BRIDGEPORT, Pa. — The Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) attempts to find stories of water polo athletes that have been lost to the mists of time – or at least not commonly known by the general public.
As part of this continuing effort, the league brings forth the story of Wallace John “Wally” Pryor – the “Voice of Longhorn Athletics” who competed in water polo and swimming for the University of Texas prior to becoming arguably the most recognizable voice in the Longhorn State.
An Austin native, Pryor was a pioneer of water polo in Texas. He was a standout swimmer and all-American water polo player for Tex Robertson’s Longhorn teams from 1948-1950. He was a part of two squads that won the Southwest Conference title and was inducted into the Texas Swimming and Diving Hall of Fame in 2010.
Following graduation from Texas, he produced and directed the famous Aqua Carnivals of the 1950s. After serving in the U.S. Army, he returned to Austin to coach the Austin Aquatic Club.
As a genius at marketing, Pryor organized the Texas Open Swimming Championship and helped to establish TAGS. He served 35 years as president of the Working Exes for Texas Swimming – the organization that convinced UT to build the Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center in the 1970s. When it opened in 1977, it was regarded as the top competition swimming facility in the United States.
His most notable feat was serving as the “Voice of the Longhorns” as announcer for all UT sports from 1953-2002, and he served the Austin community for many years as a television producer and popular emcee for charity events and fund raisers. He was known for announcing the score of the Slippery Rock University football game during each Texas game – and would later emcee multiple events at the school in Western Pennsylvania.
Pryor passed away on March 1, 2014 at the age of 86 years.
