The Beginning of the Dynasty

Coach Willis Wright

Head football coach, South Panola High Batesville, MS 1991 to 1993, 2001- 2006

Coach James Willis Wright attended Winona High School 1959-1963. He attended Holmes Junior College – Goodman, MS – 1963-1965 and Delta State University – Cleveland, MS – 1965-1968

He was head football coach at South Panola High from 1991 to 1993. During his tenure, he earned the following: 1993 squad finished 15-0, district, North State, Class 5A state champions; rated the no. 1 high school football team in the state; team ranked no. 13 in national high school standings in USA Today; defeated Warren Central 42-28 for state title at Memorial Stadium, Jackson, MS; Received MAC Championship Coach Award, 1993-94; Named MAC High School Football Coach of the Year, 1993; Named Mississippi Sportswriters Coach of the Year, 1993; Received MAC Service Award, July 30, 1993; MAC Coaching Staff of the Year, 1993; Selected as 1992 Chickasaw Conference Coach of the Year; Received Award of Excellence two times from District Board of Trustees for division, 1992 & 1993; 1991 team finished 5-5; 1992 team finished 10-2, district & Chickasaw Conference titles; Offensive coordinator for Mississippi team in Mississippi/Alabama All-Star Classic, June 18, 1994; and Received MAC 25 Year Service Award, 1993. He was also Athletic Director of South Panola High from 1993 to 1995.

He returned to South Panola as the Defensive Coordinator from 2001 to 2006 and earned the following achievements: Team was 75-0 at one time and ranked by Sports Illustrated as 3rd in the nation; Team won five consecutive Class 5A state championships: 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 4 during his tenure; 2003 team finished 15-0, no. 1 team in the state, no. 9 national ranking by USA Today; only the 4th team in 5A history to complete a perfect season; and a member of MAC Coaching Staff of the Year, 2002.

His additional recognitions include being inducted into MAC Coaches Hall of Fame, July 17, 1998; Football stadium at Saltillo High named “Willis Wright Stadium” in his honor, 2011; and inducted into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame in 2022.