Earl W. Hawkins

Earl Weston Hawkins was a native of Petersburg, Virginia. A charter member of the Emory & Henry Sports Hall of Fame in 1972, he was a two-time All-American on the gridiron including a first team selection in 1963.

Hawkins transferred to Emory & Henry after spending one year on the football team at Florida State University. Upon his arrival to Southwest Virginia, he was immediately recognized as an outstanding player on Coach Casto Ramsey’s teams. Hawkins ascended to the ranks of E&H football legends after scoring five touchdowns in the Wasps’ 24-point comeback against nationally-ranked Washington and Lee University on Homecoming in 1962. His five scores (four rushing, one receiving) tied school records.

Hawkins helped lead Emory & Henry to back-to-back eight-win seasons in 1962 and 1963 with a Smoky Mountain Athletic Conference championship in 1962. He was also honored as the most outstanding small college player in Virginia both years. Drafted in by the Detroit Lions in 1964, Hawkins played the 1965 season in the Motor City before being traded to the Baltimore Colts prior to the 1966 campaign.

In addition to his membership in the Emory & Henry Sports Hall of Fame, Hawkins’ number 45 jersey was retired by resolution of the College’s Board of Trustees in 2013. Hawkins excelled in slow-pitch softball and is a member of the Central Virginia ASA Hall of Fame and the Virginia USSSA Hall of Fame. As the coach for the Stompers, he led the team to an ASA National Championship. Hawkins was inducted into the Petersburg Hall of Fame in 2016.

Hawkins made his career in education, teaching and coaching in Dinwiddie, Hanover and King & Queen Counties. He was a teacher and athletic director at King & Queen Central High School at the time of his retirement.

Born on December 27, 1941, Earl Weston Hawkins passed away on December 10, 2014 at the age of 72. The kiosk for the Sports Hall of Fame, which stands in the lobby of the John Rutledge King Center on the E&H campus, is dedicated to his memory.