Three graduates of Miami University of Ohio who achieved success in their chosen field of professional sports were honored by their Oxford, Ohio alma mater when Walter Alston, Paul Brown, and Wilbur Ewbank were awarded a specially created "Doctor of Athletics" honorary degree, on May 19, 1960.
Details of the ceremony appear below.
Walter Emmons "Smokey" Alston (December 1, 1911 - October 1, 1984) As a major league baseball manager, Alston led Dodger teams to seven National League (NL) pennants and four World Series titles, including the only championship title won while the club was still in Brooklyn. After 23 seasons, Alston retired with over 2,000 career wins and had been selected as Manager of the Year six times. He also managed NL All-Star teams to seven victories. Alston's number 24 was retired by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1977. In 1983, he was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Alston maintained a permanent home in Darrtown, Ohio.
Paul Eugene Brown (September 7, 1908 – August 5, 1991) was an American football coach and executive in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) and National Football League (NFL). Brown was both the co-founder and first coach of the Cleveland Browns, a team named after him, and later co-founded the Cincinnati Bengals. His teams won seven league championships in a professional coaching career spanning 25 seasons. He retired from coaching in 1975 but remained the Bengals' team president, until his death in 1991. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1967.
Wilbur Charles "Weeb" Ewbank
(May 6, 1907 – November 17, 1998) was an American professional football coach. He led the Baltimore Colts to consecutive NFL championships in 1958 and 1959 and the New York Jets to victory in Super Bowl III in January 1969. He is the only coach to win a championship in both the National Football League (NFL) and American Football League (AFL). Before his national success, Mr. Ewbank coached at the William McGuffey / Miami University Laboratory School.
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RIGHT: This photo accompanied the May 20, 1960 Cincinnati Enquirer article that appears above.
Those in the photo, from left to right:
John D. Millett, President of Miami University;
Walter E. Alston,
Paul E. Brown;
and Wilbur C. Ewbank.
The image caption in the newspaper misnamed President Millett.
