The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Texas Lottery Veteran Recognition: Mal Wiley
08.30.2019 | Football
Army veteran and retired Austin Police Department investigator to be honored during coin toss when Texas Football hosts Louisiana Tech.
Mal Wiley grew up in a rural East Texas community where his family worked as farmers.
"When I was 10 years old I could plow with the mules just like the men could," Wiley said.
Wiley's hardworking childhood developed the character and resolve he relied upon during his more than 30 years of uniformed service, first as a defender of his nation and later as a peacekeeper in his community.
In June 1955, less than a week after his high school graduation, Wiley was on a plane to California for Army basic training. From there, he was dispatched to Maryland, one of 15 recruits selected for special electronics school.
"We were guinea pigs for 15 weeks to gather enough expertise to go out into the field and repair radar for a missile system," Wiley said.
He completed his training and received orders to report at an outpost near San Francisco. In the years following the Korean War, the Bay Area was guarded by a guided missile system. The artillery division staffed the missile stations, and Wiley was part of the team that went around and made repairs.
Wiley was discharged in 1958, and moved to Austin with his wife, Esther, and their young son. He got work driving a furniture delivery truck and as a nighttime janitor for the state health department.
"We got this memo that said the Austin Police Department was in need of black patrolmen," Wiley said. "I didn't have any idea I wanted to be a policeman. In my mind, I wanted to go back to school and become an educator. At the last minute, I decided I might as well take the exam."
He arrived to a room full of 50 exam takers and thought his chances were slim, but a week later he was notified he made it to the next round and eventually to the final three.
"Then I thought maybe this was getting kind of serious," Wiley said.
His first day on the job was Nov. 13, 1959 — a Friday. "But it was lucky for me," he said.
"It wasn't easy, but it wasn't difficult. I went to work at the police department at a time there were seven black officers. We were segregated," Wiley said. "I worked East Austin basically at night, walking the beat on East 12th Street. I was happy doing that."
He was the first black officer to work the Northwest Hills beat, and moved up to homicide detective in 1971.
Wiley retired in 1987 as an investigator in youth services.
His uniformed career was defined not by an imposing physicality, but a spiritual mentality. He listened, observed and commanded his position with dignity.
"I always tried to treat people fairly," Wiley said. "I didn't push my way into anything, but I didn't back down from anything. There was just something, once I put the uniform on, there wasn't any fear of anything occurring that I couldn't handle. I was always the person who tried to calm the situation."
Thanks to the Texas Lottery, great things are happening all across Texas. Every year, more than $1.5 billion of lottery revenue goes to good causes like public education and veterans' assistance programs.
Beginning with the first veterans' dedicated scratch ticket game in 2009, the Texas Lottery has now contributed over $119 million to the Fund for Veterans' Assistance.
Since 1992, the Texas Lottery has generated more than $29 billion in revenue for the state of Texas. Through strict adherence to their vision, mission and core values, the Texas Lottery is dedicated to ensuring that this support continues.
