Memorial service for Linwood Sexton scheduled for April 8

A public memorial for Linwood Sexton is scheduled for 11 a.m. on Saturday, April 8, at Koch Arena.

Sexton, 90, died Wednesday.

Doors to Koch Arena will open at 10 a.m. Selected speakers will remember Sexton’s life.

Sexton was a star football and track athlete at East High and the University of Wichita. After his playing career, he remained in Wichita and spent his life as a mentor and community leader.

Sexton led the Shockers in total offense in 1946 and 1947, helping them to a berth in the 1947 Raisin Bowl. That season, he led the Shockers with 702 rushing yards and 312 passing. He earned All-MVC honors in 1945, 1946 and 1947. His jersey No. 66 is retired at WSU.

He is a member of the Missouri Valley Conference Athletics Hall of Fame, the Shocker Sports Hall of Fame and the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame.

He taught elementary school for four years before going to work at Hiland Dairy in 1953 and remained there until his retirement. He also served on the Kansas Board of Regents, the Wichita State Board of Trustees and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Citizens Advisory Council on Civil Rights. In 2012, he was one of 13 to receive the Pioneer Award from the John McLendon Minority Scholarship Foundation.

Sexton was named the Wichita Regional Chamber of Commerce’s Uncommon Citizen in 2006, which “recognizes individuals who have served their community year after year in an extraordinary capacity.”

WSU annually awards the Linwood Sexton Scholarship. The four-year, full-ride scholarship was instituted in 2000 in Sexton’s honor.

Sexton is the father of former WSU athletic director Eric Sexton. Delores Sexton, wife of Linwood Sexton, died in 2000.

This story was originally published March 31, 2017 at 9:38 AM with the headline "Memorial service for Linwood Sexton scheduled for April 8."