March 28, 2017
Former Tech standout Warwick to be inducted into W. Va. sports Hall of Fame
CLARKSBURG, W. Va. – A former Tennessee Tech standout will be enshrined into another Hall of Fame on May 21 as Lonnie Warwick will be one of the 2017 inductees into the West Virginia Sports Hall of Fame.
By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
CLARKSBURG, W. Va. – A former Tennessee Tech standout will be enshrined into another Hall of Fame on May 21 as Lonnie Warwick will be one of the 2017 inductees into the West Virginia Sports Hall of Fame.
Warwick, a product from Mount Hope High School in West Virginia, was a two-time all-Ohio Valley Conference selection as a linebacker and guard for the Golden Eagles from 1961 to 1963, following a season with the University of Tennessee.
Warwick was inducted into the Tech Sports Hall of Fame in 1978.
In 1964, he signed as a free agent with the Minnesota Vikings and became a member of the legendary "Purple People Eaters" defense in the late '60s and early '70s, playing with the Vikings from 1965 to 1972.
During that stretch in 1965, he returned a blocked punt for a game-winning touchdown in a 38-35 victory over the Los Angeles Rams. He also started in Super Bowl IV in 1970 against the Kansas City Chiefs – a game which featured 13 future Pro Football Hall of Famers. Warwick injured his left ankle the week before in the NFL championship game against the Cleveland Browns.
In his 120-game NFL career, Warwick picked off 12 passes and had seven fumble recoveries.
Knee problems cut his Vikings career short and was later traded to the Atlanta Falcons for two seasons. He followed that up with two seasons as a member of the Washington Redskins' coaching staff, before coaching with the Charleston Rockets (semi-pro, 1980-82), the Denver Gold (USFL, 1983-84) and Salem College (1986).
