Javelina Hall of Fame
Dewey Mayhew became the Javelina athletic director and head football coach in 1946 when the program was reinstated after a four-year absence during World War II. He was inducted into the Javelina Hall of Fame in 2004.
He was required to rebuild a program that had been one of the best in the nation prior to the suspension. After going 2-7 in 1946, the squad bounced back for a 7-1-1 record in 1947 and went 41-34-1 in his eight seasons.
One of Mayhew’s goals was to get the Javelinas accepted into a conference. He was successful in 1949 when the program became affiliated with the Texas Conference. The Javelinas were champions of the league in 1951 and 1953, second in 1949 and 1950 and third in 1952.
Texas A&I was accepted into the Lone Star Conference in 1954 and the Javelinas have been in the league since, winning 26 football championships.
Mayhew served as an assistant at Southwestern University before taking the position with the Javelinas. He had established an outstanding record in the state’s high school circles, directing Abilene High School to the state finals three times and winning titles in 1928 and 1931.
He started his career in 1922 at Milford where the team reached the state finals. He served as athletic director at Marlin before going to Abilene in 1927. He was in Abilene until 1940 when he began training pilots for the Army air force in Uvalde.
His record in Abilene was 97-36-11.
Among the players he coached in Abilene was John Kimbrough, an All-American at Texas A&M.
Mayhew lettered in football and baseball for two years at Meridian College and finished at Southwestern in 1922. He was a two-year letterman at Southwestern.
He played professional baseball in the West Texas and Texas leagues.
Mayhew, who was honored posthumously, received a master’s degree in history from Texas A&I. He is the father of two sons, Dewey Mayhew Jr. of Austin and John Russell Mayhew of San Antonio.
