Francis Marion University athletic officials recently announcedthat former women’s basketball All-American Daphne Donnellyand long-time track and field and cross country coach Dr. Thomas M.Whiteley are the newest inductees into the FMU Athletic Hall ofFame in 2014.
Whiteley served as head track and field and cross country coachfrom 1977 until his retirement in 2001. He also served theuniversity in various other administrative roles.
In a 15-year span after coming to Francis Marion,Whiteley’s men’s cross country squadswon eight NAIA District Six team titles and finished second each ofthe other seven seasons. Patriot runners won the districtindividual title 11 times in those 15 years, and participated inthe NAIA National Championship Meet following 12 of thosecampaigns. During that time, Francis Marion accounted for nearlyhalf (50 of 105) of the runners earning All-District Six honors.Whiteley himself earned District Six cross country “Coach ofthe Year” honors eight times, and was named the area“Coach of the Year” once. In 1992 after FMU moved toNCAA Division II affiliation and the Peach Belt Conference, histeams produced one individual champion and placed among the topfive men’s teams at each of the Peach Belt meets between 1992and 1998. The program also produced Division II All-Regionperformers.
Whiteley’s track and field teams won eight of 10 DistrictSix championships in the 1980s, and 10 team titles over a 15-yearspan. At the 1987 district meet, 19 of his 22 team members scoreden route to taking the team title. During his tenure, 84Patriot athletes garnered All-District track and field recognitionand he earned NAIA District Six “Coach of the Year”honors nine times and was named the NAIA Area VII “Coach ofthe Year” in 1986. Patriot athletes advanced to theNAIA national championship outdoor meet in 1982, 1983, 1984, and1986.
He established the women’s cross country program in 1992,and the Patriots finished in the top five in six of their firsteight Peach Belt Conference Championship Meets. The programproduced All-Region runners. A year-and-a-half later, heorganized the women’s track and field program, and led thatsquad to three consecutive Carolinas Track and Field ChampionshipMeet titles between 1996 and 1998. He was named the women’s“Coach of the Year” in 1996 and 1998, and his athletesadvanced to both the NCAA Division II indoor and outdoor nationalchampionships.
Overall, Whiteley’s four programs produced twoAll-Americans and his athletes earned Academic All-Americarecognition 19 times. Over his final four years, eight of hissquads earned team academic honors.
In addition to his 24 years of coaching, Whiteley held variousother posts at the university including Dean of Students(1981-1997), acting vice president for university activities(1994-95), intramural director (1977-80), temporary assistantprofessor of physical education (1977-81), assistant professor ofphysical education (1981-2001), interim director of academicadvising and retention (1997-98), director of tutoring and athleticservices (1998-2000), NCAA compliance official (1997-2001), andcoordinator of physical education (2000-01).
He was also the advisor to the Student Government Associationand the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, served on variousuniversity committees, and co-chaired the FMU United Way campaign.Now retired, he holds the title of FMU Faculty Emeritus. Heis an active member of the Florence Breakfast Optimist Club, and isa current and past supporter of FMU’s Swamp Fox Club.
Whiteley also directed the FMU (Summer) Day Camp for many years,impacting on the lives of thousands of area youngsters between theages of five and 12.
Whiteley earned his undergraduate degree at Guilford College andwent on to receive his M.Ed. degree from East Carolina Universityand his Ed.D degree from UNC Greensboro. While anundergraduate student at Guilford, the Greensboro native played onboth the Quaker baseball and basketball squads.
Prior to coming to Francis Marion, he coached at the CarolinaMilitary Academy in North Carolina, UNC Greensboro, and St. AndrewsPresbyterian College.
