Walter Love III (1973) - Southern Miss M-Club Hall of Fame

Walter Love III

Induction:
1973

It would be extremely difficult to pick the best golfer to have played golf at the University of Southern Mississippi. There would be some golfers who might have scored better or claimed individual honors. Others that within the context of the team might have made big contributions.
   But if you added all of that together, a player who could play with the best at nearly every level, but at the same time did what he needed to do to help the team win, Walter Love III would certainly be one player that would get a lot of votes.
   While playing three seasons (1956, 1959 & 1960) for Coach B.O. Van Hook, Love established himself as one of the most talented to have ever played at Southern Miss.
   There was not any big secret about why Love was so successful, his game was solid in every phase and he was one of the most confident and competitive athletes the school has seen in any sport.
   He had better than average length off the tee, and hit crisp accurate iron shots, but as a putter he was unmatched and more than one opponent was beaten when Love rolled in a key putt late in the match.
   Love's first season with Southern Miss saw the team finish with a 3-1-1 dual match record, as he teamed with fellow Hall of Famer Charles Gillis to give the team one of the best one-two punches in school history.
   Love would enter the service for a couple of years, but when he returned for the 1959 season, he was a much stronger and more confident player.
   The 1959 season would see the team playing on the new University golf course and with Love leading the way the team would finish with just a 2-4 dual match record, but Love would begin to establish himself as one of the best young players in the state and in the South.
   The 1960 squad would improve to a 6-3-1 dual match record and finish fifth in the McNeese State Invitational . Southern Miss would also play that year in the prestigious Southern Intercollegiate in Athens, Georgia. Love and teammate and fellow Hall of Famer Robbie Webb would finish tied for eighth in the individual portion of that tournament, which also marked the first year Southern had qualified for the final 36 holes.
   That 1960 team posted victories that season over Tulane and Alabama, among others.
   Following his career at Southern Miss, Love established himself as one of the best amateur golfers in Mississippi, winning both the State Amateur and the State Open golf championships during his career.
   The State Open includes professional golfers as well as top amateurs, making Love one of the few amateurs to capture the championship of that event.
   Love has continued to make contributions to the University of Southern Mississippi since his playing days. As an active member in both the Eagle Club and the Alumni Association, he was helped the college maintain its status, both in athletics and academics.