‘That man is special’: Known for greeting players daily, former EWU police chief and Eagles superfan Vic Wallace Sr. dies

In his thick, Caribbean accent – always with a roster in hand and his youngest daughter, Chrissy, by his side – Vic Wallace Sr. would greet each and every Eastern Washington University football player who would pass by.

Sometimes, it would be sitting in the shade of the Roos Field scoreboard. But in later years, as his health started to slide, it was from an open window of his pickup truck – red, of course – with Chrissy in the passenger seat.

Veteran players would stop. “Looking good!” the former EWU police chief would say often, always followed by a thank-you and well wishes from the players.

Newer players would also acknowledge “Caribbean Pops” with a nod, but soon would stop as well to chat. The exchange would be something like this: “You’re Cooper, the wide receiver from Yakima, aren’t you?” he would ask. “I’ll remember you when you come by next time.”

And remember he did, learning all about the player and his family along the way.

They were a presence at practices, games, special events and, whenever possible, at the team’s buses or charter planes as they left for road trips.

And in the wee hours of the morning when the teams returned? Yes, they were sometimes there as well.

And more often than not, the native of St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands would tell his story of how he lost his beloved wife, Carilon, and how the Eagles became his new love and passion.

The high school sweethearts were married 44 years before she died in 1999.

Wallace is reunited with his wife now. He died Jan. 28 at the age of 87. Wallace was laid to rest on Feb. 12, but there may be an additional celebration of life in the near future because of the outpouring of support by those who have been touched by him.

As police chief back in the 1980s and ’90s, there probably weren’t a lot of college students who really wanted to have a face-to-face encounter with Wallace. But he was as endearing then as he was as a fan, and his love of Eastern and the community trumped everything.

With a stint at Geiger Field near Spokane, Wallace retired from the United States Air Force in February 1974 and started at Eastern that October. He was a sergeant, lieutenant and then chief of police before retiring in 1995.

At the memorial service on Feb. 12, another former EWU police chief, Tim Walters, told a story about Vic, who was said to have never pulled his gun on anyone in the 20 years, and 10 months he was at EWU. Walters said a big, unruly football player in the dorms was hassling another student and Vic stood up to him.

“He didn’t want to pull out his gun, so he found a 2-foot oak stick,” Walters explained. “He went in there and swung that club around a couple of times, and told him, ‘If you don’t stop this and go back to your room, I’m going to blankety-blank your knees.’ Vic said the player turned out to be a model student that season and the rest of his playing years.”

Vic’s son Michael told of how his father reached out to the community for sponsorships so he and his siblings could afford to compete in athletics, particularly travel to national competitions. His oldest son, Vic Wallace Jr., played football at Idaho in the late ’70s and is now teaching and coaching men’s track and field at West Valley High School.

“I know everything of who I am is because of both my dad and my mom, and not only me but my brothers and sisters too,” said Vic Jr., fighting back emotion. “They did us right.”

“He was an awesome man, a loving man and a giving man,” Michael said.

The death of Carilon in 1999 was devastating to the Wallace family, but most notably to Vic, whose “devotion was unprecedented,” it was said at his service. Carilon was his one true love.

Vic and Chrissy then began their passionate involvement with Eastern Athletics. In fact, during the two-month installation of the red Sprinturf surface at EWU’s Roos Field in 2010, they were on hand for all but one day to view the progress.

Wallace annually served as a “team member” for Eagle Athletic Fund drives. And as much as he raised himself, he graciously donated much of his own retirement money as well, all while supporting Chrissy and the rest of his family as best he could.

One of 18 siblings, Wallace is survived by one brother – Dennis, who is 75 and lives in Las Vegas. Vic and Carilon together had seven children, 12 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. He was inducted into Eastern Washington’s Hall of Fame in 2013 with the Service and Contribution award.

His death came at a time of triumph when former Eagle Cooper Kupp was putting EWU and Cheney on the map with his performances for the Los Angeles Rams in the National Football League.

Wallace died before he could see Kupp go viral with his MVP performance in the Super Bowl. Vic was always a Rams fan and loved to talk about the old days of James Harris, Lawrence McCutcheon, Merlin Olsen and others from the ’70s and ’80s.

But he knew much, much more about the Eagles. Head coach Aaron Best, who has been a part of the Eastern program for some 25 years as a player and coach, agrees. “I think Vic knew our players better than we did, and we know them pretty well,” he quipped at the service.

On social media when Wallace’s death was announced, several players paid respect, saying he made them smile, brought energy to their practices and even invited one to Thanksgiving dinner.

Best choked up when talking about the years and years of memories of walking out to practice and being greeted by the smiling faces of Wallace and his daughter.

“He was there a half-hour before most student-athletes and coaches. And he was out here a half-hour after most players and coaches left the field.”

Known for their work ethic, the Kupp brothers out of Davis High School in Yakima may have been the exception. Cooper and then Ketner would usually be the first players at practice and the last to leave. Apparently, Wallace adjusted his schedule to theirs.

“He still beat us out there and was waiting for us,” Ketner said from his home in Tacoma, where he is coaching linebackers at Pacific Lutheran University. “I tried to get out there super early to mess around and be a goofball, but he would always be there in his red truck parked by the entrance. He’d honk to get our attention, and see how the day was going. He was super dependable – you knew he was going to be there.”

Even though Vic Jr. attended Idaho and his father worked at Eastern, there was no big trash talk between them because it wasn’t until the ’80s that the Eagles and Vandals renewed their rivalry on the football field. But allegiances were apparent when the family looked through his closet after his death, even finding some old jerseys from the ’80s, if not the ’70s.

“He had a ton of stuff that he kept,” Vic Jr. said. “His Eastern-related gear was on one side of the closet separated from his other clothes.”

“He respected Idaho and I respected Eastern,” he added of what is now a full-blown rivalry. “The words Coach Best spoke of my dad at the service were impactful, and we thank him.”

“That man is special, and I’ll always hold a special place in my heart for him,” concluded Best at the service. “I appreciate my time with him.”

Wallace’s daughter Adrienne captured his essence for all who knew him.

“He would want everybody to put their differences aside and to love everybody,” she said. “Get out there and help as much as you can, because your status doesn’t matter. It’s your heart and love and who you are. Carry on his smile and his laughter.”

Dave Cook spent 35 years as a college Sports Information Director, first at Eastern Washington University, then at Idaho and back for his final 30 at EWU. A life-long Washingtonian, his love for all things athletics, music, reading and running in the region are topped only by his penchant for writing what he terms as “more than anyone could ever need or care to know.”