Walter William Fondren III (April 29, 1936 – January 28, 2010) was an all-conference football player and conservation activist.
Fondren was also an excellent golfer like his father, who played varsity golf at the University of Oklahoma.
Despite family ties to Rice and SMU, Fondren surprised many by choosing to attend Texas, in part due to what he viewed as a superior geology program.
Despite Fondren's success, the team struggled to a 5-5 record, losing to #3 Oklahoma and #7 TCU before upsetting #8 Texas A&M to finish the season.
As a result of the poor showing, coach Ed Price was fired and Darrell Royal was hired to replace him.
When Royal arrived in 1957, he moved Fondren back to quarterback for his senior year and named him a co-captain.
He was inducted into the International Game Fish Association Hall of Fame in 2004[4] and served as a trustee for many years.
Fondren graduated from The University of Texas with a Bachelor of Science in Geology and went into the oil business.
He was an early Whataburger franchisee who owned stores in Texas, New Mexico and Arizona before selling the business in the 1970s.