships, in 1969.
From 1969-1971, Waples served as an administrative assistant in the School of Physical Education at West Virginia University, where he earned his doctorate. During his tenure in Morgantown, he was also the top assistant to head Mountaineer baseball coach, Dale Ramsburg. Next came a year (1971-72) as an associate professor at Jacksonville State (Ala.) University, before moving onto Valdosta State (Ga.) University, where he would stay for the next 11-years (1972-1983). During that time, he taught physical education; initiated a cross-country team; assisted Division II's winningest baseball coach, Tommy Thomas; and, in 1981, was instrumental in starting the school's first football team. His x-c squads won four consecutive South Atlantic Conference crowns, finishing 17,8,8 and third in the NCAA championships, from 1975-78. The VSU baseball teams appeared in four College World Series, winning the DII flag, in 1979.
After VSU football was underway, Waples was hired in 1984, as the first Commissioner of the Division I, Gulf Star Conference, based in Lake Charles, La. The six-team loop had three Louisiana (Nicholls State, Northwestern State, Southeastern Louisiana) and three Texas (Sam Houston State, Stephen F. Austin, Texas State) universities. Waples used the first eight-months of 1984 building the league's infrastructure, prior to football competition in the fall. The organization lasted three-years, before the Texas teams established membership with the Southland Conference, which had automatic qualification into the NCAA basketball tournament, while the Gulf Star had no AQ.
In July of 1987, he accepted the position of Athletic Director at Kennesaw State (Ga.) University, where he remained until his June, 2010 retirement. He moved KSU from the NAIA (Georgia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) to the NCAA DII (Peach Belt Conference) in 1994 and in 2005-06, to Division I (Atlantic Sun Conference). During his time, the Owls won 56 League championships; 29 Region trophies; and six National (2 baseball; men's basketball; women's soccer; 2 softball) titles.
Added to his earlier writings (see listings below), Waples completed and published The History of GCHS Football in 2000, The History of GCHS Basketball in 2013 and The History of GCHS Football, Basketball and Baseball in 2015. All proceeds from the three books were donated to GC sports, and the publications can be found in the Grove City Library. He also wrote The History of Kennesaw State Athletics, 1982-2011, completing it in 2011.
The 1962-63 Scholar-Athlete of-the-Year at WLU, he is a member of the Kennesaw State University Athletics Hall-of-Fame and was recently voted into the West Liberty University Athletics Hall-of-Fame. A native of Columbus, Ohio, Waples currently resides in Kennesaw, Ga., with his wife Mary. The couple have one daughter, Jennifer, and two grandchildren, Lauren and Sarah. Included as family are son-in-law Bobby, Dave's brothers Mel and Mike, Mary's four siblings (Beverly, Bubba, Donna and Kim) and numerous aunts, cousins, nieces and nephews.
Waples' creative works include: Valdosta State Baseball Guide, 1973; South Atlantic Conference Preview, NCAA Basketball Guide, 1975; South Atlantic Conference Preview, NCAA Basketball Guide, 1976; Valdosta State Baseball History: The Teams, 1977; Valdosta State Baseball History: The Players, 1977; The Statistical History of the AP Football Poll, 1980; Valdosta (Ga.) High School Football, 1980; Lowndes (Ga.) High School Football, 1980; Blazer Athletic Conference Manual and Record Book, 1983; Gulf Star Conference Media Guides, 1984-1987; The History of Grove City High School Football, 2000; The History of Kennesaw State University Athletics, 2011; The History of Grove City High School Basketball, 2013; The History of Grove City High School Football, Basketball and Baseball, 2015; Grove City High School Football, Basketball and Baseball yearly update pages (scores, narrative, rosters and honors) for the Grove City Library Sports Notebook.
Among his achievements are: as a coach, he had two women earn letters for the 1967-68 West Liberty University varsity swim team; it was perhaps the first-ever time women had significantly competed on a men's college team. Numerous committee memberships for the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, the Georgia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, the Peach Belt Conference and the Atlantic Sun Conference, along with NAIA and NCAA honors and roles. He added 12 varsity sports for Kennesaw State University and helped host the first-ever college Acrobatics & Tumbling competition, in 2010. His A&T coach, Felicia Mulkey (now the A&T coach at Baylor), would be the prime mover in having the sport recognized by the NCAA, in 2019. He provided the school names that would later be used for West Virginia Northern CC (Wheeling, W.Va.) and Georgia Highlands College (Rome, Ga.).
Waples attributes his success to the fact that he was blessed to have a host of great friends, teachers, coaches and players throughout his career. He mentions a very few: coaches Elmer Houdashelt and Mickey Laughlin (GCHS); athletic director Joe Bartell and coaches Al Blatnik, George Kovalick, Bo McConnaughy, Vince Monseau and Bob Roe (WLU); professor Joe Oxendine (Temple); coach Jim Cromartie (UNM); coaches Bo Brickels, Russ Opipery and Chuck Wegner (PVHS); professors Tom Sheehan and Bill Alsop and coach Dale Ramsburg (WVU); athletic director Billy Grant and coaches James Dominey and Bob Lamphier and national championship coaches John Hansen and Tommy Thomas (VSU); athletic directors Don Landry and Tynes Hildebrand and associate commissioner Cheryl Northam (GSC); commissioners Fred Jacoby (SW Conference), Marvin Vanover (PBC) and Ted Gumbart (A-Sun); VP Dr. Nancy King, coaches Stan Sims, Colby Tilley, Jay Moseley and Susan Whitlock and national championship coaches Rob King, Tony Ingle, Mike Sansing, and Scott Whitlock (KSU).
In recognition of outstanding contributions to his profession and the Marquis Who's Who community, Dr. Waples has been featured on the Albert Marquis Lifetime Achievement website. Please visit www.ltachievers.com for more information about this honor.
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