Ed Jinks - 2009
Ed Jinks was a 1957 graduate of Tompkins High School. Ed excelled as a student athlete in track. Ed was the first hurdler in the history of the school. In his junior and senior seasons, he won the state championship in the high and low hurdles as well as the sprint medley. In 2008, Ed was inducted into the Woodville-Tompkins High School Hall of Fame. Ed’s success in high school allowed him the opportunity to earn a full scholarship to Florida A & M University where he graduated in 1961. Upon graduation, Ed returned to Tompkins as a teacher and coach. Ed coached football and track and in 1963 became the head coach of the boy’s basketball team. Ed’s teams were very successful and he led Tompkins to a State Championship for the 1979-80 season. That year he was also named the State Coach of the Year. Ed has also remained active in track and field having organized the Silver Cheetahs Track and Field/ Cross Country Club in 1992. The Silver Cheetahs are a nationally sanctioned club and the only one of its kind in the area.