Edward “Eddie” Slater Crawford III, passed away on July 9, 2017, at Sanctuary Hospice in Tupelo.  He was born to Ed and Louise Crawford on July 25, 1934, in Jackson, Tennessee.

Eddie was an outstanding athlete in high school and college, lettering in three sports at the collegiate level. He was the last four-sport participant at Ole Miss. He played one year of professional football for the New York Giants in 1957. Eddie was inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame in 1996 and the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame in 2012.

He moved to Oxford in 1962 to become the Ole Miss Head Basketball Coach. He coached football from 1962–1980 and then became the Associate Director for the Ole Miss Loyalty Foundation. Eddie ended his 50-plus year career at his beloved Alma Mater, Ole Miss, as Senior Associate Athletic Director as one of the longest tenured senior athletics administrators in the country.

Eddie’s most important titles were husband, father, Pap and lovingly known as “Coach” by many. He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Shirley; his son, Kip and his wife, Whitney; his daughter, Kim and her husband, Brett; and grandsons, Slater and Logan.

Visitation will be held on Wednesday, July 12, 2017, from 4-7 p.m. in West Hall at Waller Funeral Home. The funeral will be held on Thursday, July 13, 2017, at 11 a.m. at First Presbyterian Church in Oxford, with Rev. John Semmes officiating. A graveside service will be held at Oxford Memorial Cemetery immediately following the funeral.