April 1, 2009
SWAC Hall of Fame - Class of 2008
• Jimmie Giles, Alcorn State
• Lindsey Hunter, Jackson State
• Sam Jefferson, Jackson State
• Frank Lewis, Grambling State
• Doug Porter, Mississippi Valley State
• Carl Williams, Southern
Jimmie Giles of Alcorn State was a third-round pick in the
1977 NFL Draft. The Greenville, MS native played 13 professional
seasons (1977-89) with four different teams. Drafted by the Houston
Oilers, he moved on to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers one year later,
where he played for nearly nine seasons (1978-86). During that time,
Giles was a four-time Pro Bowl player and helped the Bucs reach the
NFC Championship Game during the 1979 season. His best season
came in 1981 when he caught 45 passes for 786 yards and six
touchdowns. He went on to play with the Detroit Lions (1986-87) and
Philadelphia Eagles (1987-89). For his career, Giles caught 350 passes
for 5,084 yards and 41 touchdowns.
Lindsey Hunter was one of the most prolific scorers in SWAC
history. The Jackson native earned SWAC Freshman of the Year
Honors at Alcorn State in 1989 before transferring to Jackson State.
In his three seasons with the Tigers, Hunter averaged more than 24
points per game. He was a SWAC All-Tournament selection in 1992
and 1993, and as a senior led J-State to the SWAC regular season
title in 1993 and an NIT berth, where Jackson State defeated
Connecticut and another future NBA player Ray Allen. Hunter was a
lottery pick (10th overall) by the NBA's Detroit Pistons in 1993. He
played 14 seasons in the league with the Pistons (1993-2000, 2003-
08), Milwaukee Bucks (2000-01), Los Angeles Lakers (2001-02), and
Toronto Raptors (2002-03). He had his best season in 1996-97, when
he averaged 14.2 points per game for the Pistons. Hunter, who has
averaged nearly 9 points per game in nearly 900 career games, won an
NBA title with the Lakers in 2002.
Sam Jefferson was the first Sports Information Director in
Jackson State history, serving from 1973-2002. During his tenure,
Jefferson promoted more than 50 All-America athletes that wore the
blue and white, including future NFL Hall of Famers Walter Payton and
Jackie Slater. While updating and researching historical and statistical
records for the Jackson State athletic department, he served as host
for JSU's football television highlight show for 12 years, hosted the
award winning "Tiger Rap" radio show, and served as color analyst for
basketball broadcasts and play-by-play for radio broadcasts. He was
selected conference SID of the Year eight times.
Grambling State product Frank Lewis led the SWAC in scoring
three consecutive seasons from 1968-70. The Houma, LA native then
went on to a 13-year NFL career, playing seven years with the
Pittsburgh Steelers and six years with the Buffalo Bills. During his years
with the Steelers (1971-77), he played on back-to-back Super Bowl
champion teams in 1975 and 1976. Lewis scored had arguably his best
season with the Steelers in 1974, catching 30 passes for 365 yards
and four touchdowns. In 1981, Lewis had a career year with the Bills,
catching 70 passes for 1,244 yards with four touchdowns. For his
career, he caught 397 passes for 6,724 yards and 40 touchdowns.
Doug Porter was the head coach of Mississippi Valley State
from 1961-65, and in his third season, led the Delta Devils to their first
winning season in five years. He was an assistant coach at Grambling
State and Coach Eddie Robinson for nine seasons before becoming the
head coach at Howard from 1974-78. He then took over Fort Valley
State in 1979, and led them to the conference title that same season.
He posted a 166-105 record as head coach, with just five losing
seasons in 26 years. As an administrator, he was actively involved in
creating the framework of the rules and regulations that still govern
Mississippi Valley State and the Southwestern Athletic Conference to
this day.
Carl Williams was the Director of Sports Medicine/Head
Athletic Trainer at Southern University from 40 years (1963-
2003). "Doc" began his career in 1953 as a student trainer for the
National Industrial Basketball League. The Houston native and Texas
Southern graduate worked was a trainer at Houston-area high schools
and for the Houston Independent School District prior to be hired at
Southern. Williams also was the Assistant Athletic Trainer for the
Dallas Cowboys from 1973-91.
2007 SWAC Hall of Fame
Leslie Frazier - Alcorn State University
Eddie Payton - Jackson State University
Johnny Thomas - Southern University
Robert Moreland - Texas Southern University
Vanette Johnson - University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff
Archie Cooley - Mississippi Valley State University
Leslie Frazier - Alcorn State
Leslie Frazier was born in 1959 in Columbus, Mississippi. During
his high school years, Frazier lettered for three years in baseball,
basketball, and football. In addition to being team captain, he was
also an all-conference performer in baseball and football. Frazier
attended Alcorn State University where he was captain of the baseball
team and played football for Alcorn State as well. He received a
degree in Business Administration in 1981.
In 1985, Frazier was a part of the Chicago Bears team that won the
Super Bowl XX; that season he led the team with six interceptions.
Shortly thereafter, Frazier began his coaching career at Trinity
International University. As the first head coach at Trinity University,
he won two Northern Illinois Intercollegiate Conference titles. He held
that position for nine seasons before moving on to the University of
Illinois as the defensive back coach. In 1999, Frazier became the
defensive back coach for the Philadelphia Eagles. In 2003, he was
named the defensive coordinator of the Cincinnati Bengals, his
contributions to the team was of great significance to their
improvement. In 2005, Frazier was personally offered by Coach Tony
Dungy to be apart of the Indianapolis Colts. Frazier's title was the
Special Assistant to the head coach and Defensive Backs. On
February 4, the Colts defeated Frazier's former team, the Chicago
Bears, in Super Bowl XLI. A few days after the victory over the Bears,
he became the defensive coordinator for the Minnesota Vikings.
Edward Payton was born in 1951 in Columbia, Mississippi. He
attended John Jefferson High School and during his senior year,
Payton was named all-conference in football, basketball, and track.
After graduation, Payton attended Jackson State University on a
football scholarship. In 1973, he graduated with a bachelor of science
in mathematics, health, and physical education and recreation. Payton
played professional football for the Detroit Lions, Cleveland Browns,
the Kansas City Chiefs, and the Minnesota Vikings. During his
professional career with the Detroit Lions, Payton garnered national
attention as he became one of three players in Lions history to
register two touchdowns off returns in a single game. His 98-yard kick-
off return for a touchdown is the fifth-longest in Detroit history and
his 87- yard punt return is the third-longest in franchise history.
Currently, Payton is the head golf coach at Jackson State University.
He's been the recipient of the Southwestern Athletic Conference
Coach of the Year award 18 times and the National Minority Coach of
the Year award eight times. Payton and his men's team have won 13
of the last 18 National Minority Championships and 18 consecutive
SWAC Championships. The Lady Tigers have won nine SWAC titles
under Payton. After winning the 2001 SWAC Championship, the Lady
Tigers received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament, becoming the
first women's golf program from a historically black college or
university to receive that honor. Payton and his men's team made
NCAA history when they qualified for and participated in the NCAA Golf
Regional Tournament, hosted by the University of Michigan. In doing
so, Jackson State became the first HBCU to participate in the event.
Johnny Thomas graduated from McKinley Senior High School in
Baton Rouge, Louisiana in 1959. He received his bachelor's degree in
Elementary Education from Southern University in 1963. Thomas also
received his masters in Guidance from Southern University and is
presently the head track and field coach at Southern University.
Thomas served his community as a coach, teacher, and guidance
counselor. In 2002, Thomas received the Louisiana Track Coach of the
Year Award. He has been awarded SWAC Coach of the Year honors for
cross country, indoor and outdoor men's and women's programs.
Thomas is also the creator of the Track Club for Girls and later the
Baton Rouge Express Track Club for ages 7-18. He is also the only
African American to win Louisiana State Singles Championship in
Bowling in addition to publishing an article in Coaches Magazine on
hurdling.
Robert Moreland, Sr. is a Utica, Mississippi native. He
attended Hinds Agricultural High School and Utica Junior College in
Utica. After graduating from Utica Junior College, Moreland was
awarded an athletic scholarship to Tougaloo College where he
participated in football, basketball, and track and field. Moreland was
an all-conference quarterback in football and an all-conference
participant in track and field. Moreland taught at Utica Junior College
for twelve years before moving to Texas Southern. While at Texas
Southern, Moreland and the basketball team were victorious with over
fifty wins in two seasons. They won the district eight NAIA
championships and advanced to the NAIA National championships in
Kansas City, Missouri. His 1975-76 team was the first team to win
twenty games since the 1958 team of SWAC Hall-of-Fame coach Ed
Adams. Adams and Moreland are the only basketball coaches in the
history of Texas Southern University basketball to win twenty or more
games in a season. During his twenty-six year tenure as a basketball
coach at Texas Southern University, Moreland teams won or tied for
ten SWAC championships. During the 1993-94 and 1994-95 seasons,
Moreland and his team won back to back championships and
participated in consecutive NCAA championship tournaments.
Moreland's team was named Black College Champions in 1994 and
1995.
Moreland has 399 career victories. Over his twenty-six year career as
the head basketball coach at Texas Southern University, his teams
participated in five national tournaments and Moreland was named
SWAC Coach of the Year seven times. He received the National Coach
of the Year award presented by the National Sports Wire in 1994 and
he received the SWAC's Pacesetter Award in 1995 for his contributions
to the SWAC society. In 32 years at Texas Southern, Moreland has
served as an assistant professor and assistant provost at Texas
Southern and is now the interim head coach of the Tiger's basketball
team.
Dr. Vannette W. Johnson was born in Little Rock, Arkansas.
He graduated from Dunbar High School where he participated in the
honors program, football, track & field, and basketball. He attended
Arkansas AM&N College and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree.
He furthered his studies at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville
and received a Master's degree in Education.
In Johnson's professional career he served as a high school football,
basketball, and track coach in Pine Bluff. He was also the swimming
pool manager in Little Rock and the recreation supervisor in
Washington D.C.
At UAPB, Johnson served as Project Administrator and Activity
Director, NCAA, National Youth Sports Program, head track coach and
recreation director, and chairperson of the Department of Health,
athletic director, and head football coach. Johnson currently holds the
position of professor in the School of Education and is Compliance
Coordinator for Athletics. Dr. Johnson has authored several
publications; among them are "Evaluation of the Administration of
Intercollegiate Athletics in Selected Colleges and Universities."
Dr. Vanette W. Johnson, former Golden Lions All-American quarterback
serves as head football coach and athletic director for 12 years in
addition to posting the best record of any Golden Lion football coach
with an overall record 54-46-6. Johnson joined the AM&N staff in 1957
as assistant football and head track coach. During Johnson's tenure he
produced 32 professional football athletes. In 1969 a record number of
seven players were drafted. No other Arkansas college or university
had the number of pro football athletes than AM&N since Johnson's
tenure.
In 1958 Archie Lee Cooley was born in Sumrall, Mississippi. He
received his high school diploma from Oak Park High School in Laurel,
Mississippi. Cooley received a Bachelors of Science from Jackson State
University majoring in Health and Physical Education with a minor in
Biology and in 1982, Cooley received a Master of Science in Education
from the University of Southern Mississippi.
In Cooley's professional career he served as head football coach and
Associate Professor of Physical Education at Mississippi Valley State
University from 1980-1986. From 1987 through 1991, Cooley was the
Athletic Director, head football coach and Associate Professor at the
University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. He shortly served as the Offensive
Coordinator for Southern University in 1992.
From 1992 through 1994, Cooley was the head football coach and
associate professor of physical education at Norfolk University in
Virginia. In 1995, he joined Texas Southern as the Offensive
Coordinator until 1999. He is presently the head football coach at Paul
Quinn College in Dallas TX.
Cooley also hosted "The Archie Cooley Show" from 1988-1990 and in
1993. Cooley also telecasted with CNN Sports, ESPN Sports, NFL
Today, and various local and national TV stations, radio stations and
social organizations.
2006 SWAC Hall of Fame
Avery Johnson - Southern University & A&M College
Clifton Johnson - Prairie View A&M University
Everson Walls - Grambling State University
Harry Kelly - Texas Southern University
James Allen - University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff
Lafayette Stribling - Mississippi Valley State University
James Frank - Former SWAC Commissioner & NCAA President
Avery Johnson - Southern University
In two seasons at Southern, Johnson led the NCAA in assists. He was
named SWAC Player of the Year and Tournament Most Valuable Player
as a junior and a senior. He still owns several Division I records
including most assists in a single game, the highest single season
assist average and the highest career assist average.
As a coach in the NBA, he was also named Western Conference Coach
of the Month in November of 2005, becoming the first coach in league
history to win the award in his first two full months of coaching.
Johnson picked up the award again in January 2006 and was later
named NBA Coach of the Year for 2005-06.
During his career at PVAMU, Clifton Johnson won three
Southwestern Athletic Conference Tennis Championships in 1958, `60
and '61. Johnson also won three S WAC doubles championships in
1958, '59 and '60 and A.T.A. National Intercollegiate Singles
Championship in 1960. Mr. Johnson was a member of the All-S WAC
team from 1957-1960, and was voted Most Outstanding Athlete in
Prairie View A&M in 1961. He hold records for Most Consecutive
Singles Won with 20 (1957), Most S WAC double and single titles won
(four each). In addition to these honors, Mr. Johnson was an honor
student and a member of PVAMU men's basketball team as a guard.
After some time away, Johnson became the Head Tennis Coach and
Golf Coach of the Jaguars. Under Johnson's leadership, Southern
University Jaguars were S WAC Tennis Champions in 1979, 1980, 1985,
1986 and 1987. The Jaguars also were the S WAC Singles Champions
in 1977, 1986 and 1995. The Lady Jaguars were crowned champions in
1988, 1989, 1990 and 1997. The golf team was S WAC champs in
1984, 1985, 1986, and 1988. Clifton Johnson was named S WAC
Tennis Coach of the Year in 1972, 1974, 1979, 1980, 1974, 1985-1993
and again in 1997. He was also named S WAC Golf Coach of the Year
in from 1984-86, 1988, and 1993-95
Everson Walls was an outstanding and accomplished
defensive back for four years at Grambling State. Walls racked up a
list of accomplishments while at Grambling State. He was selected for
the Kodak I-AA All-American team; the Black College All-America
team; and in his senior year in college, he led the nation in
interceptions.
At the end of his college career, Walls made the Dallas Cowboys squad
in 1981 and donned the blue-starred jersey #24. His eight years with
the Cowboys is littered with accolades and accomplishments. In his
rookie season, he broke the single-season record with 11
interceptions. He was named to the Pro Bowl team from 1981 to 1983
and again in 1985 while leading the league in interceptions 1981, 1982
and 1985. In 1986, he was the youngest player named to the Cowboy
25th Year Anniversary Team and was named Cowboys Man of the Year
in 1987.
Walls continued his career with the New York Giants in 1990 and was
the leading pass defender with six interceptions on the Giants' Super
Bowl team that year. After his retirement in 1993, he was named to
the All-time Cowboy Team. He was appointed to the NFL All-Decade
Team for the 1980s and in 1998, he was elected to the Louisiana
Sports Hall of Fame
Harry Kelly, the first player in NCAA Division I history to score
over 3,000 points and grab over 1,000 rebounds during a four-year
collegiate career. Raised in Jackson, Mississippi, Kelly led the NCAA in
scoring for two consecutive years: 1981-82 and 1982-83. Kelly was
the Black College Player of the Year for 1982 and 1983. He was
inducted into the Texas Southern Hall of Fame in 1996. His jersey was
retired during the 1983 regular season by then-President Leonard H.O.
Spearman.
Kelly was an all-conference performer for the four years he played at
Texas Southern. He was named Southwestern Athletic Conference
Player of the Year and the NCAA Division I scoring leader in 1982 and
again in 1983. He holds the Texas Southern all-time single-game
scoring record with a 63-point effort. He was drafted by the Atlanta
Hawks as the 11th pick of the fourth round in the 1983 draft.
He finished his collegiate career with 3,066 points and 1,085 rebounds;
for his career, he averaged 27.9 points, 9.9 rebounds, 2.2 assists
while shooting 48.5 from the field and 75.5 from the free throw line
James Allen, arguably the most prolific scorer in University of
Arkansas at Pine Bluff history, possessed exceptional shooting skills
and a flair for defense that combined, made him one of the finest prep
basketball players in Florida. Known as "Red" by his teammates, the
West Palm Beach, Florida, native led the Golden Lions in scoring four
straight years (1960-64). Allen also was a four-time All-Southwestern
Athletic Conference selection and All-American in NCAA Division II and
NAIA Division I.
Allen had a phenomenal junior campaign as he established a SWAC
free-throw shooting record after making 19-of-19 charity tosses
against Southern University. The 5-foot-10 guard set a school record
that still stands today with a stunning 56-point effort in the Lions 129-
124 victory over Willis Reed and the Grambling State Tigers before an
overflow crowd in Hazzard Gymnasium at UAPB.
In his junior year, Allen scored 40 or more points in six games and
finished as one the nation's top scorers in NCAA Division II and NAIA
Division I. He teamed with guard Harold Blevins (a 2005 SWAC Hall of
Fame inductee) to score more points than any other backcourt duo in
SWAC history.
LaFayette Stribling spent over 20 years as the coach of the
Mississippi Valley Delta Devils in Itta Bena, Mississippi. During Stribling's
tenure, the Delta Devils captured four SWAC regular-season titles and
earned 3 SWAC tournament titles which lead to three trips to the
NCAA Tournament (1986, 1992, 1996). Stribling was the winningest
coach in Mississippi Valley State University history, with a record of
315-307.
His accomplishments at Mississippi Valley including taking a squad that
was down in the early 1980s and turning them into conference
champions. In 1985, his Delta Devil team played on national television
against the number one team in the nation, Duke University. The
game, televised on ESPN, saw Mississippi Valley fight a tough contest
against the Blue Devils. In 1992, his team found national prominence
as they faced more stiff competition, this time national televised on
CBS. He is currently the head basketball coach and assistant director
of athletics of Tougaloo College in Jackson, MS.
James Frank, E.D., is one of few individuals who have risen
through the collegiate ranks as a student-athlete, coach, educator,
college president, and conference commissioner. While serving as
Lincoln University's president, he also held the secretary-treasury and
Presidential offices of the NCAA becoming the first African-American
and the first college president to hold these positions. Frank served as
president of the NCAA from 1981-82 and as its secretary-treasurer in
1979-80.
In 1983, Frank left Lincoln to become Commissioner of the
Southwestern Athletic Conference, where under his guidance the
conference evolved to rank among the elite in the nation. From 1983-
1998, the men and women's sports in the SWAC benefited from his
leadership - gaining greater national recognition and publicity. The
conference is still near the top of Division I-AA football in average
home attendance.
2005 SWAC Hall of Fame Inductees
Jerry Rice - Mississippi Valley State
Willie Davenport - Southern
Harold Blevins - Arkansas-Pine Bluff
Larry Wright - Grambling State
Robert Braddy - Jackson State
Reuben Watson - Mississippi Vocational College
Rod Paige - Jackson State
Jerry Rice was a four-year starter at wide receiver at
Mississippi Valley State University (1981-84). He was a three-time All-
SWAC award winner, setting numerous MVSU and Southwestern
Athletic Conference records which have stood the test of times for
over 20 years.
Rice, one half of the famed "Satellite Express", has been partially
credited with bringing Mississippi Valley State into the limelight and
into the eyes of national media. He remains the Delta Devils' only first-
round draft pick into the National Football League.
While at MVSU, Rice set all-time SWAC receiving records with 310
career catches. He recorded the most catches in a game (24); most
receptions in a season (103); most receiving yards in a career
(4,851); and most points in a career (310). Rice also holds records of
most touchdowns in a game (5), most touchdowns in a season (27)
and most touchdowns in a career (51). He exceeded 1,000 yards
receiving for three consecutive years. In 1984, Rice was named MVP
of the Blue-Gray Game and participated in the Freedom Bowl All-Star
Game. He has been selected to SBN Sports Network's Black College
Football All-Time team.
Arguably, the greatest receiver to play the game, Rice was selected
as the 16th overall pick of the first round of the 1985 NFL Draft by the
San Francisco 49ers. Twenty-years later, Rice announced his
retirement after making the Denver Broncos as the fourth receiver, a
tribute to his dedication and longevity in the sport.
Willie "Breeze" Davenport is best known as one of just eight
Americans to compete in both the Summer and Winter Olympics.
Davenport made the 1964 U.S. Olympic team (Tokyo) where he was a semifinalist in the high hurdles. He left the Army to study physical
education at Southern University. In another opportunity, he made the
U.S. team for the 1968 Mexico Games and won his gold medal in the
110-meter hurdles. In 1972, he placed fourth in the hurdles in the
Munich Olympic Games. He then returned to Southern to receive a
master's degree in physical education in 1973.
In the 1976 Montreal Games, he earned a bronze medal in the hurdles
and was selected by his team members to carry the American flag in
the closing ceremony. Four years later, in 1980, he became the first
African-American to represent the nation in the winter Olympics when
his team captured the best qualifying time and set a new world record
in the four-man bobsled event. In 1991, he was inducted into the
Olympic Hall of Fame, an honor reserved for only a few select
individuals in the world.
Arguably one of the top scorers in Arkansas-Pine Bluff history,
Blevins was a four-year starter (1961-65) for the Golden
Lions and averaged nearly 30 points per game as a senior.
The Tuscaloosa, Alabama native was a three-time NAIA All-American
and he earned All-SWAC honors throughout his collegiate career. He
led the conference in scoring as a junior and a senior and earned all-
conference honors four years. Blevins was a leading candidate for All-
American status each year of his career.
While playing for Arkansas AM&N College (now the University of
Arkansas-Pine Bluff), Blevins teamed with point-guard James "Mack"
Allen to give the Lions one of the nation's top backcourts. Blevins, a
shooting guard, helped the Lions lead the NCAA Division II ranks in
team scoring averaging nearly 100 points per game during the 1963-64
campaign.
Following his senior season, Blevins became the first UAPB player
drafted into the National Basketball Association when the New York
Knicks selected him in the second round of the 1965 draft. Despite
never playing football in college, he signed a free agent contract with
the Dallas Cowboys that same year.
After a military stint and two junior college coaching tenures, Blevins
returned to coach the Arkansas-Pine Bluff men's basketball team from
1995 to 2001. In his second season (1996-67), the program garnered
one of their biggest wins when they upset the University of Houston
to begin the season.
Larry Wright was one of the most decorated Grambling
players to ever hit the hardwood. Playing from 1973-76 he was named
the Southwestern Athletic Conference Freshman of the year in 1974.
Before his career was finished he was an All-SWAC selection two other
times. Wright was also a two-time first team NCAA Small College All-
American and led the G-Men to the 1976 SWAC Tournament
Championship. Following his junior season (1975-76), he was the
SWAC Player-of-the-Year and entered the NBA draft where he was a
first round pick of the Washington Bullets. Making him the only first
round draft pick from Grambling State.
In Wright's second season in the NBA (1978), he helped to lead the
Bullets to a World Championship. He stayed with the Bullets until 1980
when he was traded to the Detroit Pistons. In 1982 after leaving the
Pistons, Wright led Italy's Banco DiRoma to the European Championship
and was named the best player in Europe.
He was named the head men's basketball coach at his alma mater on
May 12, 1999.
A former JSU baseball coach and athletic administrator, Robert
Braddy is one of the more recognizable figures in Tiger athletics.
A 1985 inductee of the Jackson State Hall of Fame, he was also
named to the American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in
2003.
A 1964 graduate of Jackson State, he was a two-time all-conference
pitcher. As a coach, Braddy had an all-time record of 823-555-3 in 28
seasons at the helm of the Tiger baseball team. The Tigers won 12
conference titles and advanced to the NCAA tournament three times.
Braddy was named NAIA District 40 Coach-of-the-Year twice and was
named SWAC Coach of the Year eight times.
He reached his 500th career victory in 1988 with a win over Alabama
State and his 700th career game in 1996 with a victory over
Mississippi Valley State. Since his first season at Jackson State, 52 of
his players have reached the professional ranks, including Dennis "Oil
Can" Boyd, Marvin Freeman, Wes Chamberlain, Earl Sanders and Dave
Clark.
During his time at JSU he served as assistant athletic director and in
1995 held the position of interim director of athletics.
On January 21, 2001, the United States Senate confirmed Dr. Rod
Paige as the 7th U.S. Secretary of Education. For Paige, the son
of a principal and a librarian in public schools, that day was the
crowning achievement of a long career in education. He earned a
bachelor's degree from Jackson State University before going on to
earn a master's and a doctoral degree from Indiana University.
From 1962 to 1969, he worked as the head coach of the Jackson
State football team, followed by a ten-year stint as football coach
and dean of the College of Education at Texas Southern University,
where he founded the school's Center for Excellence in Urban
Education. While at Jackson State, he was known for his ability to
instill dedication, hustle and the sheer will to excel into his players
both on and off the field. In 1968, 11 of Paige's players were drafted
into the NFL, including defensive back John Outlaw, flanker Harold
Jackson and lineman Tom Funchess. This fact is even more remarkable
by the knowledge that he had only three assistants on his staff at the
time.
Rueben Watson attended Mississippi Vocational College (now
Mississippi Valley State) where he studied health and recreation with a
minor in mathematics. He was a four-year letter winner in basketball
and a three-year starter.
Receiving All-SCAC honors in 1958-59, he averaged 28 points and 19
rebounds per game. He had a game during that season in which he
had 55 points and 15 rebounds. A two-year team captain and most
valuable player, he graduated in 1959 with a bachelor's degree. He
also received a master of science (1972) and an educational specialist
(1957) from Delta State University in Cleveland, Mississippi.
2004 SWAC Hall of Fame
Four players and two Old-Timers
L.C. Greenwood - University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff (Ark.
AM&N 1965-68 - D-line; NFL Pittsburgh Steelers 4 Super Bowl
Championships)
Isiah Robertson, Jr. - Southern University (1967-70, LB; NFL -
LA Rams, Buffalo Bills, 6 years All-Pro)
John Stallworth - Alabama A&M (1970-74, WR; NFL -
Pittsburgh Steelers, 4 Super Bowls; Pro Football Hall Of Fame)
Sammie White - Grambling State(1973-75 - WR; NFL -
Minnesota Vikings)
The Old-Timers set for induction are:
Ben McGhee - Jackson State, FB player, Coach (NFL -
Pittsburgh Steelers)
Russell L. Stockard, Sr. - Southern Univ/SWAC Office
Administrator - 1 st SID at Southern (1953), 1 st PR Director SWAC
Office (1972-76; 1 st Compliance Officer SWAC (1990-93)
Other Inductees into the SWAC Hall of Fame
1992
Lem Barney / Jackson State
Junious (Buck) Buchanan / Grambling State
Marino H. Casem / Alcorn State
Parnell Dickinson / Mississippi Valley State
C.J. Dunn / Alabama State
Alexander Durley / Texas Southern
Tellis B. Ellis / Jackson State
Edward Bertran Evans/ Prairie View A&M
Audrey Ford / Texas Southern
Severne Frazier / Alabama State
Kenny Houston / Prairie View A&M
Ralph W.E. Jones / Grambling State
U.S. McPherson / Mississippi Valley State
Rodney Milburn / Southern University
Arnett W. (Ace) Mumford / Southern University
William J. (Billy) Nicks / Prairie View A&M
Eddie G. Robinson / Grambling State
Johnny R. (Jack) Spinks / Alcorn State
1993
Edward H. Adams / Texas Southern
Mel Blount / Southern University
Willie Brown / Grambling State
Samuel Crump / Alcorn State
Norris A. Edney / Alcorn State
Fred Hobdy / Grambling State
Barbara J. Jacket / Prairie View A&M
John H. Jones / Alabama State
Ulysses S. Jones / Southern University
Robert (Bob) / Lee Southern University
G.H. Lockhart / Alabama State
Curtis Maddox / Mississippi Valley State
Leroy Moore / Prairie View A&M
John A. Peoples, Jr. / Jackson State
Willie Richardson / Jackson State
William Ware / Mississippi Valley State
Stanley Wright / Texas Southern
1994
Jerome Barkham J/ ackson State
Leonard C. Barnes / Southern University
Lou Brock / Southern University
Horace Buckley / Mississippi Valley State
Willie Davis / Grambling State
Kenneth A. Ellis / Southern University
James Gamble / Prairie View A&M
William (Rock) Glossom / Texas Southern
W.C. Gorden / Jackson State
John Garrick Hardy / Alabama State
James (Shack) Harris / Grambling State
David (Deacon) Jones / Mississippi Valley State
Mary Onyali / Texas Southern
Walter Payton / Jackson State
Earnest E. Riggins, Sr. / Mississippi Valley State
Willis Reed / Grambling State
Charles (Buddy) Spears / Alabama State
Walter Washington / Alcorn State
Hoover J. Wright / Prairie View A&M
Willie Young / Grambling State
Paul (Tank) Younger / Grambling State
1995
Matthew Alexander, Jr. / Grambling State
Zelmo Beaty / Prairie View A&M
Peter Boston III / Alcorn State
Robert Brazile / Jackson State
Robert L. Hughes / Texas Southern
Harold Jackson / Jackson State
Rich S. Jackson / Southern University
Frank Lewis / Alabama State
Edward (Bo) Murray / Grambling State
Mildrette Netter / Alcorn State
Herbert J. Provost / Texas Southern
Debra Sapenter / Speight Prairie View A&M
Hampton Smith / Mississippi Valley State
Larry Smith / Alcorn State
Robert Edgar / Smith Southern University
Theodore B. / Washington Mississippi Valley State
Jesse White / Alabama State
1996
Charles King Barron / Mississippi Valley State
Roy Curry, Sr. / Jackson State
Charlie Joiner / Grambling State
Robert (Bob) Love / Southern University
Frederick V. Newhouse / Prairie View A&M
Franklin Purnell / Alcorn State
Bennie Swain Texas / Southern
Norman W. Walton II / Alabama State
1997
Gary (Big Hands) Johnson / Grambling State
Dwight Fisher / Alcorn State
William (Bill) Foster / Alcorn State
Jackie Slater / Jackson State
William (Bill) Gary / Alabama State
Kenneth Burrough / Texas Southern
Otis Taylor, Jr. / Prairie View A&M
Billy E. Knight / Mississippi Valley State
Willie Philips / Southern University
1998
Marshall L. Bell / Mississippi Valley State
Warren Braden / Southern University
Alonzo Bradley / Texas Southern
Clem Daniels / Prairie View A&M
Lawrence A. Davis, Sr. / Arkansas-Pine Bluff
Eddie Robinson, Jr. / Alabama State
Purvis Short / Jackson State
Levi I. Washington / Grambling State
Davey L. Whitney, Sr. / Alcorn State
1999
Lamar "Buddy" Allen / Arkansas-Pine Bluff
Ricky Feacher / Mississippi Valley State
Jim Hines / Texas Southern
James Hunter / Grambling State
Lewis Jackson / Alabama State
Alvin Reed Prairie / View A&M
Walter Reed / Jackson State
Eugene E. Simmons / Alcorn State
Michael Woods / Southern University
2000
Horace "Big M" Moody, Sr. / Southern University
Willie "Satellite" Totten / Mississippi Valley State
Essie Kelley / Washington Prairie View A&M
Doug Williams / Grambling State
2001
Tommy Agee / Grambling State
Judy M. Dyer / Texas Southern University
Patricia Hoskins / Mississippi Valley State
Frank Pitts / Southern University
Bertha Hardy Smith / Jackson State
2002
James Oliver / Alabama State University
Dave Clark / Jackson State University
Vincent Brown / Mississippi Valley State
Marion Henry / Prairie View A&M University
Robert Taylor / Texas Southern University
Cleophus Miller, Jr. / University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff
2003
Charlie "Choo-Choo" Brackins / Prairie View A&M
Paul Covington / Jackson State
Grant Alan Dungee, III / Alcorn State
Alice Jackson Grambling State
Charles "Chuck" Prophet /M ississippi Valley State
Dennis Thomas / Alcorn State
Davis Weathersby / Mississippi Valley State
Sidney Williams / Southern |
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