Malcolm McMurtry “Mack” Erwin, Jr. ’50

Malcolm McMurtry “Mack” Erwin, Jr. ’50, of Charleston, S.C., husband of Martha Walker Erwin, entered into eternal rest on Feb. 18, 2012. He was a resident of Charleston for over 50 years. Erwin was born on Dec. 12, 1926, in Honea Path, S.C., the son of Inez Tice Erwin and Malcolm McMurtry Erwin ’22. He grew up in Greenville, S.C., where he began a lifelong love affair with sports, playing Little League baseball with batting tutelage from Shoeless Joe Jackson. In high school he was selected for the S.C. Shrine Bowl his senior year, as well as for both the All State and All Southern football teams. He then attended the University of South Carolina, where he played football and was selected as fullback for the S.C. All State team. He left USC to serve his country in the U.S. Navy during WWII aboard the USS Tangier in the South Pacific. Upon his return, he entered Davidson, a legacy of his father, lettering in baseball and football. As a Davidson football player, it was said that he was “a great competitor. When the going is the roughest and the hole is the smallest, he seems the hardest to stop.” Off of the athletic fields, he was a member of ODK, Who’s Who, and SAE. He graduated from Davidson in 1950 with a B.S. in business. Erwin was inducted into the Athletics Hall of Fame at Davidson in 1996 for his performance and record as fullback for their football team. After college, Erwin went on to have a stunning career as head baseball and assistant football and basketball coach at Johns Hopkins University, Lenoir-Rhyne College, Furman University, and the Citadel. He won conference championships at every school he coached. Erwin was inducted into the Citadel Honorary Athletic Hall of Fame in 1993. His 1960 championship team won the first conference championship in the history of the school, without any baseball scholarships, and was ranked 17th nationally. Erwin had the highest ever winning percentage for a Citadel coach, and his 1960 team was the first to represent the school in the NCAA district playoffs. After Erwin retired from coaching, he had a successful 30-year career at First Federal Savings and Loan of Charleston from 1961-91, where he held the position of senior vice president of marketing. During that time he earned his M.B.A. from Indiana University. Erwin was a Southern Conference football official for over 25 years, officiating the 1985 Gator Bowl and the 1977 Peach Bowl. Erwin held a deep love of his Savior and his church. In his 50 years as a member of Second Presbyterian Church, he served as a deacon, elder, and president of the men’s Bible class, and sang in the choir. He was a life member of the Sertoma Club of Charleston and the James Island Yacht Club. He also volunteered as a Little League baseball coach for the James Island YMCA. Erwin is survived by his wife of 57 years, Martha Walker Erwin, 443 Wade Hampton Dr., Charleston, NC 29412; his three children, Malcolm McMurtry Erwin III, Margaret “Happy” Erwin Byrd (William Ashley Byrd), and Joy Erwin Coe (Andrew Garcia Coe); and his seven grandchildren, Malcolm Benjamin Byrd, Michael William Byrd, Margaret McMurtry Coe, Joshua Baldwin Coe, Sarah Anne Aderholdt Coe, Mary Garcia Coe, and Elizabeth Grace Coe. He is also survived by his brother, William David Erwin ’50, and his aunt, Jean Wilson Parker.