Tony Waldrop

American college president (1951–2022) Tony Waldrop (December 29, 1951 – December 3, 2022) was an American academic administrator, researcher, and athlete. In 2014, he became the third president of the University of South Alabama. Early life Waldrop was born in Columbus, North Carolina. In high school, he was the state champion in the half mile. Waldrop attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) where he was a Morehead-Cain Scholar and served on the track team. He graduated in 1974 with a B.A. in political science as a Top Five NCAA Student Athlete. In 1980, he received a MA in physical education from UNC, followed by a Ph.D. in cellular and molecular physiology in 1981. He received postdoctoral training at the Harry S. Moss Heart Center at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. Track Career When he was a freshman member of UNC's track team, he had never run more than seven miles in one session. Nevertheless, he followed the coaching staff's instruction to run ten miles in the morning and ten miles in the evening. After a week, his arches collapsed and he was on crutches. Waldrop was a six-time Atlantic Coast Conference winner and six-time All-