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People SearchFind an individual who either played a sport or was a member of a support group. Search by last name by clicking on the first letter of the person's last name.
Mr. Don "Donnie, DW, D Dub" Wallace
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Home Phone: -- Former Football: Wallace has followed diverse path Bruce Brown • bbrown@theadvertiser.com • October 6, 2010 Donnie Wallace has been on an interesting ride since he was trying to decide whether to play football or basketball at Jeanerette High some three decades ago. Wallace, who played quarterback at both JHS and for UL’s Ragin’ Cajuns, is Director of Operations for the PGA Tour in his 19th year involved with professional golf. “Things are woven in and out of our lives all the time,” Wallace said. “I just wear the sweater. Life has taken some interesting turns, that’s for sure. I’ve been truly humbled by life itself. I’ve learned lessons and have watched people live a few of them.” The married father of four remains attached to the Acadiana area as a resident of Broussard, and keeps up with both Jeanerette and UL athletics. “I asked about Jeanerette the other day, how they look,” Wallace said. “I always ask about them, We’re going to try to make homecoming this year. A few years ago, they asked me to help with a quarterback they had. “Most of the conversations I’ve had at UL have been with (coach) Rickey Bustle. I keep up with the Cajuns. We always try to make homecoming, although there was a period there when I was unable to make the game. When we do go, my wife can tell you I’m like a little kid. Seeing the guys, it all comes back.” Wallace played for the Cajuns from 1981-84 under coach Sam Robertson after starring for Jeanerette. As a Cajun senior in 1984, he hit 88-of-167 passes for 1,127 yards and 5 touchdowns for a team that finished 6-5 with a closing victory at Tulsa. “I played ball late,” he said. “I didn’t play football until my sophomore year (at JHS). I remember playing pickup games, throwing the ball. I had no intention of playing. I was in the band. Basketball was my first love. “Then I played football, and that became my focus. I got a scholarship to UL, and that was my first turn in life where my hands weren’t on the wheel.” Wallace recalled playing against future UL teammate Ty Kling of Teurlings, a hard-hitting safety who also handled kickoffs for TCHS. “After the kickoff, the first route we called was a ‘go’ route, because Ty was on the sidelines changing his shoes,” Wallace said. “I carry a lot of the moments with me. I remember playing at Alabama, and John Hand getting a hand on one of my passes and knocking the ball down, and I just knew Clarence Verdin was going to take it to the house (if complete).” Wallace has gone from football star to one who oversees every aspect of on-site operations for PGA Tour events, working out of town for 20-26 weeks of a 40-week tour year. A job taken on a 6-month trial basis has become a career that has offered the chance for “multiple friendships” for Wallace, who has known Tiger Woods since Woods was 16 and had lunch with the troubled star two weeks ago. “I know how life is,” he said. “I’ve lived it. I’m in the middle of it. You look back on your experiences, and you use it as you like.” Athletic Network Footnote: Click here for the 1983 Football photo gallery http://athleticnetwork.net/site496.php#
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