Eddie Mack Receives Posthumous Degree From Cal Poly
6/23/2023 11:15:00 AM | Track and Field
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SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — Edwin "Eddie" D. Mack, the first individual champion in the history of the Mustang track and field program, was awarded a posthumous degree during Cal Poly's 2023 Spring Commencement.Eddie Mack, Cal Poly's first champion, received a
posthumous bachelor's degree this past weekend.
Eddie passed away on May 20 at the age of 95. His wife, Claire Mack, was on hand Saturday to receive Eddie's posthumous bachelor's degree in social science during the College of Liberal Arts ceremony. She shared a story about Eddie's time on the Cal Poly football team and thanked the university for honoring her husband.
"He was fast, but he was never fast enough to get away from me," Claire said during the ceremony. "… Graduates live your lives and be very happy. Go Cal Poly."
Cal Poly President Jeffrey D. Armstrong presented Eddie's honorary degree to Claire. Armstrong said he was glad they were able to celebrate Eddie in-person just a few months ago when he attended the rededication of the Ozzie Smith Plaza on March 25.
"Despite having his Cal Poly career interrupted, Eddie was a faithful Mustang for more than 70 years," Armstrong said. "… Today we honor Eddie's many years of commitment to Cal Poly."
Eddie captured the track and field program's first individual championship in 1949 in his first season at Cal Poly, winning the California Collegiate Athletic Association long jump title (then referred to as the broad jump) with a leap of 23 feet, 8.75 inches. The following year, Eddie went back-to-back securing the 1950 CCAA long jump title.Claire, Eddie's three daughters; Kelli, Lesli and Vicki;
and the Mack family pose for a photo.
Eddie, who held the school record in the long jump for 11 years, also played football at Cal Poly, where he was recognized as one of the fastest players in the conference, starring as a running back and kickoff and punt returner for the Mustangs. In November 1949, he caught the game-winning touchdown in the fourth quarter of a 7-0 victory over rival UC Santa Barbara.
Before Eddie could finish his degree at Cal Poly, he was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1950. He went on to serve two years in the Korean War, spending time as a combat engineer and head of a supply department before being promoted to first sergeant.
After returning home from the war, Eddie married Claire, who served three terms as mayor of San Mateo, and began a longtime career with the U.S. Postal Service, where he started out as a carrier and eventually earned a promotion to become the second Black supervisor in the history of the San Mateo Post Office.
You can honor and celebrate Eddie's life by donating to the Edwin D. Mack Scholarship Endowment here.
