McKendree University Athletics

Mason earned seven varsity letters: four in basketball and three in football. As a freshman basketball player, Mason was the focus of attention at center position. He set a Bearcat record for most points in a single game, scoring 33 points against the Scott Air Force Base Airmen. He was recognized for his leadership by being made captain of the basketball squad his junior year. On the football field Mason captured the attention of fans and opponents as the Bearcat center. As team captain in both his junior and senior years, he guided McKendree to its first victory in six years, winning 18-7 against Chillicothe Business College. A formidable McKendree lineman, Mason earned Most Valuable Player and All-Conference honors in 1947 and 1948. The “M” Club cited him for his “great scrap and fight on the gridiron” and awarded him a gold football. Mason’s playing days didn’t end at McKendree. While in the Army, he was the second leading scorer on the Rhine Military Post Basketball Team in Germany, and he went on to play semi-pro basketball two years. He coached high school football five years before establishing a 26-year career as superintendant of schools for several Illinois school districts.