Moapa Valley Progress
Moapa Valley High School alumni and long-time Virgin Valley High School (VVHS) athletic coach Elwin Jay Whipple was inducted into the VVHS Hall of Fame during an honorary banquet held last month in Mesquite.
Whipple, who passed away in 1996 at age 46, was a standout three-sport athlete in high school and an even more successful multi-sport coach.
He graduated from Moapa Valley High School in 1968 with 12 varsity letters and was a three-year starter for the varsity football and basketball teams. He was also a four-year scoring member for the track and field squad at the school. As a senior at MVHS, Whipple was an All-State runningback, an All-State basketball player and a three-event state track champion. He also set two state track meet records in the sprint events.
Whipple earned a track scholarship to University of Nevada, Reno. He eventually graduated from UNR with a Bachelor’s degree and went on to earn a Masters degree at University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
Whipple came to Mesquite in 1975 where he found success over the next 17 years as a coach of many different sports. But Whipple’s greatest coaching success came with the VVHS varsity girls basketball program. Under his supervision, the Lady Bulldogs won 268 victories, six division titles, four state championships and two state runner-up titles over 13 seasons. His first varsity girls team went 12-3 and his last team (1992-93) went 31-2 taking the state title. Virgin Valley’s winning percentage over the 13 season span is one of the great eras in Nevada high school team sports.
Whipple also served as a teacher at VVHS for 17 years. During his time at the school, he also served as FFA Advisor, student council advisor, dean and vice principal. He was named Southern Nevada’s Teacher of the Year in 1990-1991.
Whipple was the son of Elaine Whipple of Logandale and the late Jay Whipple. He was married to his high school sweetheart Jean Waymire and they are the parents of five children.
The VVHS Hall of Fame was started in 2011 to honor athletes, contributors, administrators, teachers and others for their contributions to the students of Virgin Valley.
Other members of this year’s class of inductees included Joe Bowler, Susan and Sherm Bennett, Harold Wittwer, Kent Anderson, David N. Anderson and Cecil Leavitt.
