Rice Institute Owls football player Edwin W. DePrato

Black and white photograph of Rice Institute Owls football player Edwin W. DePrato, class of 1922, accompanied by text headlining his achievement and entry into the Rice Athletic Hall of Fame.Caption reads: At Texarkana High in 1918 he was class valedictorian and a National Honor Society student as well as star tackle and Best Athlete. At Rice he continued in this scholar-athlete tradition, playing four years of varsity football, winning acclaim as a star pole vaulter, and graduating as an electrical engineer with the Class of 1922. “One of the best defensive ends that Rice ever had,” is how the Campanile chose to characterize Ed DePrato. He became a starter as a freshman Owl in 1918 and continued as a regular through the 1919, 1920 and 1921 seasons. As if his gridiron exploits were not enough, DePrato took on the pole vault and tied for the SWC title in 1920 and 1921. In 1922, he became one of the first Owls to win the SWC title in that difficult track and field event. DePrato and his roommate, Eddie Eyer of St. Louis Cardinal’s fame, were two of the school’s top athletes in those early years of Southwest Conference competition. DePrato joined the General Electric Company right out of Rice and served that firm for 42 years until his retirement in 1964. Through the years he worked faithfully in the interest of Rice. He was one of the handful of “Golden” members of the “R” Association to have completed fifty years of active membership. He met his wife when both were at G.E. They married in 1931 and were blessed with two sons, Joe Phillip and Edwin, Jr. A worthy man, Ed DePrato. He will be remembered as an exceptional student, athlete, engineer, husband and father.Rice Athletic Hall of Fam