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GIVING BACK... On July 16 the Mo Williams Foundation held a silent auction at River Hills Country Club in Jackson to benefit The Boys and Girls Clubs of Central Mississippi. The event raised $30,0000 to benefit the charity. Pictured with Williams from left to right is Jon Anderson, BGCCM Board Chairman; Billy Redd, CEO BGCCM; Mo Williams; and Scott Polk, BGCCM Board Member. Photo by Greg Pevey - Mississippi Sports Magazine
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MISSISSIPPI SPORTS MAGAZINE - 3
MISSISSIPPI SEEN
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NONE BETTER... Jerry Rice was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame on August 7, 2010. Rice who is from Crawford, MS played his college ball at MS Valley State and spent 20 years in the NFL most notably with the San Francisco 49ers. While with the 49ers Rice was a member of three Super Bowl Championship teams and was named MVP in Super Bowl XXIII. Rice was named first-team All-Pro 11 consecutive seasons and voted to 13 Pro Bowls. Named a member of the NFL’s All-Decade Teams of 1980s and 1990s and was a member of the NFL’s 75th Anniversary Team. Photo by Elwin Williams MISSISSIPPI SPORTS MAGAZINE - 5
MISSISSIPPI SEEN
IN YOUR FACE... South Panola Junior defensive lineman Issac Cross (#99) gets up in Petal lineman Garrett Watts face during the Tigers 38-0 blowout win on August 21 to kick off their 6A Championship quest at Petal. The 2010 South Panola team is being hyped as possibly the best team ever to play high school football in Mississippi. The game drew a record crowd of over 10,000 fans at the Panthers new $7M football facility. Photo by Bobby McDuffie, Ocean Springs, MS 6 - MISSISSIPPI SPORTS MAGAZINE
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MSM
FROM THE PUBLISHER www.mssportsmagazine.com
Are High School Rivalries Going Too Far?
Volume 3, Issue 2 September/October 2010
A
h the good ol’ days back in the 80’s at Clinton High School were some of the best of my life. What great memories they were. I was fortunate enough to be coached by the legendary James “Booty” Sloan and got to play with some great guys although we fell one game short in ‘87 of the Class 5A Championship game thanks to Shane Matthews and Terrell Buckley of Pascagoula. Although those were great memories, I’d have to say my fellow classmates who did not play ball, well they did a totally different but very important job. They played security. Security? Well let me explain a little. There always seemed to be a few kids back then who loved to sneak over to Clinton or we’d have some Clinton kids try to sneak over to an opposing school and “roll” the yard or school sign with toilet paper. They would sneak over and climb onto the roof of either school and hang a painted bed sheet over the side with some type of derogatory message about them. Heck maybe even “grass” the school yard with their cars the night before the game. Very childish, but harmless pranks all in good fun. Heck, it was a rivalry. Back in my day we had several rivalries with Pearl, Brandon, Warren Central, and Forest Hill just to name a few. The “security” would stay on campus throughout the night to make sure no one came on campus to “roll”, “grass”, or “paint” the facilities. That was part of the fun you see. It was the rush of sneaking over and trying to do whatever it was you wanted to do without getting caught by “security” and having a melee occur before the cops got there. But what happened at Petal High School a few weeks ago and at Pearl High school the day before their match-up with Brandon has crossed the line. At Petal some kids thought it would be funny to alter the word “Panthers” on the facing of the brand new press box and change it to “Panties”. At Pearl, some kids spray painted “BHS” under the Pirate logo and also painted a bulldog paw on the nose of the Pirate on their $750,000 artificial turf field. Gone are the days of the natural grass fields and flimsy wooden bleachers and press boxes. Schools are spending millions of dollars on state-of-art football fields and stadiums. It was easy back then when I was in high school to wash off or mow over spray painted messages on a grass surface but it takes more time, effort and money to clean up spray paint off the facade of a press box at Petal or the artificial turf at Pirate Field. It seems some kids today have little to no respect to other peoples property. Luckily, the two 17 year old kids in Brandon were caught and from what we hear they were charged as adults with felony malicious mischief. As punishment, (I read a few Facebook comments about this) some suggest let the students be charged with hundreds of community service hours to occur at each high school they vandalized. It would be quite the scene to see these kids mopping floors and cleaning bathrooms, or even cleaning up trash at each stadium for the remainder of the season. I think the embarrassment of being seen by their peers while performing these chores would be punishment enough.
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Published by Pevey Publishing, LLC Publishers Greg & Mendy Pevey Featured Columnists Steven Godfrey, Brian Hadad, Mike Frazer Contributing Writers Erik Bartlam, John Davis, Cary Estes, Steven Godfrey, Tonya M. Huffman, Paul Jones Contributing Photographers Greg Pevey, Atlanta Falcons, Mike Frascogna, Ole Miss Sports Information, Miss. State Sports Information Advertising Sales Greg Pevey, Jay Pevey Mississippi Sports Magazine™ is published bimonthly by Pevey Publishing, LLC to promote Mississippi’s sportsmen and women, colleges, universities, high schools, communities and citizens in an informative and positive manner. We welcome contributions of articles and photos; however, they will be subject to editing and availability of space and subject matter. Photographs, comments, questions, subscription requests and ad placement inquiries are invited! Return envelopes and postage must accompany all labeled materials submitted if a return is requested. No portion of this publication may be reproduced without written permission of the publisher. The opinions expressed in Mississippi Sports Magazine are those of the authors or columnists and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, nor do they constitute an endorsement of products or services herein. We reserve the right to refuse any advertisement. Pevey Publishing, LLC is not affiliated with any institution, college, university, or other academic or athletic organization. Subscriptions are $24 (1 year, 6 issues). Make checks payable to Pevey Publishing, LLC and mail to: 405 Knights Cove West, Brandon, MS 39047 or subscribe online at www.mssportsmagazine.com.
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MSM
September/ October 2010
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C O N TEN T S 12 GODFREY’S TAKE
Steven Godfrey - Stadium Etiquette
13 BRIAN HADAD
How to Win Friends and Influence People at Five and Seven
16 RUNNING FOR RILEY
Erin and Mitch Bleske of Madison Start Running to Bring Awareness for Daughter’s Disability
18 THE NEW GUY
New MSU A.D. Scott Stricklin Wants to Finish What Greg Byrne Started and More
20 NO DOUBT HE’S A REBEL
Voice of the Ole Miss Rebels David Kellum
26 THIS DOCTOR IS
ALWAYS IN
Southern Miss Alum and Mississippi Native Matt Hinton is Yahoo Sports College Football Guru
30 FLYING WITH THE FALCONS
Football’s Two Time Bulldog Flies as a Falcon
Mississippi’s College Football Guru - pg. 26
38 NATURAL-BORN RACER
Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. of Olive Branch is ready to make his move from the Mississippi short tracks to NASCAR success
42 MISSISSIPPI’S STORYTELLERS
Frascogna Family Continues Book Series with Book on Bull Cyclone Sullivan Storytellers - pg. 42
MISSISSIPPI SPORTS MAGAZINE - 9
MSM
W H AT I F. . .
“BIG 3” DREAM TEAM Every football season fans bring up the topic “What if Mississippi had only one Division I four-year college that fielded a football team.” Well MSM is bringing that dream to a reality with our 2010 BIG 3 DREAM TEAM. Would this collection bring a BCS National Title home to Mississippi? HEAD COACH: HOUSTON NUTT, OLE Miss DEF. COORDINATOR: TYRONE NIX, OLE Miss OFF. COORDINATOR: LARRY FEDORA, Southern Miss OFF. MVP: DeANDRE BROWN, Southern Miss; DEF. MVP: JERRELL POWE, OLE Miss
offense
defense
QB - AUSTIN DAVIS
DE - PERNELL McPHEE
RB - BRANDON BOLDEN
DL - JERREL POWE
RB - ROBERT ELLIOTT
DL - LAWON SCOTT
WR - DeANDRE BROWN
DE - KENTRELL LOCKETT
WR - MARKEITH SUMMERS
LB - JONATHAN CORNELL
OL - BRADLEY SOWELL
LB - K.J. WRIGHT
OL - BOBBIE MASSIE
LB - KOREY WILLIAMS
OL - DERRICK SHERROD
DB - C.J. BAILEY
OL - J.C. BRIGNONE
DB - JOHNNY BROWN
OL - RISHAW JOHNSON
DB - COREY BROOMFIELD
TE - ferbia allen
DB - JONATHAN BANKS
Southern Miss Ole Miss
MISS. STATE
Southern Miss Ole Miss ole Miss ole Miss
miss. state miss. state ole Miss ole Miss
10 - MISSISSIPPI SPORTS MAGAZINE
MISS. STATE OLE Miss OLE Miss OLE MISS OLE MISS
MISS. STATE
SOUTHERN MISS SOUTHERN MISS OLE MISS
MISS. STATE MISS. STATE
Expect more life lessons. Sports can teach us a lot about life and a lot about ourselves. Like the importance of setting goals and coming up with a plan to reach them. That’s why Regions always starts by listening to you and learning what drives you each day. Then we work harder than anyone to help you get where you’re going. So whether you’re opening your first checking account or starting your first business, you can count on our strength and stability while we handle the heavy lifting and let you enjoy the thrill of victory.
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MISSISSIPPIMississippi SPORTS Sports MAGAZINE Magazine- -11 11
MSM
G O D F R E Y ’ S TA K E
Sit Down, Stand Up, or Just Stand Down: Stadium Etiquette
By Steven Godfrey Featured Columnist
I
’ve waxed with equal parts nostalgia and terror in this publication about my Egg Bowl indoctrination 11 years ago as a college freshman. Standing in the Mississippi State student section clad in Ole Miss colors resulted in routine showers of alcohol and ice, and after State’s win, my bright red Rebels hat was snatched off my head (without my actual head attached, thankfully), passed among the revelers and then lit on fire roughly twenty rows below. No harm, no foul Bulldogs: It’s Chinatown. The student section of any SEC stadium is a lawless, subversive collection of the sweaty, angry and inebriated. Consider it a latter day Deadwood spread across a slope of concrete and soaked in alcohol. Even as an almost 30-something I haven’t lost my reverence for the mania of the student section, but I’m starting to see how its lawless atmosphere poorly prepares the post-grad crowd to enjoy a football game. Years removed from my actual undergraduate years and then a subsequent stint in sports journalism, the acclimation to occupying a normal seat in a normal section as a normal fan hasn’t been easy. There are apparently rules to stadium behavior, which is news to every post-grad buying their first season tickets as an alum The only rule among students was that there weren’t any. A shoddy collection of unspoken courtesies (feel free to vomit, just not on your neighbor) were observed, but it’s nothing like the bastion of do’s and don’t present in the rest of the stadium. Stand up. Sit down. Don’t stand up. Don’t sit down. Don’t curse. Don’t yell. Don’t yell. Unfortunately the homogenous agreement among youths a student section is nowhere 12 - MISSISSIPPI SPORTS MAGAZINE
else to be found in the rest of the stadium. People old and young, tea totaling and inebriated, able bodied and arthritic are all forced to cohabitate for a shared passion over three hours. After extensive message board polling among the two SEC fan bases in the Magnolia State, I’ve collected the following guidelines for the three biggest and most discussed stadium behavior problems, with some advice from message board posters at NAFOOM (www.nafoom.com) and The Six Pack (www. sixpackspeak.com) Alcohol “As long as you’re not ruining the experience for someone else and their family, it’s okay to drink in my book. If you get to the point where you’re belligerent, stumbling, puking, etc., then you need to take your a-- somewhere, preferably back to the tailgate.” (User: Jmbeck) “Refrain from commentary after EVERY play. Drunks are good for a good zinger every now and again, but if I have to hear your drunka-- opinion on everything under the sun, you are annoying. (User: ckDOG ) “A good rule of thumb, I think, is ‘when two or more people are glaring, you’re probably being an a--hole.’” (User: IvoryTower) The rule is moderation. That doesn’t mean sobriety, but just a manageable drunkenness. North Mississippi is dominated by a Southern Baptist culture desperately out of touch with 2010, but alcohol is free flowing on game days. The problem with that contradiction of social norms is that a crammed set of bleachers allows no room for a drunk to stumble, carouse and to endlessly opine about the referee’s mother in slurred tones without letting people who don’t partake to get the heck away from you. Get pleasantly drunk, by all means. But a stadium isn’t the ideal place to get truly blacked out. Kids in Stadiums “It seems like there is credibility to ‘mind the
children in the Grove!’ argument, but not so much in the game. If you can parent your kid in such a way to have them expect a bit of naughty behavior, then yeah, bring the kid to the game and share some memories. Just don’t expect the world to be considerate and help you raise your offspring according to your standards. (User: Donthitagirl) “If your child requires a diaper bag, toys, and ungodly amounts of other stuff, you need to have secured enough seats for it all. Don’t try to hold junior, his dinosaur, and his diaper bag on your lap, you’re taking the people’s space beside you. While you should expect not to encounter a scene similar to Rick’s on Saturday night, you shouldn’t expect everyone to act like they’re in Sunday School either.” (User: Jmbeck) “Your kids should just understand that at a football game you’re going to hear some ‘colorful’ talk. A degree of such talk is part of the experience, like seeing a rhino poop when you visit the zoo. You should just laugh to yourself.” (User: SwampFoot) The rule is appropriate ages. While your child might light up the world you live in, neighboring fans might want to stomp that little flame into the dirt after two quarters of constant moving, crying and general fussiness. The median suggested age for kids to not only get something out of the gameday experience AND behave was five years old. And if you haven’t had (or refuse to have) the profanity discussion about little mouths repeating colorful phrases, don’t go to the game. Then again, if you’re that averse to profanity you’re probably not a football fan. Standing Up (And Sitting Down) This is the Middle East conflict of football fans. Observe the fervor: “Standing the whole game is for teenagers. There always seems to be a proper ebb and flow to standing. Go with it.” (User: Jake)
SEE GODFREY - STADIUM Continued on Page 41
BRIAN HADAD
MSM
How to Win Friends and Influence People at Five and Seven
By BRIAN HADAD Featured Columnist
K
im Kardashian. Spencer Pratt. Kato Kaelin. What do these people have in common? They are famous for no apparent reason, literally famous for being famous. The list of people who have become pop culture icons without any redeeming achievement grows larger by the day, as a parade of reality tv stars, pampered heirs and heiresses, and celebrity divorcees feeds a culture of television viewers who watch every step these people take. In the athletic world, it’s wins and losses that get you noticed. Any informed discussion about who is the best coach or player invariably turns to how many championships they were able to lead their team to. But one man has soared high above his sphere, and has garnered unbelievable acclaim without actually doing anything of importance. It is truly a rare feat where one losing season catapults you into a discussion of elite coaches, especially in the win at all costs SEC. But that is exactly what has happened to Mississippi State head coach Dan Mullen this offseason. Now, as I always have to do, let me preface these remarks by saying there is no bigger Bulldog fan than I. I have bled maroon and white at the near cost of my sanity these past thirty some odd years, have traveled from Columbia to Fayetteville following my team, and spent untold hours on the internet hoping to glean any insight into the day to day habits of a seventeen year old kid who happens to run fast and wants to play in Starkville. But even I have been forced to shake my head at some of the things that have been said about Coach Mullen since State walked off the field in November. Somehow on the back of one losing season, Mullen has become one of the hottest commodities in coaching. I’m almost glad Ty-
son Lee couldn’t push the ball in against LSU, because at 6-6, Mullen may have gotten the USC job. A recent column by The Nashville Tennessean’s David Climer ranked Mullen as the third best coach in the SEC. Mullen was ranked ahead of coaches that have combined for seven SEC divisional titles, ten SEC championships, fifteen BCS equivalent bowls, and two national titles. Only Nick Saban and Urban Meyer were ahead of him, and those two may well be the best coaches in college football, period. And of course, for the twenty minutes Urban Meyer wasn’t the head coach at Florida, ESPN shined a heavy light on Mullen as the possible successor. Imagine a school with Florida’s money, tradition, and power hiring a coach with a 5-7 career record? Even with his intimate connections to the Gator program, it seems almost improbable to think it might have happened. But from many accounts, had Meyer not had his change of heart, Mullen would have been among the favorites for that job. Regardless of what team you cheer for, no one can deny Dan Mullen has done a tremendous job of becoming famous within coaching circles despite nothing to show for it. Of course, Mullen’s resume reaches far deeper than that record. He took a Bulldog offense that was…abysmal?....horrific?.... stomach-turning?....let’s go with abysmal, and made them respectable literally overnight, with a walk-on quarterback at the helm. That point cannot be stressed enough. I cannot imagine in the history of the SEC that any team started a quarterback every game of the season that had no scholarship offer, not even from his own team. With even that little threat of the passing game, Mississippi State led the conference in rushing yards per game, and finished seventh overall, 65th nationally. That national finish may not seem that impressive until you look back at the previous five years, when MSU never finished higher than 103rd. His first year team scored only nineteen points less than the previous “coaching staff ” was able to muster in their first two full seasons. Mullen was finally able to get Anthony Dixon to turn the lights on, and he responded by leading the SEC in rushing. Clearly, Coach Mullen understands how modern college football offense is supposed to work, and is able to achieve respectable results even with a
number of players that were unlikely to make the two deep at Florida or LSU. Coach Mullen is also quick to react to what he perceives as weaknesses. His handling of the Bulldog defense is a prime example. Mullen brought veteran coordinator Carl Torbush in for his first season, and then spent the year lamenting how vanilla our defensive schemes were. He made it clear he wanted to have a defensive coordinator of a similar, attacking mind-set to him, and so he went out this winter and brought in Manny Diaz from Middle Tennessee State. From all accounts, Diaz is the Diet Coke of Joe Lee Dunn, aggressive but not reckless, and he will turn the Bulldog defense loose this fall. Mullen has also attacked the lack of depth at receiver left behind by the previous staff, signing fourteen players at the position out of fifty-three signees. For comparison, second most would be offensive linemen at seven signees. Mullen knows his offense needs speed, and has pulled out the stops to get the fleet of foot into Starkville. So the big question remains, is Dan Mullen worth the hype? As you can probably guess, the answer lies somewhere in between the third best coach in the conference and the Cousin Eddie references you’ll see on the Rebel message boards. (TSUN!) Mullen is a very good coach, and a great play caller. When you go back and watch any of State’s games last year, you can easily see it was execution and talent, not the play calling that hurt them. In the key mid season stretch versus LSU, Georgia Tech, and Houston, the Bulldogs averaged over 450 yards per game and 27 points, but lost all three on the back of a -10 turnover margin. Mullen clearly can get it done on offense, and as he continues to improve talent and depth through recruiting, looks to be able to put a good offense on the field. If the Bulldogs can cut the turnovers down, and improve the defense even marginally, combined with a easier schedule, a bowl game is certainly within grasp. If Mullen is able to extract any passing offense from the Chris Relf/ Tyler Russell combo, it’s possible the Bulldog offense could be even more dangerous despite the loss of Anthony Dixon. Mullen would then be worthy of some of the mountain of hype he has received this offseason. Another disappointing season, and well, there’s still hope to get a higher paying job. Just ask Lane Kiffin. - MSM MISSISSIPPI SPORTS MAGAZINE - 13
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JACKSON
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MSM
A R O U N D T H E S TAT E
Running for Riley - BY ERIK BARTLAM Contributing Writer
M
itch Bleske insists that he hates to run. Yet this October he and his wife, Erin, will be running in the Chicago Marathon. There must be a story there, and indeed there is. Most of its elements are typical. Space for training has been shoe-horned into their daily routine. They’ve competed in 5Ks and half-marathons in preparation for the big event. There have been injuries and pains. Like most runners they’re both highly motivated, but it’s here that their story takes an uncommon turn. Both are driven by personal pride and an inward focused competitive spirit that’s common among “runners.” Mitch ran in his first 5K, Hit the Bricks, in 2009 because his wife signed him up for it. By simply placing a goal in front of him, she had convinced him to run. It’s that hair-trigger response to a challenge that keeps one foot in front of the other for most runners. In the case of Mitch and Erin, these personal motivations are secondary. Mitch and Erin are running for Riley Grace. Riley Grace Bleske is their daughter, and she has Rett Syndrome. Rett is a devastating neurological condition that affects girls. During the first year these girls appear to develop normally. Then they begin to have trouble grasping things and eventually lose the ability to control their arms. Some, like Riley, end up constantly wringing their hands. Their breathing can become frighteningly irregular. Eventually they lose the ability to communicate and seizures can become a problem. The Rett Syndrome Research Fund describes it as the disorder as the “symptoms of autism, cerebral palsy, Parkinson’s, epilepsy, and anxiety 16 - MISSISSIPPI SPORTS MAGAZINE
disorder all in one little girl.” This is Riley’s life, and that’s what Mitch and Erin had to process in 2008 when she was diagnosed with Rett Syndrome. From the beginning they knew they had to take action. As baffling as it all was, they couldn’t just sit around and take it. The first thing they had to do was move. Riley was born in Blairsville, Georgia. Mitch says it is a beautiful area, but the schools and medical infrastructure there are wholly unequipped to deal with the kind of problems Riley was facing. Mitch admits “I never dreamed we’d be living in Jackson, Mississippi,” but he was offered a good job at Trustmark Bank. According to Mitch they understood his family’s circumstances and have been nothing but supportive. In Madison they discovered a well equipped
school. Among other things, Riley would have a Speech Pathologist for a teacher. Jackson would keep them in striking distance of Birmingham where one the best Rett specialists in the country operates. The more they studied the area, the better Jackson looked. In June of 2008, they packed up and headed this way. Having settled on a new location, they began to think about what they could do to
on a whim, but there was wine involved. One evening they began talking again about what they could do. Sometime during the second bottle of wine, Erin got on the computer and “found” the Chicago Marathon. “What about that?” she asked. In the moment, Mitch didn’t hesitate. After months of training, he says he’s “not sure they realized what they were getting into.”
Photo by Mississippi Sports Magazine
actively participate in the fight against Rett. They had to accept that managing their daughter’s condition was the best they could hope for, but they could help other families dealing with Rett. They could educate people on what Rett is and help fund research and ultimately help in finding a cure. That brings us back to the Chicago Marathon and two different versions of how the decision to run in it came about. According the Mitch, the decision to run in the Chicago Marathon wasn’t exactly made
They might not have known what they were getting into, but Erin did. Her account of the decision is more lucid than her husbands, “I picked the Chicago Marathon because it’s supposed to be the easiest one for first-timers because it’s a flat course and it’s cool there in October.” Turns out that 5K she signed Mitch up for was the beginning of his training. The reader can decide what role the wine may have played in Erin’s understanding of the story. They both agree that the decision involved a desire to do something that wouldn’t be
easy. “One of the hardest things,” confesses Mitch, “is asking for help especially asking for money.” Running is a way for them to feel like they are earning the money that they are asking for. The Bleskes have set up a blog (http:// riley-grace.blogspot.com/) where readers can follow the family’s activities, get a feel for the challenges and joys of raising Riley, and follow Mitch and Erin as they train for the Chicago Marathon. There’s also a place for pledging money based on a per mile basis.. The money will go to International Rett Syndrome Foundation (www.rettsyndrome.org) to help families dealing with Rett and to fund research for a cure. That is the ultimate goal. For now there is no cure and someone has to be with Riley at all times. She can’t walk without assistance. Every bite she takes has to be hand fed and monitored. They also have two other daughters that need their attention and affection. Erin runs in the morning and Mitch runs at night. They can’t possibly train at the same time. On top of everything, both of them have had to deal with injuries. Until about a month ago, Mitch couldn’t run without pain due to popliteus tendonitis. It’s been a struggle, but that’s what they were looking for. “It sounds corny,” says Mitch, but “we figured since everyday is a struggle for Riley we should do something that would be a struggle for us.” The reader can decide whether that’s corny or poetic. It’s been a positive experience though. Mitch says he used to be afraid of running, but he’s found out he can handle it. After competing in a mini-sprint triathlon, he’s discovered that a triathlon might be something he’d like to pursue. He says his wife has really taken to the running. “I don’t think I could do it without her,” he says, “but she could do it without me.” He says she’s got a strong internal power that drives her, and he’s just trying to keep up. They recently finished a half marathon in Minnesota, and they finished it together. Mitch had been worried that the training time he lost due to injury might hold him back, but when Erin’s asked if he was able to keep up she just laughs. Riley’s facing a hard struggle, but she can be thankful of one thing and that’s her parents. They are both very positive people who have refused to take Riley’s diagnosis lying down. They aren’t looking for pity, they’re trying to make a difference for their daughter and all the little girls that are dealing with this awful and baffling condition. As bad as it is though, they both insist that she’s in there. Mitch can see it in her eyes. She loves bath time, and fruit loops, and school. “I don’t want people to look at her and say she’ll never get better,” Erin insists, “so why bother.” There’s still a little girl in there, and that’s why Mitch and Erin are running. - MSM MISSISSIPPI SPORTS MAGAZINE - 17
MSM
THE SIDELINES
Photo courtesy Mississippi State Sports Information
The New Guy
New MSU Athletic Director Scott Stricklin wants to finish what Greg Byrne started, and then some - BY PAUL JONES Bulldogjunction.com
E
arlier this year, Scott Stricklin’s dream became a reality. In fact, the Mississippi State athletic director admits his first day on the job wasn’t much more than a blur with a “surreal” atmosphere. Of course, considering his path to his current job, no one could blame Stricklin for feeling that way.
18 - MISSISSIPPI SPORTS MAGAZINE
In the spring of 2010, Stricklin became MSU’s ‘Top Dawg’ when he replaced former athletic director Greg Byrne, who left Starkville to take the same position at Arizona. “My first day was a Monday and honestly,
I don’t remember much about it because the whole thing was surreal,” said Stricklin. “I had a lot of excitement about a dream-come-true type of opportunity. “I think we have a lot of momentum around here and I didn’t want to do anything to mess that up. So I just started with an attitude of business-as-usual.” Yes, his new gig is Stricklin’s first show as a school’s athletic director. But he had plenty of practice, and experience, that has prepared him for the journey ahead. In his previous two years on campus,
Stricklin was MSU’s associate athletic director and was Byrne’s ‘right-hand’ man. Before returning to his alma mater in 2008, Stricklin served on athletic department staffs at Kentucky, Auburn, Baylor and Tulane. When Byrne was in talks with Arizona, Stricklin said his then-boss gave him some encouraging words. But he didn’t start believing his dream could become reality until later in the MSU hiring process. “Yeah, I didn’t until later on,” said Stricklin, the school’s 16th athletic director. “I was privileged with some of Greg’s talks when he was first offered by Arizona back in January and he shared some stuff with me. He told me that if he went (to Arizona), then I would have a good shot at the job. I thought that was just him being nice and wasn’t sure how serious he was. “But two or three days after Greg’s announcement came out, I was talking to somebody and they said something that really hit me. I started to think I might be in decent shape here and I didn’t want to screw it up. I didn’t campaign or anything like that. It was just a good feeling.” Now several months later and settled into his new title, Stricklin has familiarity with the MSU athletic program, and the benefits of him knowing his surroundings. As noted, he’s worked at other SEC programs in the past. But there’s nothing like working for your alma mater, he said. “It helps if you have knowledge of the institution,” said Stricklin, a 1992 MSU graduate. “That first year that you’re at a school can be the hardest if you’re not familiar with that school. There’s a lot of excitement because everything’s new. But there’s a lot of feeling like you don’t know back stories and history, and you have to learn a lot of that on the fly. “I know a lot of the history, though. I can tell you where I was in 1980 when we beat Alabama 6-3. I can tell you where I was when Burke Masters hit the grand slam in 1990. And I call tell you where I was when we beat Cincinnati in 1996 to go the Final Four. I know people here and I know those stories and it’s a great benefit. This business is built on relationships and the stronger the relationships are, the better off you are going to be.” Just viewing from his office window, though, Stricklin has witnessed numerous changes on campus since he was a student. And it’s all been positive changes, he said. “Physically, it’s changed quite a bit,” said Stricklin. “We’re sitting in a building (Bryan Building) that wasn’t even here in 1993. Campus has surely changed quite a bit with the Junction and other new places. “We’re going to have over 19,000 students here this year. So it’s a vibrant, growing campus community. I remember coming here a few years ago when I was at Kentucky. A guy sitting next to me said I should be proud of
my alma mater. He said Mississippi State has changed the way they present themselves more than anyone else in this conference. I feel the same way and that sums it up. It’s grown bigger and better and more beautiful.” Other than the job title, however, Stricklin said many of his job duties are similar to his former roles at Mississippi State. Whether or not the rest of his staff are MSU graduates, he said their work production remains the same. “It’s really similar to how it’s been the last two years except I’m in a different office now with different responsibilities,” noted Stricklin. “I really think, in college athletics, it’s a great story when you’re working at your alma mater. But I worked 15 years at other schools. “Plus, I know we have people here working at Mississippi State that didn’t go to Mississippi State. But they work extremely hard and give great effort every day. If you’re the kind of person we want at Mississippi State, you’re always going to work hard because of the institution.” Stricklin took over a program that showed glimpses of success last year, as well as head coaches that were also new to campus. On the diamond, head coach John Cohen recently completed his second year at the helm. Over on the gridiron, Dan Mullen capped off his debut campaign on the upswing with a dominating performance in the Egg Bowl. Of course, year-in and year-out, head coach Rick Stansbury has the basketball Bulldogs eying championships. And MSU women’s head coach Sharon Fanning is fresh off a ‘Sweet Sixteen’ season. Concerning athletics as a whole, Stricklin said his goals are simple for his student-athletes, and attainable. “I say this all the time but I want our kids to be successful academically and athletically,” said Stricklin of his yearly goals. “I want us to sell every ticket that we can. I want us to generate a lot of revenue and raise a lot of money through private support. And I want us to win a bunch of ball games and win championships. “That’s the goal every day and you chip away every day at that goal. You have more success in some areas than others and eventually, you hope to achieve as much as possible.” As far as his goals for ticket sales, Stricklin reached that goal and in a short period of time. For the first time in school history, MSU sold over 40,000 season football tickets in 2009. This year, MSU again surpassed the 40,000 mark and set a new school record. “I thought we had a chance to getting close to what we had last year,” said Stricklin of the record ticket sales. “If you keep in mind, last year was the first year we got over 40,000. I thought we had a chance because of the momentum and the way the season ended. “But history will tell you, anytime we don’t
have that home schedule that includes Alabama, LSU and Ole Miss, our ticket numbers take a drop. Because of that, I didn’t know how close we would get. I was surprised we surpassed it and more surprised we did it five weeks before the season starts. It’s really encouraging and it opens up a whole new view of what we need to do going forward.” Naturally, with season tickets in high demand, the talk of expansion of Davis Wade Stadium has followed suit. But before anything takes place in the future, Stricklin wanted to make sure he had a “playbook”. Like any good coach would say. “It’s real important to have that communication with our fans and administration,” said Stricklin, who also noted the new basketball facility should be concluded in January or February of 2011, barring any bad weather conditions. “When fans hear 75,000-seats and that expansion 20 years from now, I think they think number one, that’s a big number and number two, why are you waiting 20 years. “But I want a long-range and short-term steps to try to get us there. When I say a 20year plan or a long-term deal, I want to design a playbook. Then I want to figure out the steps of how we’re going to execute it. We have a great opportunity from the way we can renovate Davis Wade Stadium and the way we can enhance. We want to improve the experience for the fans and have more seating opportunities this week.” In order to keep up with the Jones’, or SEC brothers in this matter, Stricklin added selling tickets is a must along with the private donations. All of that goes hand in hand to putting a competitive product on the field and keeping up in the SEC. “I think it’s real important that we have the mind-set that we’re going to compete at the highest level,” said Stricklin. “And we’re in the Southeastern Conference so by definition, we’re competing at the highest level. To do that, we’ve got to grow our resources. While we’re doing that, we’ve got to be smart and aggressive and use the resources we have. “If you wait to get every resource you have before you try to be successful, it will never happen. We need to work hard every day for the short term things. That means growing with your ticket base, with your Bulldog Club membership and looking for other ways to increase revenues. Those resources help you do things like retain your top staff, build facilities and attract great student-athletes.” And like his experience thus far as MSU’s athletic director, Stricklin knows only one way to compete. “You start fast and gradually build up more speed,” Stricklin said with a laugh. “There’s no other way to attack it.” - MSM MISSISSIPPI SPORTS MAGAZINE - 19
Photo courtesy Ole Miss Sports Information
MSM
F E AT U R E S T O R Y
There’s No Doubt He’s A Rebel
I
f you’re a fan of the Ole Miss Rebels, then you’ve heard his voice before. Even if you’re just a casual fan of the football, basketball and baseball teams, then you’ve heard him calling the action and
remember some of his most memorable descriptions of the action on the field or hardwood. - BY JOHN DAVIS The Oxford Eagle
Photo courtesy Ole Miss Sports Information
F 20 - MISSISSIPPI SPORTS MAGAZINE
or Lafayette County native David Kellum, radio, and calling the action for the Ole Miss Rebels, has been a passion for over 30 years. Kellum’s style is quintessentially his own and from the description of the action before, during and after the game, his allegiance to the Rebels never falters.
There doesn’t seem to be a point in Kellum’s life where he wasn’t on the radio. From the time he was a senior at Lafayette County High School, Kellum has been doing play-by-play for some team, somewhere. In his early days, he called high school football games and football for Northwest Mississippi Community College. Since 1989, he’s called the action for all three major sports at Ole Miss, and loved every minute doing it. His love for sports goes back to his childhood and high school days when he was a four-sport athlete himself. It was the understanding of sports, and wanting to remain in the sports world, that ultimately led him into his current oc-
ON THE AIR: KELLUM along-side former Ole Miss basketball great Keith Carter doing play-by-play for Rebel basketball.
cupation. “I enjoy this now as much as I did day one. When I was in high school, I played football, basketball, baseball, tennis and ran track for a little while. I was too slow for track so they basically kicked me off the track team. But I played four sports and I love them all,” Kellum said. “Back then you really didn’t emphasize just one sport. I was pretty good in all of them, an average high school player, not a great high school player. I actually got an offer to play football at Northwest. I went to one of their games and saw how bad I would get killed and decided that wasn’t for me. “I always had this desire to do radio even at a young age. I thought that I could be on the radio, be a radio announcer. I don’t know if I
had enough insight to know I wasn’t going to be in the Major Leagues or a college athlete,” Kellum added. “I thought it would be cool to be in radio. At Lafayette, we started a gifted program called “Gateway” and Ricky (Mize) and Jim Smith did a weekly radio show my senior year for the school and out of that we all ended up in radio.” Kellum’s first big break in radio happened thanks to his mother working at Ole Miss in the theater department. When he was visiting her on campus, he happened to overhear a man asking about somebody who could broadcast the Southeastern Conference baseball tournament that was being held at the old Swayze Field. Kellum jumped at the opportunity, and his career in radio started.
“My goal from the beginning was to try and get into sports broadcasting. I wanted to be the voice of the Rebels some day. I didn’t know if I could actually do that because I really appreciate how hard it is to get one of these jobs. There are only 12 people in the world that are doing Southeastern Conference lead announcing jobs. I’m one of 12. It used to be just 10. Then you throw basketball in there and doing all three major sports, there are only like four or five of us doing that,” Kellum said. “My senior year at high school, I was out at my mother’s office. She was in theater and radio and TV were under her office at that time. It was the first SEC Tournament in ‘77 and the campus wanted to broadcast it. I don’t know why. It would have been on campus only so MISSISSIPPI SPORTS MAGAZINE - 21
that three teachers could even hear it. They didn’t have anyone that could do it and I heard this guy talking about it walking through the hall and I said ‘I can do it.’ I wasn’t even an Ole Miss student. He didn’t know that and I wasn’t going to tell him. I did the SEC Tournament for the campus radio station my senior year in high school.” At that point in Kellum’s life, getting on the radio, anywhere, was all he cared about. Luckily for him, his experience broadcasting the SEC Tournament parlayed into a future with Ole Miss. He started from the ground level, hosting the pregame show for football, and doing the sideline reports. He continued to broadcast the Ole Miss baseball home games in 1978 and in the meantime, he also did women’s basketball. Then in 1989, he added the two other major sports to his resume. Kellum said he will never forget the call he got from radio owner Steve Davenport telling me I would be the new “Voice of the Rebels” before the 1989 season. “I had been doing women’s basketball and baseball for 10 years, so it’s not that they didn’t know who I was. When the job opened up, when Tom Stocker was here, I was hoping to have an opportunity. I put in my resume and all of that. I did follow through and sent some audio for them to listen to,” Kellum said. “They looked at a lot of professional people, they really did, and then they called me. Steve called me and said look, I’m about to make your day. I said what’s that? He said you’re going to be the ‘Voice of the Rebels.’ That was awesome for me to hear because I grew wanting to do it and admiring the people that were doing it.” Davenport gave Kellum some advice on how to call the games, but he really remembers the advice he received from former Ole Miss Athletics Director Warner Alford shortly after he was hired. “Warner called me and asked me to come by his office. Knowing Warner in those days, you didn’t want to go by his office. I went by
Photo courtesy Ole Miss Sports Information
no reason for me to try and become some personality or some celebrity. It has happened, I am because I feel that from fans on a regular basis. But I had no intentions of ever doing that. I wanted to put the coaches first and the players first.” Kellum has become a celebrity, whether he likes it or not, because of what he does and the way he executes his job. He said he studied several people in the business along the way,
Jack did. Jack Cristal, back when I became the ‘Voice of the Rebels,’ back in ‘89, he called me and congratulated me. You would think that Ole Miss and State is always hate, hate, hate, but he was wonderful to me. He told me he looked forward to working with me,” Kellum said. “Jack Cristal, even to this day, is still one of the best technicians in broadcasting. He was extremely efficient about down and distance. He would say that the fans didn’t have
“If you call me a homer, you’re right. If you don’t like it, too bad. If you picked me up and put me at another school or on the Major League level, could I do those games and not be a homer? Absolutely. It wouldn’t be a problem at all.” and he told me about this broadcast you’re going to do,” Kellum said. “He told me that there were two things he wanted me to remember. He said you have got to give the score a lot. I pretty much knew that already, but I was about to do the big sport and he wanted me to take care of business. The second thing he said he always wanted me to remember was that the coaches and the players are the stars, not you. “I took that to heart, I really did. There was 22 - MISSISSIPPI SPORTS MAGAZINE
including Mississippi State’s legendary Jack Cristil and former Ole Miss announcer Stan Torgeson, and then added his own mark to calling the action. “Even at Ole Miss, we didn’t have a playby-play school. A lot of the radio guys, you’ve got to do so much more than just a television guy. You’re having to give a lot of details that someone can visually see on television. I learned that at an early age. But I listened to everybody. People will give you advice and
any eyes so to make sure that they always knew what was going on. What the time on the clock was, give the score until you’re sick of doing it.” “I worked with Stan. I would say that my style is as close to Stan as anybody else. The unique thing about being a graduate of the school and doing the play-by-play, I almost have a license to be a homer which is cool,” Kellum continued. “If you call me a homer, you’re right. If you don’t like it, too bad. If you
Photo courtesy Ole Miss Sports Information
picked me up and put me at another school or on the Major League level, could I do those games and not be a homer? Absolutely. It wouldn’t be a problem at all.” The right to be a homer may upset those that are not Rebel fans, but there are many who love Ole Miss that can’t wait to hear what Kellum has to say each broadcast. “I have always, from day one, rooted for Ole Miss. It’s just more natural for me to be this
sion of the fans. That’s what I am. I’m a pretty humble guy. The people that run in to me in town don’t think of me as anything special. They just say that’s David. The best complement you can get from somebody is ‘I listened to you and I felt like I was right there at the game.’ When you get that type of complement, you know that you’re doing good.” There have been many memorable games since the start of the 1989 season, and Kellum
out,” Kellum said. “Probably the most amazing thing for me in football was The Stand against Mississippi State (in 1992). It was just unbelievable. If you had no connection with either school and you watched that, to realize that there were 11 plays from the 8-yard line in and the team couldn’t score to win the game. I don’t think I’ll see that again. It wasn’t just supposed to be that way. It happened. It just wasn’t supposed to be that.
“I have always, from day one, rooted for Ole Miss. It’s just more natural for me to be this way than the other. If I had tried to be more neutral, I think people would have said ‘He’s an Ole Miss grad, why doesn’t he get excited when we score?’ way than the other. If I had tried to be more neutral, I think people would have said ‘He’s an Ole Miss grad, why doesn’t he get excited when we score?’ I think we as Ole Miss fans had grown accustomed to Stan Torgeson for a while. Stan was that way. You could tell he was disappointed if things didn’t go well for the Rebels,” Kellum said. “I was raised on that and thought this was the way to do this. I think a lot of the fans appreciate that I’m one of them. I’ve always considered myself an exten-
said there are few that always stick out. “The Hit in football in Little Rock when Chris Mitchell made that great play. The irony of that was Shawn Cobb, who was the leading tackler on the team, missed (Ron Dickerson) on the sidelines. If he would have not missed him, he would have gotten out of bounds and they would have gotten another play. He misses him, Chauncey Godwin slowed him and then Creek Mitchell finished him off, dropped him short of the goal line and the clock ran
“Outside of the unusual, I don’t really have a favorite game. It’s all about the relationships with the coaches that have come through and the players,” Kellum said. “You try to be a part of it and to me it’s always been an extension of playing when I was in high school. I get to hang around these guys, I get to be around the sport and I get to be around guys that can do it much better than me but still have some reference as to how hard it is to do some of the things they do. - MSM MISSISSIPPI SPORTS MAGAZINE - 23
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MSM
F E AT U R E S T O R Y
This Doctor Is Always In Matt Hinton has the new college sports dream job – he’s paid to write about college football all day, every day of the year, and for one of the biggest web sites in the entire world. - Q&A BY MISSISSIPPI SPORTS MAGAZINE
H
inton’s “Dr. Saturday” blog (http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/blog/dr_ saturday) covers the entirety of college football – and ONLY – college football for the Yahoo! Sports Network. Originally from the Jackson area, Hinton graduated from Vancleave High School in Ocean Springs and attended Southern Miss, graduating in 2005. Like countless other fans, Hinton discovered blogging as a means to obsess over his favorite sport, but unlike the masses, Hinton’s first blog, “Sunday Morning Quarterback,” became an unbelievably detailed and dedicated web site for analysis and quickly gained national popularity. “Matt Hinton knows so much about college football it’s almost not fun talking to him about it, since he has an idiot savant’s recall without the idiot part. Unlike 98% of sportswriters, he can write, and unlike 98% of writers, he knows his subject.” said Spencer Hall, proprietor of the SB Nation college football blog “Every Day Should Be Saturday.” Hinton’s football fandom comes honestly – he’s the son of Mississippi high school football coach Don Hinton, who will take over as executive director of the Mississippi High School Athletic Association in 2011.
MSM: Talk a little bit about your progression to Yahoo’s Dr. Saturday blog. Most college football fans and bloggers found you first at Sunday Morning Quarterback. How and why did SMQ originate? Hinton: I started a random blog, Sunday Morning Quarterback, at blogspot.com – 26 - MISSISSIPPI SPORTS MAGAZINE
which is still open to host anything written by anyone about any subject, for free – in the summer of 2005. I can’t really explain my motivation, except as a lifelong football fan who’d grown up making mock-ups of my own version of Athlon and Lindy’s and that sort of thing. I’d covered Southern Miss in college. It’s just sort
Photo courtesy of Matt Hinton
of what I did. I had no ambition for the site or any idea, really, that anyone would ever read it. I still have no idea how anyone ever found it in the first place. But independent football blogs were rare at the time and were pretty fledgling enterprises where they did exist, so once a blog earned a small audience it was able to find its way into the circle pretty
quickly.
Hinton: After about a year, I was asked to move SMQ under the umbrella of a small start-up company that hosted independent sports blogs of all stripes, Sports Blog Nation. I “worked” there for almost two years while attending grad school, and built just enough of a reputation to land the Yahoo! gig when they came looking for a college football blogger to add to their roster in 2008. “Dr. Saturday” is a totally different animal than SMQ, which was far wonkier and weirder and not very conducive to the massive, mainstream audience at Yahoo! So stylistically, I have to keep the “average” reader in mind, not just hardcore football fans and readers who come from the same place I do, culturally. But I still do essentially what I want to do everyday. With very, very few exceptions, I pick the stories and topics I write about, and I write about them in the way that I want to write about them. My bosses will pass along stories or ideas, but never an agenda. Like any job, it has its drawbacks – it’s largely solitary, you work for long hours, it’s very difficult to “unplug” when news could break at any second. But it’s a sweet gig, basically.
people interact with sports is pretty much the same way they interact with politics or anything else that they care about. On the Internet, that means they communicate in their own enclaves and process information through their own echo chambers, and when you have this huge period of down time between events – a seasons or an election – there’s basically nothing else to do but build your own narrative from what happened last time. Then you incorporate new information into that until it can’t hold anymore and it’s time to start over. There’s that, and nonstop partisan bickering with rivals. Some writers/bloggers seem to think some fan bases are worse about this than others (ahem, Alabama), but as a permanent “outsider,” I think they all have trouble seeing the forest for the trees. I take it as a badge of pride that I’ve been accused of being both in the tank for and horribly biased against every major program in the country. When I’m comfortable with my own conclusions, I enjoy prodding against the conventional wisdom. And of course the blog isn’t all deep analysis. I want to serve the wonks, but I couldn’t make a living off them. The lighter “bloggy” stuff – news, funny stories and pictures, videos, occasional lists – is very much a part of it as well, and probably makes up a majority of the posts (if not the word count).
MSM: Is it fair to say that your approach to all things college football is analytical first and subjective second? Some of my favorite posts of yours are debunking common myths or perpetuated misconceptions with a lot of cold, hard statistical research. You’re the bane of cliche.
MSM: To that end, could your style of writing exist anywhere other than a blog format? Ironically, the same aging media pundits who claim that the new generation of bloggers suffer from short attention spans, yet you can (and do) crank out a tome or three in a single week.
Hinton: Some of the analytical, data-driven instincts may stem from my journalism training, but it could probably be just as easily compared to a lawyer building an argument from evidence and precedent. Basically, I’m not comfortable tossing out assumptions that I can’t back up with some piece of evidence. I don’t know how to do it, or how other people do it. So for me, box scores always tell the story. Even if I watched a game, I trust the data more than I trust my memory, and the numbers will almost always build a more accurate, insightful picture of the game itself. Whether that’s always a better picture, I don’t know. I’m not out to be the know-it-all who interrupts every story by saying, “Well, you know, actually...” People hold their assumptions and biases very close, to the point that they start to view them as an unassailable reality. That goes for anything: The way
Hinton: I don’t do firsthand reporting, only commentary and analysis, so I’ll always be dependent on the beat reporters and investigative journalists who actually do the journalistic legwork. It would be impossible for me to do what I do without the information that they deliver on a daily basis. But in general, I’ve always viewed the Internet as a new medium for disseminating old forms, not necessarily creating new ones. So to me, blogging is just writing. Same as a newspaper columnist, or a magazine critic, or whatever. Some bloggers are good, most are mediocre, some are awful. Some get way more credit than they should. Some don’t get nearly enough. The revolution to me is the ability of anyone to make their work available to a virtually unlimited audience, and for the audience to actually have direct access to it. Bloggers can
MSM: Talk about your transition to working for a major site like Yahoo!.
influence opinion now in the same way an oped columnist did 20 years ago. But in terms of content, writing is just writing. MSM: What are your impressions of the national perception of the three FBS Mississippi programs? SEC rivals State and Ole Miss are routinely confused for one another. One of the most often bar room debates across Jackson and the entire state is that Mississippi beats itself competing to fill three rosters, and if those three schools became a single fantasy all-star team it would dominate in the same manner of a LSU. Thoughts? Hinton: Mississippi probably has about twice as many public universities as it should, largely as a legacy of segregation. And it ranks up there with Alabama and Louisiana in terms of producing NFL talent per capita. So it makes sense to assume to that consolidating two SEC schools into one would make for a pretty nasty program in many years. This year? With State and Ole Miss both picked at the bottom of the West Division, I doubt it. And it’s worth noting that LSU wasn’t exactly a powerhouse for the 25 years or so before Nick Saban showed up. But that’s going to remain a strictly hypothetical debate, much like some Southern Miss’ fans all-consuming passion for returning Ole Miss to the schedule. (It speaks to my specific time in Hattiesburg that the rival I most identify with is Louisville. Each of the consecutive losses to the Cardinals from 200002 was uniquely devastating in its own way.) Outside of the state, I think all three schools are basically viewed as mediocrities with exceedingly low admissions standards, with the Grove and the Miss America/Southern Belle thing adding some gloss to that at Ole Miss. They don’t really think of Southern Miss at all, except as the answer to a trivia question about Brett Favre or the ongoing bowl streak. But nothing would have blown people’s minds like Ole Miss electing Admiral Ackbar as a replacement for Colonel Reb, if they’d followed through with it. I’m not saying it would be positive or negative. But it would have dramatically changed outsiders’ perceptions of the student body at Ole Miss. I will say that I don’t see State and Ole Miss confused very often – no more than Michigan and Michigan State or Florida and Florida State, which is pretty common among nonsports fans. And certainly no more than Southern Miss is confused as “SMU,” which can really wreak havoc if you’re relying on a scrolling ticker for score updates. - MSM MISSISSIPPI SPORTS MAGAZINE - 27
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F E AT U R E S T O R Y
Jerious Norwood
Football’s two time Bulldog flies as a Falcon - BY TONYA HUFFMAN
J
erious Norwood is happy to be a Falcon, for he advanced to this status after being a Bulldog, twice. Jerious is a running back for the Atlanta Falcons. Before flying high with the team as a Falcon, he proudly walked and graduated a Bulldog in high school and in college. But before playing like a beast on the football field, this individual rose from humble beginnings. Jerious Montreal Norwood was born on July 29, 1983. The Brandon, Mississippi native had a knack for sports at an early age. He developed his competitive edge early as he played many sports including football, little league baseball, and basketball. If you had asked Jerious when he was younger, he would have told you he was going to be a professional basketball player. “I like baseball and football, but I was very fond of basketball. My dream was to go to the NBA,” Jerious reflected with a smile. “but, I was better at football than basketball, so I kept advancing in football.” It is essential to have strong legs to advance in football, and the amount of running the sport requires builds speed. Jerious actually became a better runner from playing football, and in addition to this sport, he ran track. In 1998, this duel athlete made his debut at Brandon High School. He joined the track team, and was a third string running back on the Bulldogs’ football roster. Once Jerious graced the football field, he took the ball running, literally. He played tough but fair. As a junior, Jerious totaled 3,229 all-purpose yards and 38 touchdowns, having a standout season in which he led Brandon to the state 5A semifinals. As a senior, he stood out in track and football. As a track star, the upper classman lettered in the sport and won the Class 5A 110 meter high hurdles. As a senior football star, he rushed for 2,152 yards and scored 32 touchdowns. He also recorded 9 receptions for 165 yards and 3 touchdowns, while averaging 46.9 yards on 6 kickoff returns with one 30 - MISSISSIPPI SPORTS MAGAZINE
Photo courtesy Mississippi State Sports Information
Photo courtesy Atlanta Falcons
MISSISSIPPI SPORTS MAGAZINE - 31
Photo by Mississippi Sports Magazine
touchdown. Jerious also rushed for a school record 367 yards during a playoff game. While at Brandon High, Jerious recorded 92 career touchdowns to rank 4th all-time on the state career-scoring list and accounted for more than 8,000 all-purpose yards, leading to a three year, 33-8 record and three consecutive playoff appearances. For turning out one stellar performance after another, Jerious received a trove of accolades. He was a high school All-American, was Mississippi’s “Mr. Football,” an honor given to the state’s most outstanding high school football player, was selected to the Parade magazine All-America High School Football Team, ranked #21 in the Sporting News listing of the nation’s top 25 recruits, listed as the 5th best running back in the country by the Sporting News, picked to the PrepStar magazine/CBSSportsline.com Dream Team, was listed the number eight running back in the country, the number two running back in the southeast, was among one of 12 players on the Orlando Sentinel’s all southern Dandy Dozen, named to the Jackson Clarion-Ledger Dandy Dozen, and on the 32 - MISSISSIPPI SPORTS MAGAZINE
GIVING BACK: NORWOOD comes back to his hometown of Brandon on a regular basis to not only give back to the kids by holding an annual football camp, but to the community. Jerious took part in a special episode of ABC’s Extreme Home Makeover helping a local family get back on their feet in 2007. ESPN.com list of the nation’s top 100 players. Jerious was also named Mississippi’s Gatorade Player of the Year for 2001, earned “Offensive Player of the Year” and first-team allstate at running back on the Mississippi Association of Coaches’ Class 5A all-state-team, he ranked number two on Metro Jackson’s listing of the state’s most sought after prospects, and was selected to play in the Mississippi/ Alabama High School All-Star game. Following high school, more football accolades followed Jerious. Right after his senior season, he ranked number one on SuperPrep’s list of the top players in Mississippi, and he earned Metro Jackson and the state of Mississippi Player of the Year honors. Jerious was happy to be at the top of his game, humbled to receive the collection of accolades, and knows that his competitive edge rendered
these achievements. “I’ve always been a humble person, and it was great to receive those awards. Those awards were a blessing from God, but I’m also competitive, regardless of the activity. If I am, for example, competing in a sunflower spitting contest, I plan on covering the surface with the most shells and beating out my competitor,” Jerious joked. Clay Weeks, Jerious’ longtime friend, believes that the football star’s modesty makes him such a great person. “Jerious is so humble. He does not look for accolades or pats on the back,” Weeks said. Jerious was introduced to Weeks by his high school football coach. As they got to know each other, Weeks and Jerious participated in many outdoor activities including turkey hunting. Jerious often spent the night at the Weeks’ home and for a while,
even lived with the Weeks. Weeks and his family even helped Jerious obtain his first jobs such as cleaning up lots and cutting grass. Although grateful for his rookie years of employment, Jerious knew that manual labor was not his forte and that greener pastures were ahead. So he definite-
would have been a Duck. In attending college, Jerious would be creating a new beginning, but history would repeat itself. On July 8, 2002, he committed to Mississippi State to begin in the fall, again as a Bulldog. “Upon visiting Mississippi State, I knew this was the college for me. I liked the
Photo courtesy Mississippi State Sports Information
ly honed his skills and played as if this was his bread and butter until it actually became just that. Leaving behind a top notch sports record while gaining a diploma, it was time for this Bulldog to attend college. Jerious’ top choices were LSU where he would have been a Tiger, Ole Miss where he would have been a Rebel, Florida where he would have been a Gator, Mississippi State where he would have continued being a Bulldog, or Oregon State where he admired their green and yellow colors and
personalities of the players and the coaches and in general I was pleased with the whole environment of the school. I felt comfortable around everyone and felt like these people were my type of people to be around and socialize with. They were down to earth and real. My grandmother always said to me, ‘Follow your heart.’ And in choosing to attend Mississippi State, this is exactly what I did,” Jerious said. Jerious believed that he had what it took to help the struggling Bulldogs. The name “Jeri-
ous” rhymes with “various”, which represents the different positions he played in college football to aid a team that was at its lowest ebb. Sporting a #12 jersey, he proved himself almost instantly. Jerious was named to the Knoxville News Sentinel all-freshman team as a kick and punt returner. He played in all 12 games during his freshman season and finished second in the club with 66 rushes for 394 yards, a 6.0yard per carry average, the best average on the team among players with more than 5 carries. He also caught 5 passes for 47 yards, a 9.4yard mean, and returned 14 kickoffs for 292 yards, a 20.9-yard average. As a sophomore in 2003, Jerious played in all 12 games and started eight times as a tailback. He rushed 121 times for 642 yards, a 5.3-yard average, and 2 touchdowns. He caught 8 passes for 6 yards and returned 1 kickoff. In 2004 as a junior halfback and tailback, Jerious started all 11 games as he became the sixth player in school history to rush for over 1,000 yards in a season, rushing for 1,050 yards on 195 carries, a 5.4-yard per carry average, and he had 7 touchdowns. He recorded 5 games of 100-plus rushing yards, including one 200-yard performance. For posting such impressive numbers, Jerious was recognized by being named second-team All-Southeastern Conference, which is voted on by the league’s coaches. He was awarded honorable mention All-SEC status by the Associated Press, and was named one of three finalists for the Conerly Trophy, an award named after NFL great and former Ole Miss Rebel Charles Albert Conerly, Jr. and given annually to Mississippi’s premier college football player by the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum. As a senior halfback in 2005, he ranked second on the team with 19 receptions for 96 yards and 2 touchdowns. He registered 4 punt returns for 43 yards. His 1,275 allpurpose yards on 214 plays ranked 8th in school history. After leading the team rushing with 191 carries for 1,136 yards, with 6 touchdowns and no fumbles, Jerious won the Conerly Award. Sylvester Croom, the St. Louis Rams running back coach and former head coach of the Mississippi State Bulldogs, coached Jerious during his last two years at State. Croom knew that the running back was both a great football player and a great recipient of the Conerly award. “Jerious is exceptionally fast. He can see the whole field. He catches the ball well, is a good pass protector, has good running instincts, and is very smart. He was a good student and did an outstanding job playing football,” Croom said. “He was the best running back in the country and he held a true spot on the football field. Jerious was all the things that epitomized what one would expect of a top notch football player,” said Croom. MISSISSIPPI SPORTS MAGAZINE - 33
Clay Weeks also knew that Jerious was deserving of the award. “Jerious was a great recipient for the award because although he could have chosen any school, he stayed at home in his hometown and played at Mississippi State, a team that didn’t necessarily have a renowned football record. Jerious never complained about anything. He worked hard, played hard, went to all of his football practices on time, completed his academic school work, and stayed positive. To this day, Jerious says that he would not do anything different in terms of attending a different college,” Weeks said. “The Conerly Trophy is so much more than a football award. It is an award that exemplifies a great football player who sets a great example, and this is why Jerious was deserving of the award,” said Weeks. Jerious was truly humbled to receive such an honorable award. In his emotional heartfelt acceptance speech, he cried tears of joy as he thanked former teachers, coaches, supporters, and family. Jerious mentioned that just as he did, all of his teammates deserved the award. He credited the Lord God for always giving him strength to make it and perform, and paid homage to his grandmother whom he wished could have attended the ceremony, as he thanked her for reminding him that in life, he should always follow his heart. “I was thankful to receive the award. I reflected back on the wise words my grandmother taught me. She was in Chicago at the time, and couldn’t attend the ceremony. I wish she could have been there,” Jerious said. With Jerious’ deep love and appreciation for his grandmother, it’s no doubt that she was there with him in spirit. He remembers his grandmother taking him to church, the time he accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as his personal savior, and his grandmother introducing him to the Holy Bible. In fact, Jerious’ motto is Bible verse Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”. Jerious definitely stays strengthened mentally and physically. While leaving behind impressive football stats and earning his degree in Criminal Justice, this Bulldog was ready to graduate to his next opportunity and soar. As his game performance improved, he impressed the coaches at the NFL combine and what came to Jerious was a NFL opportunity. Jerious was drafted 79th overall by the Atlanta Falcons in the third round of the 2006 NFL draft. Jerious was happy to graduate twice from Bulldog status to be a Falcon. “Going pro was a big time blessing. It was difficult to believe that I had arrived at this status. It was a dream come true. A lot of emotions were going on with me and with my family members, but we all had each other for support. We definitely celebrated the joyous occasion. I never thought I would play NFL football, but since I 34 - MISSISSIPPI SPORTS MAGAZINE
Photo courtesy Atlanta Falcons
received the opportunity, I was going to be the best at it,” Jerious said. Croom knew that Jerious’ best could yield him NFL status. “I knew Jerious was a good college football player, his work ethic was unbelievable, and he had distinct bird legs,” Croom joked. “He asked me what it would take to make it in the NFL. I told him that he would have to outwork everybody else. NFL scouts came to me mentioning his good game and bird legs and I told them, ‘Forget what his legs look like, just watch where they are going,’” Croom stated. Weeks knew that as soon as he saw the football star in action, he was well on his way to the top. “When I first met Jerious, I didn’t know that he could play football. When I first saw Jerious play football when he was in the tenth grade, I thought to myself, ‘He is incredible!’ From that point on, I knew that Jerious had a chance to make it in the NFL, provided he could stay healthy and injury free,” Weeks said. If you replace the first letter of Jerious’ name with the letter “s”, it spells “serious”, and this is exactly how he plays on the football field. The 5’11”, 202 pound running back began playing with the Atlanta Falcons at the be-
ginning of the 2006 season and was ready to make history. Sporting a #32 jersey, Jerious had a remarkable rookie season. In his NFL debut at the Carolina Panthers, he rushed 10 times for 66 yards. He recorded his first career reception for 12 yards against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In the same game, he also had another 9 carries for 45 yards with the longest being a 23 yard run. In the fourth game of the season, against the Arizona Cardinals, Jerious ran for 106 rushing yards on 6 carries, including a career long 78 yard touchdown run. In this game, he and exteammate Michael Vick both ran for over 100 yards. That game made the Falcons the only NFL team to ever record two games in franchise history where both the quarterback and a running back surpassed the 100-yard mark in the same game. His 78 yard touchdown run marked the second longest in Falcons history. As the season progressed, so did Jerious’ stats. He recorded 64 rushing yards, 1 reception for 5 yards, and 1 kickoff return for 27 yards against the Pittsburgh Steelers. He recorded a career-high 107 yards on 9 carries with 1 touchdown against the Washington Redskins. Against Tampa Bay, Jerious ran the ball seven times for 32 yards and recorded
Photo courtesy Atlanta Falcons
1 reception for 4 yards before leaving in the third quarter with a knee injury. Against the Philadelphia Eagles, he recorded 63 rushing yards on 10 carries along with 3 catches for 28 yards. Jerious was the first player in NFL history to have his first two career touchdown runs each go over 69 yards or more. Throughout the 2006 season, Jerious played in 14 games and ranked 3rd on the team. He finished the season with 2 touchdowns, 12 receptions for 102 yards, 13 kickoffs for 320 yards, and tallied three special teams tackles. He also finished 6th among all rookie running backs with 633 rushing yards on 99 carries, and his 6.4-average yards per carry ranked 2nd highest in the NFL. During the 2007 season, Jerious continued the trend. He started the season off by rushing 5 times for 33 yards with 2 receptions for 24 yards against the Minnesota Vikings. Against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Jerious ran the ball 9 times for 30 yards along with 1 reception for 13 yards. In the Atlanta Falcons’ home opener, Jerious carried the ball 6 times for 32 yards, adding on 3 receptions for 34 yards. In a game against the New York Giants, Jerious recorded his first offensive touchdown of
the season, along with 6 rushes for 87 yards, one touchdown, and 4 receptions for 51 yards. In the season finale against the Seattle Seahawks, Jerious ran the ball a season high 11 times for 46 yards along with 2 receptions for 41 yards. Playing in 15 regular season games, Jerious finished the 2007 football season with 613 rushing yards on 103 carries, a 6.0-yard per carry average, 1 touchdown, and 28 receptions for 277 yards. Jerious’ incredible speed and ferociousness earned him the nickname, “The Fast and Furious” and every season, he continues to live up to his name. Playing hard in 16 games during the 2008 season, Jerious finished with 489 rushing yards on 95 carries, a 5.1-yard per carry average, a career high 4 touchdowns, and 36 receptions for a career high 338 yards. During the 2009 season, Jerious experienced a recurring hip injury, but nevertheless, did his best given the circumstances. He finished the 2009 season playing in 10 games and finished with 252 rushing yards on 76 carries, a 3.3-yards per carry average, and 19 receptions for 186 yards. In 2006, Jerious signed an initial four-year contract through the 2009 season with a lucrative $1.985 million salary and a generous
signing bonus. Jerious knows he has been blessed and wants to use what he had been given to give back to others. Jerious has learned much from the two people he considers family, both Clay Weeks and Sylvester Croom. If he could pinpoint one piece of good advice he learned from them both, these words both start with the letter “L”. “I have known Clay for over twelve years. We go way back, and he has been with me since day one. He has taught me loyalty. Coach Croom always told me to give my all in everything I do, no matter what it is. If I am sweeping floors, I plan to be the best floor sweeper and have that floor spotless. He taught me leadership,” Jerious said. And this loyal leader was happy to pay it forward. In 2007, Jerious appeared on the fourth season of ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition in his hometown of Brandon to aid the featured Jones family. Sabrena Jones, a practicing nurse at a local hospital, was a single mother raising three children: then an 18 year old, a 17 year old, and a 9 year old. She opened a medical apparel shop, which after financial setbacks, was run out of her living room. Moreover, she ran her own clothing donation center, which led to her being selected to serve on a Hurricane Katrina relief committee at her church. As Sabrena and family put serving their community first, their house fell apart and without financial means, the Jones family had been unable to make necessary repairs needed to bring the house up to par. While being sent on vacation in Florida, in seven days, the Jones family would have the home of their dreams rebuilt, and Jerious was a featured volunteer on the show. Along with the experts, he volunteered to help build the house, and he donated jerseys, helmets, and Atlanta Falcons tickets to the Jones family. “It was great to help a deserving family,” Jerious said. Jerious also established the Jerious Norwood Foundation in 2007. Clay Weeks serves as Executive Director. “I have been blessed to be living my dream as a professional football player, and I am also blessed to be in a position to give back to young people through this foundation,” Norwood said. Jerious’ Foundation site is located online at www.officialjeriousnorwood.com. The goal of the foundation is to provide support for various philanthropic organizations and to provide Mississippi’s terminally ill, or disadvantaged children with outdoor experiences in a Christian environment. Alongside Jerious’ foundation logo reads “Philippians 4:13,” reminding people to explore a Bible and learn the wise words he patterns his life from. Bringing a parent or guardian, when a child benefits from the foundation and is scheduled to spend the day with Jerious, together they all participate in an outdoor activity of the child’s choice. Children also receive autoMISSISSIPPI SPORTS MAGAZINE - 35
graphed Falcons gear from Jerious, such as Tshirts, caps, and bags. Jerious also hosts an annual one day free of charge football camp in the summer where males ages 9-17 have a true field day, literally. Campers receive a camp T-shirt, lunch, autographed picture of Jerious, and instruction from Jerious and some of the best coaches in the area. The boys participate in performance enhancement drills, emphasizing speed and agility work. They also learn and practice the basic fundamentals of football including blocking, tackling, passing, and catching. Guest speakers discuss a variety of subjects aside from football, but paramount to enjoying sports, such as the importance of education, making the correct decisions in life, and drug and gang awareness issues. This past July marked the 4th year of the event. Those interested in participating in the future sessions can log onto Jerious’ website for more information. Jerious is happy to help students stay focused and introduce them to outdoor sports such as hunting and fishing, activities many participants have never been exposed to. “Because someone took an interest in me when I was a child and helped me develop an appreciation for the outdoors, it kept me out of trouble and on the right path,” Jerious said. “So I’m thankful for the opportunity to share those outdoor experiences with a new generation of children.”
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Jerious also shares a love for communicating with people. On his website, there is a column entitled Jerious’ Journal where he answers questions from fans of all ages offering a unique glimpse into the daily life of a professional football player. The Jerious Norwood Foundation offers something for everyone, and has hosted a variety of activities to raise money, including golf tournaments. The foundation also accepts donations from the public. To this date, the foundation has raised thousands of dollars and counting. Jerious became a restricted free agent in 2010, and other teams took an interest in him. “When Jerious became a restricted free agent, it would have been nice for the St. Louis Rams to acquire him, but the Atlanta Falcons didn’t want to let him go. A combination of things make Jerious a great person and in demand. Jerious is humble, his Christian faith has a tremendous impact on his decision making, and his accolades never effected who he was,” Croom said. “Jerious improved his weaknesses but stayed true to his strengths. He remained true to who he was and continued to be himself regardless of anything or anyone, or how many teams touted him,” said Croom. On April 22, 2010, the Atlanta Falcons resigned Jerious to a one year, $1.759 million contract. No matter what disappointments or setbacks he experiences, Jerious can survive and perform well in various situations.
He is fast and plays ferocious, and is serious about stepping up to the plate to continue flying high as a Falcon as he approaches his fifth NFL season. “My goal is to stay healthy, be consistent, and win a Super Bowl. And speaking on behalf of the team, these are also team goals. With good health and everyone on the same page, winning a Super Bowl can be accomplished,” Jerious said. With determination and the competitive skills Jerious has developed, this Bulldog turned Falcon continues to make towering glides, so these goals are his for the taking, and are definitely in season. With Jerious’ philanthropic efforts and his achievements on the football field, it is obvious that whatever this falcon touches will prosper. Who knows, his Super Bowl dream could be even closer. MSM
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MISSISSIPPI SPORTS MAGAZINE - 37
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MISSISSIPPI ON THE TRACK
A NaturalBorn Racer Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is poised to make the jump from Mississippi short tracks to NASCAR success - BY CARY ESTES
R
Photo courtesy Ricky Stenhouse, Jr.
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icky Stenhouse Jr. was not born with a silver spoon in his mouth. For the native of Olive Branch, it was more like being born with a greasy wrench in his hand. To say that Stenhouse grew up around auto racing is sort of like saying that B.B. King grew up around the blues. It doesn’t quite describe his actual immersion into the sport. Stenhouse’s father was a regular competitor on short tracks throughout Mississippi and Tennessee, and he brought his son along for the rides beginning at an early age. As a result, Stenhouse was raised with race tracks as playgrounds and revving engines for lullabies. “I’ve been going to the track since I was 6 weeks old,” Stenhouse said. “Actually, the day I was born, my father raced that night.” So it is no surprise that Stenhouse decided to follow in his father’s tire tracks. But at age 22, Stenhouse already has reached a level his father never achieved. Stenhouse is running the entire 2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series for Roush Fenway Racing, a move that could lead to an eventual spot in the top-tier NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. It is a moment Stenhouse has dreamed about, but never thought would happen this fast. After all, just three years ago Stenhouse was starting the 2007 season by racing one of his father’s cars at Manzanita Speedway near Phoenix, a half-mile dirt track so far removed from the NASCAR spotlight that it was sold last year to a crane-operations company. One year later, Stenhouse opened the 2008 season at historic Daytona International Speedway, driving an ARCA RE/MAX Series car owned by Roush Fenway. And now he is poised to run a full season in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. “It’s happened really fast,” Stenhouse said. “There’s been a few times that I was like, ‘Man, this is crazy.’ I didn’t really have time to step back and think about it too much, which is probably good.” The rapid string of events that led Stenhouse to NASCAR began when he won two races in different cars during that 2007 weekend at Manzanita. The field included a few cars owned by NASCAR veteran Tony Stewart, and while Stewart himself wasn’t there, many of his crew members were. Later that year, when there was an opening for a driver on Stewart’s USAC Series team, his crew members who had been at Manzanita suggested Stenhouse. So at the age of 19, Stenhouse suddenly found himself racing cars that were owned by a two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion. At about the same time, Stenhouse had a meeting with Max Jones, who was then the general manager at Roush Fenway Racing. Jones also was impressed by Stenhouse’s performance at
Photo courtesy Ricky Stenhouse, Jr.
Photo courtesy Ricky Stenhouse, Jr.
Manzania and expressed interest in possibly signing Stenhouse to a future contract with the organization. Recalled Stenhouse, “He said, ‘Just keep winning races.’ And I said, ‘Yes, sir.’ ” Stenhouse went out and lived up to his side of the bargain almost immediately. In only his second start for Tony Stewart Racing, Stenhouse won the USAC National Midget Car Series race at Tri-State Speedway in Haub-
stadt, Ind. “It was unbelievable. That’s the only way to really sum it up,” Stenhouse said. “To come away from our first USAC Midget event with a ‘W’ to our credit was the perfect way to start my time with TSR.” By the end of the 2007 USAC season, Stenhouse had five victories and 14 top-10 finishes in the National Midget division, and two wins and 16 top-10s in the USAC Sprint car.
He captured Rookie-of-the-Year honors in both divisions. Stenhouse’s performance was good enough that Roush Fenway Racing signed him to a contract before the 2007 season was over. He spent 2008 in the ARCA RE/MAX Series, finishing fourth in the point standings on the strength of three victories and 14 top-10s. Then came a difficult decision. Instead of continuing in the ARCA Series, Roush Fenway officials wanted Stenhouse to move up to NASCAR Nationwide. But they were not prepared to give him a full-time ride in 2009. So Stenhouse wound up racing in seven Nationwide events last year, the maximum number allowed before a driver loses rookie status. He spent the rest of the time testing cars and learning as much as he could. “I was disappointed to only get a parttime deal after racing full time in ARCA, but I think I learned more last year in just seven races than I did all season (in ARCA),” Stenhouse said. Racing against the best competition of his career, including a number of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series regulars, Stenhouse managed two top-10 finishes in those seven Nationwide races, including a fifth-place showing at Milwaukee. Combine his on-track performance with his eager attitude to learn, and Stenhouse MISSISSIPPI SPORTS MAGAZINE - 39
Photo courtesy Ricky Stenhouse, Jr.
Stenshouse driving the #6 CitiBank car.
convinced RFR head Jack Roush that he was ready to make the move to the Nationwide Series. “Ricky has exceeded my every expectation.” Roush said. “He has made a transition from a (short-track) racer that has been both remarkable and seamless. He is worthy of the praise and encouragement from others in the sport which preceded Roush Fenway’s participation in his 2008 ARCA program. “Based on the success of that program, we will make every effort to advance his career looking forward.” The next step is about to begin, with Stenhouse’s full-time participation in the Nationwide Series. This circuit is only one step below the Sprint Cup Series, and several Sprint Cup drivers regularly dip their tires into the Nationwide Series. It is, without question, the most important season of Stenhouse’s fledgling career. “It’s going to be a huge learning experience,” Stenhouse said. “There are a lot of Cup guys who come over. If I can run competitively with them, it will make me feel like I can do this, and that will help me gain some confidence. “This is a real big moment. It’s a great opportunity for me to show what I’ve got, and I have all season to do it. Jack wants me to go out there and finish races and get experience. So this is definitely a big season for me.” Roush Fenway Racing general manager Robbie Reiser said the organization knows there will be a significant learning curve for Stenhouse this season. “Ricky’s a young guy. He’s going to go 40 - MISSISSIPPI SPORTS MAGAZINE
through the phase of trying to understand how long the races are and when he should race and when he shouldn’t race,” Reiser said. “In a lot of cases if you get a driver who doesn’t have any speed, you aren’t able to fix that. Ricky doesn’t seem to have that problem. “Ricky’s got plenty of speed and a lot of ambition and a lot of aggressive driving. In the next year, going in and running for points and doing all the things he’s got to do, he needs to harness some of that so that as the year goes by he has the opportunity to get his first win.” Stenhouse said he has no illusions about how difficult this season will be. He doesn’t expect the victories to come as quickly as they did in USAC and ARCA. In fact, he acknowledges that they might not come at all this year. “I just want to finish races and compete with these guys,” Stenhouse said. “You can definitely learn a lot following a guy like Carl Edwards or Kyle Busch or Brian Vickers. I want to learn a lot from them, be competitive with them and build my confidence. “Of course I would l love to win a race, but I do realize how tough that is in any level of NASCAR. But with the team we have, I don’t think there’s any reason why we couldn’t pull that off. One (win) is a start. If we could get that, it would be awesome. Anything after that would be unreal.”
Photo courtesy Ricky Stenhouse, Jr.
A victory this season would make it likely that Stenhouse would be on his way to becoming the first NASCAR regular from Mississippi since the 1990s, when Lake Speed was the state’s favorite son in the sport. Though he now lives in North Carolina, like most NASCAR drivers do, Stenhouse said he still considers Mississippi to be his home, and looks forward to the opportunity of representing the state in NASCAR. “I love Mississippi, and it’s pretty cool to think that we could potentially be one of the NASCAR stars from there,” he said. “There are definitely (sports) stars from Mississippi, like Brett Favre. There are definitely shoes to fill when it comes to other sports. But to be that guy for NASCAR, wow, I don’t know what that would be like.” If this racing season goes well, he is about to find out. - MSM
GODFREY - STADIUM Continued from Page 12
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“If you are too old to stand, stay home and watch it on television. I know that’s not sensitive, and old folks should be able to enjoy the game, but the need for fans to create a home field advantage for the team by standing and being loud outweighs that.” (User: SwampFoot) “If you’re standing and I want to sit, it’s my [expletive] problem if I can’t see. I will NEVER tell you to sit down, so don’t tell me to sit either and we’ll get along just fine.” (User: OxpatchReb) “Basically if my older mother, with two bad knees and sciatic nerve problems can stand and cheer on the Rebs (and not complain by the way) so can you.” (User: Gabbyjohnson)
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“If someone that is unable to stand is at a game, they need to understand that people are going to stand because of the type of event that they are at. If they do not like that, or have a huge issue with that, they probably need to stay at home and I know that’s harsh. But the good news for them is we have an enormous scoreboard that
makes it easier for them - and any astronauts to see the game.” (User: Todd4State) The rule is to stand if you’re able. And don’t condemn others for doing so even if you can’t. I’ve never seen a more hot-button issue in stadium behavior. For all the wild yarns about college students acting like fools or a particular fan base doing something unthinkably vile to someone’s nephew, the issue of fellow fans of the same team blocking each other’s view during the game is the single biggest issue per our constituency. The solution? Just try and be a good fan. That doesn’t mean to do one thing or another, but just try and go along to get along, as my famously antisocial old man would say on never ending childhood car trips. It’s either that or we’ll have to start moving the non-standing fans into their own section, but that’s a slippery slope. Before you know it we’ll have specific sections of every home stadium, including a roped off area for “Fans who are too drunk to ever sit down and curse profusely.” Like the student section. - MSM Steven Godfrey is a freelance writer from Brandon, MS based currently in Nashville, Tennessee. Contact him at sgodjr@gmail.com or on Twitter @TheGodfreyShow.
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C O V E R S TO RY
MSM
Mississippi’s Storytellers It’s not often that family members get to work together in the same profession. However, the Frascogna family gets to work together in a pair of professions and put their love of the gridiron on paper. - BY PAUL JONES
Y
ou see, Mike Frascogna Jr., and his sons Marty and Mike, III, work in the same law firm. But they’ve also written and published several popular books focused on football. The first two books focused strictly on high school football in the Magnolia State - Gridiron Gold and Ya’ll vs. Us. “Sports, particularly football, occupied such a big part of our family as we raised our kids,” said the elder Frascogna. “We developed an extraordinary love for high school football and college football, particularly high school football because that’s where the parents and teams are much closer.” The books were also special because it was the opportunity to work along side family. “The opportunity to work with my father and brother was a great thing,” said Mike, III (M3). “It’s good to practice law with them but to actually write books on high school football is even more special. We all grew up around it and our parents were very involved in our sports careers. My brother and I were involved in each other’s careers even though we are six years apart.
Photo courtesy Mike Frascogna
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ALL IN THE FAMILY: The Frascognas pictured here as they posed for promotional pieces for their book “Yall vs. Us”. Left to right: Marty, Mike and Mike, III (M3).
Photo courtesy Mike Frascogna
And no doubt the Frascognas have seen their share of high school football to provide content for their books. “One of the things I did as a parent was when the MHSAA playoff games started in 1982. “I always tried to take my boys to those games so they would get a good view of the talent championship teams are made of. The best way to find that out was to go see the championship games.” That started the desire to write books focused strictly on prep football in the Magnolia State. “One major factor is that Mississippi is extremely unique when it comes to high school football,” said Frascogna. “I know that phrase is used frequently by other states like Florida, Texas, Alabama and Michigan, and they all 44 - MISSISSIPPI SPORTS MAGAZINE
certainly have something to brag about, because all states produce good players. “But what makes Mississippi unique - and that’s what the first book was about - is its unique culture when it comes to high school football. We saw that when we started our research in Ya’ll vs. Us and compared the state’s Top 15 rivalries with the state of Alabama. We saw how unique it was just compared to our sister state so you can imagine how different it is from Florida, Texas or Michigan.” It also helped the family to learn more about their state’s history, said M3. “For me one of the things about these books is that I am 37 years old and I’ve been in Mississippi all my life except when I went away for college,” said M3. “With all the months we spent on the road
with these interviews, I learned more about our state during that time than I have in any other time during my life. It was great to learn about some of these small towns and become so familiar with my home state.” Not surprisingly, while interviewing coaches for these first two books, one good story led to another. Or, in other words, two good books led to another good book. While interviewing countless coaches and former high school football players, one name always seemed to come up in the conversation - former East Mississippi Community College legendary head coach ‘Bull’ Sullivan. Now released, the Frascogna’s newest book tells some of those stories surrounding Bull Cyclone Sullivan. “We interviewed 136 coaches for the Grid-
iron Gold book,” said Frascogna. “The first interview was with Robert Morgan, who coached at Warren Central. In that interview, he got to talking about Bull Sullivan and how he played for him. Well, Morgan started talking about his time at East Mississippi and some of those stories were so crazy. I just dismissed them as a former player reliving his college days and embellishing it. “It wasn’t long after that first interview that we talked to other coaches, many of whom played at East Mississippi or against East Mississippi. We heard one Bull Sullivan story after the other and they were all saying the same things. So we couldn’t dismiss it as embellishment of just one player’s memory. The stories all started to confirm one another and we started to consider writing a book on this
guy.” In their next book - Ya’ll vs. Us - more Bull Sullivan stories came to the forefront and their next book became even clearer. “We interviewed over 500 people for the next book, and most were coaches,” said Frascogna. “And we heard the same thing. So in the middle of those interviews, we started asking specific questions about Bull Sullivan. Those coaches helped us identify the rosters for those teams and we started right away on this book.” With all these stories about Sullivan, the Frascognas had a memorable time just comparing the stories they heard on any given day. “We heard so many different stories,” said M3. “And it takes something to stand above the fray in order to turn them into a book. After interviewing people, my dad, my brother and I would get together for lunch and compare stories. It turned out everybody had crazy stories and we looked forward to comparing notes every day. The stories were so bizarre and we wondered ‘did they really say that?’ “It was the first exposure I had to Bull Sullivan and it started to really peak my curiousity when I heard more stories. Every day we would say ‘what Bull Sullivan story did your hear today?’. It was a running joke then because we weren’t even working on Bull Sullivan but on the other books.” Even with all their stories placed in a book, Mike Frascogna said it still doesn’t come close to summing up the life of Sullivan. “Our book doesn’t do him justice,” said Frascogna. “Even with all the interviews we did, it just scratched the surface. What really put this story on the map is still the best piece, sports-wise, that I’ve ever seen. It was Frank Deford’s article in Sports Illustrated on Bull Sullivan - ‘The Toughest Coach There Ever Was’. It is still the longest article in Sports Illustrated’s history. “Once at a flea market in Jackson, I was talking to a collector who has a regular booth there. He makes all those hobby shows and collects cards, programs and sports items. By far his most requested item is that issue of Sports Illustrated. People who want that copy aren’t just sports fans either or just interested in football.” But as the Franscognas discovered, there was more to the man than just his success on the gridiron. “He was a unique, colorful guy,” said Frascogna. “He had World War II experience that affected the way he coached throughout his career. He had a passionate love affair with America and it showed in his patriotism. You had all that rolled up to being a supreme family man and an amazing human being. “To be honest, it’s hard to describe how he could be so fierce on the field and then melt into a teddy-bear at home. We heard these
stories as well as the stories about him as a coach. As a lawyer, you’re always looking for evidence and not taking anything for face value. But we talked to people that actually saw these stories play out when it came to the life of Bull Sullivan.” While putting together their latest book, several stories became even more amazing as they received that evidence for further proof. One particular story stuck out to the younger Franscogna. “One specific story stood out to me and it was one we didn’t have a lot of information on,” said Franscogna III. “One time Bull Sullivan got mad at a wide receiver and wanted him to start running faster. So he made him drink Tabasco sauce to make him run faster one day at practice. Just to hear that story made me sick when I imagined what that was like in that heat. There were many others that were funny but that one always stuck out to me.” And as his father noted, it wasn’t just about Sullivan’s coaching abilities and different tactics that told the whole story. “He was such a strong figure and had command of everyone around him,” said M3. “I can only imagine being in a room when he walked in. I’m sure the whole place went dead silent out of respect and gravity of the man himself. “It was very clear in interviewing players for the book, what it had to be like with this man. And there are very few people in the world like that.” - MSM
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SPORTS LIFESTYLE
Ideal Wines for Mississippi Tailgating Parties By JOE ZENTNER Guest Columnist
T
ailgating . . . no, not the jerk who is driving perilously close up your rear bumper, but the delicious ceremony that takes place before (and sometimes during) football games throughout Mississippi in the fall. Tailgating today has become the unofficial but definitive start to a variety of recreational festivities. Fans wake up in the wee hours of the morning, travel to a venue’s parking lots, and begin partying hours before players gather on the field. Tailgating intrinsically creates a bond among fans of a particular team and encourages good-natured ribbing with fans of the opposing team (good-natured usually, but not always---sometimes, fisticuffs do occur). Over time and with practice, people have come to customize and make their own pregame ritual readily distinguishable from that of their fellow fans. This is certainly true of football fans at various venues in Mississippi. The concept of tailgating began (as best as can be determined) in 1960 in the team parking lot at New York’s Yankee Stadium, by Angela Pisani, wife of Dr. Anthony Pisani, who was at the time team physician for the New York Football Giants. Mrs. Pisani loaded up her station wagon “tailgate” with sandwiches, other lunch items and drinks for her children, friends, and sports writers. A reporter inquired about her “car picnic,” and she replied “it’s actually more a ‘tailgate’ kind of party”. Various college and professional football teams lay claim to starting the tailgating party trend in modern times. It’s impossible, however, to know precisely where the practice began. What isn’t disputed is the role football has played in the development of this nowclassic ritual. More than 50 million Americans tailgated in a stadium parking lot in 2009. By the time I’m 100 years old in 2051, that number may well have swollen to 150 million. Nowhere are tailgating parties more popular than in Mississippi. The one-time largely underground tailgating subculture has today become a part of the mainstream sports media. In 1993, ESPN’s
46 - MISSISSIPPI SPORTS MAGAZINE
Photo by Mississippi Sports Magazine
cable pre-game college football show College Game Day took on a tailgate-party atmosphere by placing the hosts on a portable stage set on the campus of the school hosting the week’s marquee match, with fans gathering around it to celebrate. A community of tailgaters such as ESPN hosted goes by the collective title of Tailgation. Mississippians, whether in Oxford, Starkville, Jackson, Hattiesburg, or wherever, pride themselves on parking lot tailgating and their passionate support of the local college football team. This pride is exemplified in the elaborate pre-game tailgating community that fills the parking lots outside college football stadiums. Some stadiums have an RV parking lot that opens Friday evening to allow tailgaters the option of tailgating all weekend. Food-loving, thirsty Mississippi football fans fill the parking lots around various stadiums hours before kickoff. In Oxford, “When you drive by,” observes long-time Rebel tailgating enthusiast Henry Pitchford, “you’ll bound to think the place has caught on fire.”
Smoke billows into the air from hundreds (thousands?) of grills while the aromas of various food goodies mingle deliciously in the charcoal-tinged breezes. Major food items featured include steak, crawfish, spare ribs, catfish and barbecued pork. At Ole Miss the saying goes, “We may not win every game, but we’ve never lost a party.” On the Oxford campus, the speed limit on game day is 18, in recognition of the jersey number worn by legendary Mississippi quarterback Archie Manning. Tailgating in The Grove is an experience so sublime, so intriguing, even native son and wordsmith William Faulkner could conceivably be at a loss for words to describe it. The Grove is ten park-like acres on campus filled with thick oak, elm and magnolia trees. Ole Miss’s stadium accommodates 60,500+ fans; party enthusiasts point out that The Grove can accommodate far more than that. Here, on game day, is held every kind of party one can think of, all going on at once: cocktail party, dinner party, tailgate picnic party,
fraternity and sorority rush, family reunion, gala and networking party-hearty supreme, which phenomenon might have inspired Willie Morris, one of Yazoo City, Mississippi’s favorite sons and another legendary writer, to declare that Mississippi is not so much a state but rather a club. A bit strange perhaps but nonetheless true: perhaps a third of all really gung-ho tailgaters in Mississippi never see the inside of a stadium. They go to party. Period. And it’s safe to say 100 percent of tailgating festivities in Mississippi involve some sort of grilling and beverage consumption. The fall season inspires articles in a variety of magazines about which wines are appro-
priate to serve at religious and secular feasts. Although traditionally the dominion of the beer world, there are some football tailgating enthusiasts who do in fact prefer appropriate wines for the occasion. Consider the ambiance: a party mood, music, crisp weather and air filled with smoky food aromas. How about the food you and your friends are eager to devour? Whether it’s produce or meat, it’s probably grilled, often saturated with spicy and/or sweet sauces. This is the perfect time for wine that’s robust enough to handle the food and the weather, yet is still refreshing. Suppose you’re grilling a thick Porterhouse steak, a leg of lamb or an exquisitely juicy hamburger---would you want to drink a white wine with it? Possibly, but I would hope not. To state emphatically: red meat definitely calls for red wine. It doesn’t have to be a great Bordeaux or an imposing Pinot Noir, French or American. But just about anything else red: Zinfandel, for example. Shiraz and Syrah are both names for the same distinctive red wine grape. The Shiraz/ Syrah grape is known as Syrah in the US,
France and many other countries. In Australia it is called Shiraz and is considered by many Aussies to be that country’s best tasting, most robust, flavorful red wine. Shiraz is known for its spicy blackberry, plum and peppery flavors. It goes well with beef and other hearty foods; it also complements Latin-inspired spicy fares. This wine is rich and full and should be consumed from a large glass at around 64 degrees Fahrenheit. The grape is definitely NOT the same as Petit Sirah, a different red wine grape grown mainly in California. Petite Sirah is in fact one of California’s few remaining relatively untamed red wines. A little rough around the edges, some wine connoisseurs would argue, but definitely having plenty of color and flavor. Foppiano, a well-established Sonoma County winery, has long championed Petite Sirah and knows how to make it. Benziger has an excellent tasting one too. If there’s an all-purpose red wine for tailgating parties, it’s Beaujolais. No vintner has yet to produce a wine that matches the versatility, availability and still-reasonable price of Beaujolais. Hearty Burgundy has an uncomplicated taste and just enough sweetness to defuse (partially anyway) fiery tailgating food. It seldom has a screw-on top anymore, but I wouldn’t serve burgundy to the executive director of your local wine society. Then again, maybe I would if it was poured from a decanter. Tailgating is generally not the place for white wines, except for one that some people consider absolutely essential: sparkling wine. If you’re one such person, I recommend either Spanish Cava ($9-$12) or Italian Prosecco ($12-$15), that go well with most tailgating foods. Except for sparkling wines, a tailgating wine’s first duties are to be red and robust. Their second duty is to be richly endowed with fruit extract and only moderately tannic, an essential combination to give wine a sensation of sweet succulence that allows it to balance the spicy/sweet sauces, smoky grilled flavors and rich texture of cooked meats. Less concentrated wines will likely wimp-out against such foods, while dry, less fruity reds will sometimes taste bitter against sweet/spicy sauces. California offers a wonderful array of Zinfandel choices. What they all share is a
scrumptious fruit explosion on the palate with a structure that is firm but not astringent. Italy is also a treasure trove of Zinfandel options, but for tailgating purposes I’d stick to Barbera from the Piedmont region. While not all that robust, they offer a delectable fruity palate filled with dark berry fruit, moderate tannins and crisp acidity. If you crave a Bordeaux grape, it’s hard to beat a Cabernet or Carmenere from Chile, or Malbec from Argentina. Something fairly new on the beverage scene are wine blends. The Luna di Luna brand of wines offers six different blends in variously colored bottles---a blue-bottled Chardonnay/ Pinot Grigio, a red-bottled Merlot/Cabernet, a purpled-bottled Sangiovese/Merlot, a yellow-bottled Pinot Grigio/Pinot Bianco, an orange-bottled Shiraz/Merlot, and a greenbottled Chardonnay/Sauvignon. At around $10 a bottle, they’re a great value in wine and can greatly simplify beverage choices at a Mississippi tailgating party. Be sure and keep whatever leftover food and drinks that remain from your tailgating party stored in an easy-to-get-at cooler. That way, instead of sitting in endless traffic trying to get out of the parking lot immediately after the game, you and your friends can relax and enjoy the leftovers for part two of your oneof-a-kind Mississippi tailgating extravaganza. Tailgate partying can be an awe-inspiring, almost ethereal experience. Nowhere else can one find thousands of fans decked out head-to-toe in their team’s colors congregated outside a stadium hours before the big game. Whether grilling up a storm, trading score predictions or tossing a Frisbee around, football tailgating with wonderfully-delectable wines has an uncanny ability to make complete strangers feel like neighbors united around their favorite team. To hordes of ardent believers, Mississippi football is the true religion. Mississippi fans strike more fear into the hearts of opposition teams than most any other fan base in college football. The fervent, obsessive passion fans have for their team translates into a festive tailgating scene at home games. Fueled in part by the slumping economy, versatile gadgetry and a love of pageantry, tailgaters excel at creating self-contained, raucous festivities. A good wine definitely has a role to play in celebration of what has been called The Last Great American Neighborhood. Go for it and please, for your sake (and mine), always have a designated driver. - MSM A native of Oxford and a long-time freelance writer/photographer, Joe Zentner is presently living in the Research Triangle Park area of North Carolina, where his spouse is a visiting professor. MISSISSIPPI SPORTS MAGAZINE - 47
MSM
JUCO REPORT
MS JUCO FOOTBALL: Nobody Does It Better By MIKE FRAZER JUCOweekly.com
M
S Community College Football continues to be regarded as one of the best brands in the country. There are so many pieces to this terrific story over the years that has led this league to be well respected around the country. The Mississippi Association of Colleges and Junior Colleges (MACJC) is littered with qualified and respected coaches in it’s 15 member league. The MACJC has a proven track record of preeminent coaches dating back to Bob “Bull Cyclone” Sullivan of East MS, who was a coaching legend in the 1950’s and 1960’s to current coaches such as Tim Hatten of Pearl River, Steve Campbell of MS Gulf Coast Community College, Jay Miller of MS Delta, and Gene Murphy at Hinds. Each one of these head coaches rank in the top 12 in the country based on wins with Gene Murphy of Hinds CC being at the top of the list in active coaches. The MACJC also boasts three of the top five all-time winningest coaches in NJCAA history in former coaches George Sekul of MGCCC (26 years 204-77-5), Northwest MS CC Bobby Franklin (25 years 202-62-6) and Sim Cooley of Jones Junior College who compiled a record of 187-92-5. The MACJC is beginning to reap media exposure both locally and nationally. A new website has been launched www.jucoweekly. com This website has been designed to provide unprecedented coverage of Mississippi Community College Athletics. The aim of this site is to be a tool and base for administrators, coaches, players, fans, and media members to reference current scores, statistics, and history of the MACJC. The jucoweekly.com website will provide three chore features during football season. “Live in game real time” score updates. In previous seasons it has been difficult for media members, fans, administrators etc. to get scores in a timely fashion. Jucoweekly.com has promised to not only have final scores posted quickly but to update the progress of each game as it is occurring with its correspondents at each game. The second feature the website will provide is a video recap of the jucoweekly.com game of the week. The is the game of the week piece which will showcase the talent on all of the 14 teams that participate in football and promote it’s distinguished institutions across the magnolia state. 48 - MISSISSIPPI SPORTS MAGAZINE
In a contest featuring 146 total points and 1,219 yards of combined total offense, the No. 7 East Mississippi Lions dethroned two-time defending state champion and third-ranked Mississippi Gulf Coast in a wild 75-71 shootout Photo by Paula Merritt, The Meridian Star / Courtesy David Rosinski, EMCC Sports Information
This feature will include player and coaches post-game interview with the aim to provide more exposure for the players and the coaches in this dynamic league. The third feature is daily headlines displayed on the homepage so people can stay in the know of what is happening around the league and the National Jr. College Athletic Association (NJCAA). Mississippi Community College Athletics has a rich reputation and tradition both throughout the magnolia state and across the country. The Athletic talent that patrols these fields and hardwood courts in the deep south has demonstrated a proven ability in being one of the best leagues in the country. In addition, for the third year in a row, Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College will host The Mississippi Bowl Sunday, Dec. 5 as the 2010 Mississippi Community College/Junior College state champion and another highly ranked team in the nation does battle. Three fun-filled days of local entertainment, food and football will welcome the teams and their families, friends and special guests. “We are truly excited to be hosting the Mississippi Bowl again in 2010,” said Ladd Taylor, Gulf Coast athletic director. “The overwhelming success of the first two games is a testament to the excellent teams we’ve had play and the outstanding work by our Mississippi Bowl Committee and our game day staff.” On Dec. 7, 2008, No. 7 ranked Gulf Coast defeated No. 3 Georgia Military College 41-7 in front of 5,000 fans at Biloxi Indian Stadium. The 2009 contest featured No. 6 East Mississippi defeating No. 5 Arizona Western 27-24. All revenues of this association are for the
benefit of the Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College Foundation. The Mississippi Bowl payout for each team will be $10,000, compared to the $7,500 per-team payout from other bowl organizations. The three-day event will also feature other off-the-field activities. Leading up to the 2008 and ’09 games, the participating teams spent time with local children at two Boys and Girls club locations on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. The kids took part with team members in activities like kickball, touch football, and basketball. “We learned plenty during the first two games,” Taylor added. “It’s been a huge success, and I expect this year to be even better. The quality of the teams that we’ve had plus the hospitality of the Mississippi Gulf Coast has made this a marquee event in the NJCAA bowl season.” Six MACJC teams rank in the top 25 NJCAA Pre-season poll. MS Gulf Coast is #5 followed by East MS seventh, Pearl River thirteenth, Jones Junior College 19th, and Coahoma 25th. In addition JCFootball.com/JC Gridwire preseason poll has MGCCC 9th, Pearl River 15th, East MS 17th and JCJC is ranked 25th in the poll. This league is rich with talent and it will come down to the last team standing in this heavyweight nine game regular season endurance battle. These ranked teams will beat each other up and poll rankings will fluctuate but do not be mistaken. The MACJC is one of the best leagues in the country and has the history to back it up. This league brings it each week and receives the respect that it has earned on the national scene. Yet another thing that Mississippi is very good at. - MSM
September 27 – October 3, 2010 Annandale Golf Club Madison, MS
professional golf meets professional cooking. Viking has even bigger and better plans for our fourth year hosting the PGA TOUR stop at Annandale Golf Club. Come celebrate the spectacle of world-class golf with celebrity chefs, culinary events, cooking classes, and, of course, fine food and wine. Visit vikingclassic.com or call the Tournament Office, 601-898-GOLF (4653) for more information.