NATCHITOCHES – The legacy of a long-time Northwestern State University faculty member and athletic trainer will live on through a scholarship bearing his name. The Edward C. Evans Health and Human Performance Scholarship will be awarded to a student in NSU’s Department of Health and Human Performance, where Evans was a valued colleague and mentor.
The scholarship was established at the time of Evans’ passing in September 2024 with many friends and former students contributing towards its endowment. It was fulfilled by Tommy McClellend, a former NSU football and track athlete who is now the athletic director at Rice University. McClelland serves on the alumni advisory board for NSU’s Department of Health and Human Performance. McClelland began his career as an intern for NSU Athletics while pursuing his master’s degree.
“We are truly blessed that our alumni and friends of our former colleague, Ed Evans, have pooled their resources to fund this much-needed scholarship,” said Dr. Tara Tietjen-Smith, department head. “Ed was truly an inspiration and had a long-lasting impact on thousands of students. The support from his former students and athletic training community has been amazing.”
Evans grew up in Georgia and enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1972, serving as a hospital corpsman, which set him on the path that guided his career as an athletic trainer. He was stationed near Washington, D.C., when he met his wife Chris, the best friend of his roommate’s girlfriend. They were married 49 years and had three children, Jonathan, David and Timothy.
Ed and Chris Evans moved to Natchitoches in 1979 where Evans earned a master’s degree in physical education. He first worked as an athletic trainer at Natchitoches Central High School before joining the staff at NSU where he provided care for student-athletes for 23 years and taught classes in First Aid and CPR.
Dr. Haley Blount had the unique experience of being a student-athlete, coach, administrator and professor, all while Evans was NSU’s head athletic trainer.
“As an athlete I recall that Ed had a hard shell, but once you got to know him you realized how much he loved and cared for both his athletes and the hundreds of athletic trainers he mentored over the years,” she said. “His job was very demanding, but you could tell how much he loved it. I really grew to cherish our interactions, especially later in life, because he would always make me laugh, and he took genuine interest in how I was doing. He would absolutely love that we established a scholarship in his name, carrying on his legacy of impactful support of young people.”
Friends can contribute to the scholarship by visiting https://northwesternstatealumni.com/evans-hhp-scholarship/.