Denny White honored by IATO

Mt. Pleasant’s Denny White has been a major part of the sport of track and field in Southeast Iowa for over 50 years, so it should come as no surprise that he was chosen for the annual Lowry-Wassink Distinguished Service Award in 2021.

The Iowa Association of Track Officials presented White with the award less than one year after his final high school track event. White hung up the flag after the 2021 state meet last spring.

White has had a distinguished career, which began in 1965. He is a former boys track coach at Mt. Pleasant and has officiated countless events, not only in the high school realm, but also for the Drake Relays and Missouri Valley Conference.

As a coach, White saw 28 individual and relay championships come to the Panther boys’ squad. Mt. Pleasant won the state title in 2000.

White, of course, is the namesake for the ‘Denny White Relays’ which take place every spring in Mt. Pleasant.

White was the second-straight local name to earn the award. The last distinguished service award was given to Columbus graduate Mike Jay, who is the public-address announcer at the state meet and also frequently calls the Denny White Relays in Mt. Pleasant. Jay picked up his award in 2019.