Francis Marion University athletic officials recently announced
that former women’s basketball All-American Daphne Donnelly
and long-time track and field and cross country coach Dr. Thomas M.
Whiteley are the newest inductees into the FMU Athletic Hall of
Fame in 2014.
Whiteley served as head track and field and cross country coach
from 1977 until his retirement in 2001. He also served the
university in various other administrative roles.
In a 15-year span after coming to Francis Marion,
Whiteley’s men’s cross country squads
won eight NAIA District Six team titles and finished second each of
the other seven seasons. Patriot runners won the district
individual title 11 times in those 15 years, and participated in
the NAIA National Championship Meet following 12 of those
campaigns. During that time, Francis Marion accounted for nearly
half (50 of 105) of the runners earning All-District Six honors.
Whiteley himself earned District Six cross country “Coach of
the Year” honors eight times, and was named the area
“Coach of the Year” once. In 1992 after FMU moved to
NCAA Division II affiliation and the Peach Belt Conference, his
teams produced one individual champion and placed among the top
five men’s teams at each of the Peach Belt meets between 1992
and 1998. The program also produced Division II All-Region
performers.
Whiteley’s track and field teams won eight of 10 District
Six championships in the 1980s, and 10 team titles over a 15-year
span. At the 1987 district meet, 19 of his 22 team members scored
en route to taking the team title. During his tenure, 84
Patriot athletes garnered All-District track and field recognition
and he earned NAIA District Six “Coach of the Year”
honors nine times and was named the NAIA Area VII “Coach of
the Year” in 1986. Patriot athletes advanced to the
NAIA national championship outdoor meet in 1982, 1983, 1984, and
1986.
He established the women’s cross country program in 1992,
and the Patriots finished in the top five in six of their first
eight Peach Belt Conference Championship Meets. The program
produced All-Region runners. A year-and-a-half later, he
organized the women’s track and field program, and led that
squad to three consecutive Carolinas Track and Field Championship
Meet titles between 1996 and 1998. He was named the women’s
“Coach of the Year” in 1996 and 1998, and his athletes
advanced to both the NCAA Division II indoor and outdoor national
championships.
Overall, Whiteley’s four programs produced two
All-Americans and his athletes earned Academic All-America
recognition 19 times. Over his final four years, eight of his
squads earned team academic honors.
In addition to his 24 years of coaching, Whiteley held various
other posts at the university including Dean of Students
(1981-1997), acting vice president for university activities
(1994-95), intramural director (1977-80), temporary assistant
professor of physical education (1977-81), assistant professor of
physical education (1981-2001), interim director of academic
advising and retention (1997-98), director of tutoring and athletic
services (1998-2000), NCAA compliance official (1997-2001), and
coordinator of physical education (2000-01).
He was also the advisor to the Student Government Association
and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, served on various
university committees, and co-chaired the FMU United Way campaign.
Now retired, he holds the title of FMU Faculty Emeritus. He
is an active member of the Florence Breakfast Optimist Club, and is
a 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 the
ages of five and 12.
Whiteley earned his undergraduate degree at Guilford College and
went on to receive his M.Ed. degree from East Carolina University
and his Ed.D degree from UNC Greensboro. While an
undergraduate student at Guilford, the Greensboro native played on
both the Quaker baseball and basketball squads.
Prior to coming to Francis Marion, he coached at the Carolina
Military Academy in North Carolina, UNC Greensboro, and St. Andrews
Presbyterian College.
