nemcc spring sports media guide

NortheastMississippi CoMMunity College

2011-12 Spring Sports

Media Guide

Northeast SportS

NortheaSt MiSSiSSippi CoMMuNity College

Northeast SportS

NortheaSt MiSSiSSippi CoMMuNity College 3

Table of Contents

p. 4.....................................................................................................Presidential Greetingp. 5..........................................................................................................Board of Trusteesp. 6............................................................................................Athletic Director Greetingp. 7...................................................................................................Kent Farris Biographyp. 8 ..........................................................................................Richy Harrelson Biographyp. 9 ..... .............................................................................................Jody Long Biographyp. 10 .............................................................................................Evan Pounds Biographyp. 10...........................................................................................Mike Anderson Biographyp. 11.............................................................................................Lynn Smither Biographyp. 11 ...................................................................................................Bo Ricks Biographyp. 12........................................................................................M. Joseph Miller Biographyp. 13........................................................................................................... Retired Jerseysp. 14 ...................................................................................................... Baseball Schedulep. 15 .......................................................................................................... Baseball Rosterp. 16-18 ............................................................................................ Baseball Biographiesp. 19 ................................................................................................ Diamond Girl Rosterp. 20-21 ................................................................................... Diamond Girl Biographiesp. 22 ....................................................................................................... Softball Schedulep. 23 ........................................................................................................... Softball Rosterp. 24-25 ............................................................................................. Softball Biographiesp. 26 ..........................................................................................................Tennis Schedulep. 27 .....................................................................................................Tiger Tennis Rosterp. 27 ............................................................................................Lady Tiger Tennis Rosterp. 28 ............................................................................................Tiger Tennis Biographiesp. 29 ...................................................................................Lady Tiger Tennis Biographiesp. 30 .............................................................................................................Golf Schedulep. 31 .................................................................................................................Golf Rosterp. 32 .........................................................................................................Golf Biographiesp. 33 ............................................................................................................All-Americansp. 34-36 ........................................................................2011 NEMCC Sports Hall of Famep. 36 ....................................................................................NEMCC Sports Hall of Famep. 36 .................................................................................... MACJC Sports Hall of Famep. 37 ............................................................................................. 2010-11 Year in Reviewp. 40 ................................................................... Northeast Athletics Contact Information

Northeast SportS


Dear Friends of Northeast:

Thank you for your support of the athletic efforts of Northeast Mississippi Community College. Each coach and each athlete has worked hard to ensure that our teams are ready to give perfor-mances that make you proud to be a “Tiger Fan.” Northeast exists to provide educational, recreational and social resources for students and supporters to grow and enjoy their accomplishments.

While you are on campus, I hope you have a safe and enjoy-able visit. I trust you will use this opportunity to get to know our students, coaches and staff. We are always ready to assist you to enjoy your time with us.

Thank you for everything that you do to encourage and support our efforts. We are always glad to have you on our campus.

Sincerely,

Johnny L. Allen

President

Letter from the President

4

Northeast SportS


Board of

TrusteesT. Jack Ramsey

ChairmanTenure of Service: 1983

Tishomingo County/Banker

Troy Holliday Vice Chairman

Tenure of Service: 1964Tippah CountyBusinessman

John O. CunninghamSecretary

Tenure of Service: 1995Prentiss County

Businessman

Ken Basil Tenure of Service: 2008

Union CountySuperintendent of

Education

Bill Breedlove Tenure of Service: 1999

Prentiss CountyBusinessman

Wayne Butler Tenure of Service: 2007

Alcorn CountyRetire Educator

Alvie BlakneyTenure of Service: 2011

Tishomingo CountyRetire Businessman

Douglas Jackson Tenure of Service: 1995

Tippah CountyRetired Educator

Malcolm Kuykendall Tenure of Service: 2006

Tishomingo CountySuperintendent of

Education

Tracie Langston Tenure of Service: 2004

Prentiss CountyBusinesswoman

Sam McCoy Tenure of Service: 1988

Prentiss CountyBusinessman

Randle Downs Tenure of Service: 2012

Prentiss CountySuperintendent of

Education

Gina Smith Tenure of Service: 2012

Alcorn CountySuperintendent of

Education

Luzene Triplett Tenure of Service: 2002

Prentiss CountyRetire Educator

Vance Witt Tenure of Service: 2007

Union CountyBusinessman

5

Northeast SportS


Former Northeast women’s basketball coach Ricky Ford left his “built Ford tough” mark on many Lady Tiger teams since com-ing to Northeast in 1981.

After the 2010-11 season, Ford decided to hang it up and went into his victory lap through the Mississippi Association of Com-munity and Junior Colleges (MACJC).

On March 7, 2011 Ford announced he was stepping down as women’s basketball coach at Northeast.

Ford ended his career at Northeast with an overall record of 588-226.

While wins have not been on the coach’s mind, the satisfaction of a job well done kept Ford going at Northeast for 30 seasons.

Building success on and off the court was what Ford did since coming to Northeast Mississippi Junior College in 1981.

During his 30-year coaching career, Ford only had four sub-.500 seasons and the first of those did not come until his 2002-03 Lady Tigers finished 11-12 but even it finished as the North Division runner-up.

Within five years since taking over the Lady Tiger program in 1981, Ford had trans-formed the Lady Tigers into national title contenders that included a national runner-up finish in 1986 and a national championship in 1987.

During Ford’s illustrious career, the Lady Tiger basketball coach led his team to 15 North Division titles, nine MACJC State

Championships with 6 (six) of those state championships being consecutive and three Region XXIII crowns while leading the Lady Tigers to the National Junior College Athletic Association’s (NJCAA) national basketball tournament on three separate occasions.

Ford went to the national tournament a final time in 2005-06 as the Lady Tigers cap-tured the North Division, MACJC State and Region XXIII titles and finished the season as the nation’s No. 21-ranked team after appear-ing in the national event in Salina, Kan.

Following his final national tournament appearance, Ford was honored as the Divi-sion I, District O, Region XXIII Coach of the Year - an award that is given to the head coach of each of the 16 regional champion-ship teams.

One year after his national tournament ap-pearance, Ford continued his success in the MACJC as the veteran mentor led the Lady tigers back to the Region XXIII tournament

for a twenty-fifth straight year as the Lady Ti-gers once again captured the North Division - their fourth straight division title - and suc-cessfully defended their 2006 MACJC State Title.

Ford was appointed Dean of Student Ser-vices at the beginning of the 2011 spring se-mester following the retirement of Kenneth Pounders, and is currently in his sixth year as athletic director for the college.

His responsibilities as athletic director has Ford overseeing the day-to-day operations of an athletic department that features eight var-sity sports, an all-female cheerleading squad and also coordinates the annual MACJC All-Star Football Classic game that is held each year in December.

Prior to coming to Northeast, Ford built successful basketball programs at Booneville High School coaching the Lady Blue Devils for four years and the Blue Devils for a pair of seasons.

Ford’s overall careen record stands at 676-253 and carries a winning percentage of 72.7 percent into retirement.

An alumnus of Northeast and former Ti-ger basketball player under Kenneth Lindsey, Ford earned a bachelor’s degree from Missis-sippi State University and a master’s degree from the University of Mississippi.

Ricky and his wife LuAnne have four chil-dren, Aaron, Lauren, Suzanne, and Ben.

Athletic Director Ricky Ford

Parents, Fans, Supporters, Alumni,On behalf of the Athletic Department at Northeast Mississippi Community College, I want to welcome you to this

athletic event. We hope that your visit today will create an interest that will encourage you to come back. As we strive for excellence

in the classroom and in the athletic arena, we would like to encourage every one of you to become involved in all aspects of our athletic department.

As we try to reach the highest level with all of our sports programs we must continue to work very hard to be the very best we can be. We are looking for all avenues of resources to build on our already competitive programs.

Within the last five (5) years, we have steadily improved every one of our athletic teams. We now have great leader-ship in all of our athletic programs and we are very excited about what the future holds for all of them. We would like to invite you to become a part of our Athletic booster club and help us as we strive to reach the highest level.

Our goal is to educate our student/athletes to a level that will put them at the very top in their perspective sport. In addition, we want our athletes to be some of our most productive citizens. Again, welcome to the NEMCC campus and we hope you have a very enjoyable visit and we welcome you back at any time either to visit our campus or to attend another athletic event.

Thanks!Ricky G. Ford

Letter from the Athletic Director

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Ever since taking over the Tiger baseball program in 2007, Kent Far-ris has seen the Tigers steadily increase their prominence in the Mis-sissippi Association of Community/Junior Colleges (MACJC) and the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA).

Farris and company posted a winning record during the 2010-11 sea-son at 22-20 and finished the North Division with a break-even mark of 12-12.

In 2009-10, Farris’ team continued to make its mark as a premier sport for the Tigers by appearing in the MACJC State Playoffs for the third straight year. Farris’ club advanced as the third seed from the North Division and traveled to Hinds Community College to face the Eagles who was the south division runner-up. Northeast was un-able to get by Hinds and finished the season with an overall record of 25-27.

In 2008-09, Farris led the Tigers to their second straight runner up finish in the Mississippi Association of Community/Junior Colleges (MACJC) North Division and helped the Tigers gain their first post-season host role for the first time since 1992. Northeast registered its first win over Itawamba since 2004 under Farris as the Tigers scored a 9-2 win against the Indians on the final game of the regular season in 2009 as the Tigers finished with a 33-14 record and a 17-7 mark in the league.

Farris led the Northeast Tigers baseball team to a 32-18 record, a runner-up finish in the MACJC North Division, and appearances in both the State and Region 23 tournaments. The veteran high school baseball coach and instructor made the jump back to the college level in 2006, when Northeast Mississippi Community College chose Farris to be its new head baseball coach, replacing Ray Scott who had held the position since 1991.

Farris came to Northeast from Columbus High School (CHS) where he spent the last two seasons as the head baseball coach. Under Farris, the Falcons recorded an 18-11 record, won the 2006 Division II-5A championship and hosted a first round playoff series for the first time

in school history. His 2005 team went 14-16, which was a 12 win improvement over its 2004 total.

During his tenure at CHS five players signed community/junior college scholarships and two players participated in the Crossroads Diamond Club State All-Star Game. He was named Columbus Com-mercial Dispatch Area Coach of the Year in 2006.

Before taking over the Columbus program Farris was head baseball coach at Caledonia High School from 2002-2004. He worked as an assistant baseball coach at New Hope High School and head junior high baseball coach from 1996-2002, where he was also an assistant football coach and head soccer coach and ninth grade football coach. Farris’ most extensive head coaching experience came at Alcorn Cen-tral High School where he served as head baseball coach for both the junior high and high school from 1984 to 1995.

While at Central, Farris led the Golden Bears to a 265-162-7 record. His teams qualified for the 3A State Playoffs in 1984, 1986, 1988 and 1990. Alcorn Central won the 3A State championship in 1988; the 3A North Half in 1988 and 1990; and the division title in 1988. He was selected Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal Coach of the Year in 1988. Nineteen of his players from this era signed college scholar-ships and two signed professional contracts.

Farris was on the staff as an assistant baseball coach at the University of North Alabama (UNA) from 1983-84 and helped lead the Lions to the 1984 Gulf South Conference title for the first time in school his-tory. That team also finished second in the NCAA Division II South Central Region and featured five players that signed professional con-tracts.

An active coach in American Legion Baseball during his career, Far-ris also began working as an associate scout for the Pittsburgh Pirates Professional Baseball Club in 1998.

Farris earned a Bachelor of Science degree from UNA in 1981 and a Master of Arts in secondary education from the same institution in 1983. He also completed teaching certification requirements in health from the Mississippi Department of Education in 1994 and in driver’s education from Mississippi State University in 2001.

Professionally, Farris is a member of the American Baseball Coach-es Association, the Crossroads Diamond Club, the Baseball Coaches Association (national high school), the Mississippi Association of Coaches, the Mississippi Association of Professional Educators and is a founding member and board member of the Northeast Mississippi Coaches Association for Better Baseball (NEMCABB).

Farris’ other professional honors and awards include his being named a Crossroads Diamond Club All-Star Game coach in 1989, a MEM-CABB All-Star coach in 1992 and 2002, and a Junior Sunbelt Classic coach in 1979-99 and in 2001.

Farris has one son, Keaton and is married to Joye Farris.

Head Baseball Coach Kent Farris

Kent Farris

Season Coach W L Division Results2007 Kent Farris 14 32 2 14 2008 Kent Farris 32 20 10 6 Fourth in State Tournament, Qualified for Region XXIII Tourn.2009 Kent Farris 33 14 17 7 North Division runner-up, Hosted Playoff with Jones Co.2010 Kent Farris 25 27 15 9 Third in the North, went to Hinds in first round2011 Kent Farris 22 20 12 12 Fifth in the NorthOverall 126 113 56 48

Farris at Northeast

7

Northeast SportS


Assistant Baseball Coach Richy Harrelson

Northeast Mississippi Community College baseball fans will see a familiar sight in the dugout when the Tigers open up the 2011-12 season as Richy Harrelson of Iuka returns to the Tiger coaching staff. Harrelson was the Tigers pitching coach in 2008 and helped

lead the Tiger baseball team to a 32-18 record alongside North-east head coach Kent Farris. During Harrelson’s year with the Tigers, Northeast notched

a Mississippi Association of Community/Junior Colleges (MACJC) North Division runner-up finish and appeared in the National Junior College Athletic Association’s (NJCAA) Re-gion XXIII Tournament. “We are very excited to have Coach Harrelson returning to the

program after being at USM the past three seasons,” said Farris. “He has been vital to the success of the Golden Eagles for the past three years which included a trip to Omaha and the Col-lege World Series and participation in three NCAA Regional Tournaments.” Following a successful stint with the Tigers, Harrelson helped

guide the University of Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles to its first-ever Super Regional against the University of Florida and thanks to a 7-6 win against the host Gators, the Golden Eagles also claimed their first-ever College World Series ap-pearance. Prior to his 2008 season with the Tigers, Harrelson was a suc-

cessful varsity coach helping to guide the Lafayette County High School Commodores to a 105-80 record during his time there including 14 postseason victories and the 2006 Missis-

sippi High School Activities Association’s (MHSAA) Class 4A State Championship. During his final year at Lafayette County, Harrelson led the

Commodores to a 23-11 record while reaching the MHSAA postseason for a fourth straight year before falling to Neshoba Central in the Class 4A North State semifinals. Harrelson made his mark on the northeast Mississippi base-

ball community during his prep career at Iuka High School in Tishomingo County. During his high school career (1989-92), Harrelson put him-

self among the nation’s best. Harrelson is still listed in the National High School Baseball

Record Book for career hits (236), career runs batted in (226) and career wins (55) “Coach Harrelson brings a great deal of energy, enthusiasm,

and knowledge of the game with him and we are extremely excited about him returning to this area and Northeast,” Farris said. “He is a very familiar face to this area and we know that he will be a positive influence for us in all aspects of our base-ball program and Northeast.” Harrelson began his coaching career as an assistant with the

University of Mississippi in 1997, before moving to Hillcrest Christian School in Jackson in 1998 where he was assistant baseball coach, assistant football coach and taught world his-tory until 2001. At Southern Miss, Harrelson oversaw the Golden Eagle out-

fielders, worked with the USM hitters and coached first base. Harrelson also helped Chad Caillet in leading an offensive attack the led Conference USA in each of the last 3 years in several categories. Those categories included: Base on Balls, Hit By Pitches, OB %, RBI’s, Sac Bunts, Sac Flies, and most important Runs Scores.During his time at Ole Miss, Harrelson was a third baseman

and pitcher for the Rebels from 1993- 96. He also played a sea-son in the prestigious Cape Cod summer league in 1994 and one season as a professional in 1997. Professionals Coached: bold indicates the school where the

players were attending.Harrelson is married to Hope Belk Harrelson of Weir, MS. He

has two children, Gage and Mary Cille. His mom and dad, Jerry and Lana, also live in Booneville.

Richy Harrelson

8

Northeast SportS


Head Softball Coach Jody Long

Head Coach Jody Long led his Lady Tigers back to the 2010-11 MACJC State Tournament in Perkinston and gave host Mis-sissippi Gulf Coast Community College a run in the first round of the tournament before seeing their season come to an end. Northeast finished a 25-23 record on the softball diamond and

the program sits just one win shy of the 300-win plateau since switching over to fast-pitch competition in 2011. In 2009-10 Coach Long was able to collect wins in the second

half of the season to close out the year on a positive note. The Lady Tigers just missed the post season by falling in to the fifth spot in the final MACJC North Division standings, which was the first time that has happened since making the switch to fast-pitch in 2001. Long began working as an assistant softball coach at North-

east in 1997, and following the 2000 season, played a major role in the program’s switch to fast pitch competition. Following a postseason appearance in ‘07, Long’s 2008 Ti-

gers found their stride en route to a 34-20 record, including a 14-3 mark in division play, good enough to earn Northeast’s 7th MACJC North Division title in the past eight years. Long led the Tigers (33-22) to their third straight Tiger-Fest

championship, a sixth consecutive North Division title and a State and Region 23 Tournament runner-up finish in 2006. Those finishes were the fourth and third in a row respectively. He was runner-up in the voting for Mississippi Association of

Community/Junior Colleges (MACJC) Coach of the Year.Northeast’s softball team is the only team in Region 23 (Mis-

sissippi and Louisiana) to play in every championship game from 2001 to 2006. Beginning with the 2001 season, the Tigers shared one North

Division title (’01) and won the championship outright five times (’02, ’03, ’04, ’05 and ‘06). Northeast has hosted the State/Region 23 Tournament twice (’02 and ‘04) and battled through the loser’s bracket to win the Region 23 title and par-ticipate in the National Tournament in 2003. In 2001, Long was named the All-Region/All American Di-

rector through the National Fast Pitch Coaches Association (NFCA). Following the 2003 campaign, he was named NFCA Division II South Region Coach of the Year. Long has also served as the president of the MACJC Softball Coaches As-sociation since 2003.Long also serves as assistant director of event planning and

resident life and is a Fellowship of Christian Athletes sponsor.After attending Northeast as a student and working as a man-

ager/trainer on the baseball team, Long of New Albany returned to Booneville in the spring of 1997 to complete an internship through the University of Mississippi. He joined the Northeast family full time that summer as the director of the college’s commercial-style health and fitness center, which he planned and developed, and an assistant director of student activities.Since then, Long has become an instrumental member of the

Northeast athletic family, helping turn the Tiger softball pro-gram into a perennial powerhouse. Prior to coming to Northeast, Long earned a bachelor’s degree

in exercise science and leisure management (ESLM) from the University of Mississippi. He was named the ESLM under-graduate of the year in 1997 with a 3.85 core grade point aver-age. Long obtained a master’s degree in education administra-tion in December of 2000.Long is a member of the Booneville Church of Christ. Jody

and his wife Wendy Sullivan of Pontotoc have two sons, Ander-son and Thomas.

Jody Long

Season Coach W L Division Results2006 Jody Long 32 23 14 2 Division Champion, Region Runner-up2007 Jody Long 24 29 14 4 Division Runner-up2008 Jody Long 34 20 14 3 Division Champion2009 Jody Long 18 21 13 11 4th in Division2010 Jody Long 14 30 10 14 5th in Division2011 Jody Long 25 23 12 10 4th in DivisionOverall 147 146 77 44

Long at Northeast

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Northeast SportS


Assistant Softball Coach Evan Pounds

Head Golf Coach Mike Anderson

Northeast Mississippi Community College newest assistant softball coach is a familiar face in the crowd. Northeast head softball coach Jody Long has announced that

Evan Pounds will be joining the Lady Tigers for the 2011-12 season. Pounds, a former baseball catcher under current Northeast

baseball coach Kent Farris, makes his return to Northeast af-ter a pair of years at the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) where he served as a student assistant/manager under Missy Dickerson’s Lady Rebel softball team while earning his under-graduate degree. Pounds graduated from the University of Mississippi with a

bachelor’s degree in social studies education in May 2011 and plans to begin work on his master’s degree during the summer.

However, Pounds’ trip back to Booneville is not his first foray into the City of Hospitality. Pounds is a life-long resident of Booneville and is the son of

Stan and Wilda Pounds. Wilda Pounds is a natural science instructor on the Northeast

Booneville campus and also serves on the Booneville Board of Aldermen. During his varsity career, Pounds was a three-year starter for

Bo Sandlin’s Booneville Blue Devils before making the short trek to Northeast in the fall of 2007. While with the Blue Devils, Pounds pieced together a .341

batting average, a .449 slugging percentage and had a .987 fielding percentage before becoming Farris’ first signee of the 2007-08 Northeast baseball class. During his freshman year with the Tiger baseball team, Pounds

had a .455 batting average and a pair of RBI while appearing in 13 games for the Tigers. In his final year at Northeast, Pounds made the switch from

baseball to softball and began his career trek with Long’s Lady Tigers as a student assistant. In the 2008-09 season, the Lady Tigers finished in fourth place

in the North Division and made an appearance in the Mississip-pi Association of Community/Junior Colleges (MACJC) State Tournament against Copiah-Lincoln. Following his time at Northeast, Pounds make the short trip

to Oxford to be part of Dickerson’s staff with the Lady Rebels while completing his undergraduate degree.

Mike Anderson begins his first season as Northeast head golf coach and brings a wealth of knowledge to the Tiger team.Anderson served as the Booneville Golf and Country Club

manager for nearly five years in the mid-1990s.During his time at the Booneville Golf and Country Club, An-

derson oversaw the day-to-day operations of the golf course, swimming pool, clubhouse and pro shop from 1994-98. When not running the Booneville Golf and Country Club, An-

derson is a life-long golfer and has an intimate knowledge of the game.

However, it is in southern Prentiss County where Ander-son has found his calling. Anderson has served three stints at Wheeler High School first for 24 years as a teacher and coach before returning in 1999-2000 on a part-time basis to help with the Wheeler Junior High girls and boys basketball program.During his first 24 years, Anderson was an American Govern-

ment and Economics instructor and also handled the teaching duties for American history and Mississippi studies.Anderson’s third return to the Eagles came in 2009-11 where

he once again helped the Wheeler Junior High boys basketball team.Between his time at Wheeler High School and the Boonev-

ille Golf and Country Club, Anderson has spent time at Jump-ertown High School, Marietta Junior High School and Pine Grove High School. Anderson, a life-long educator, has had the opportunity to

coach high school girls, ninth grade boys, junior high boys and girls, and junior high baseball during his time in the Mississippi Public School system.Anderson attended Northeast Mississippi Junior College in

1964-66 before completing his degree at Delta State University in Cleveland in 1968.

Evan Pounds

Mike Anderson

10

Northeast SportS


Head Tennis Coach Lynn Smither

Lynn Smither begins her first year as head coach for the men and women’s tennis teams at Northeast after Jeff Melson re-signed to devote more time to the classroom.Smither is no stranger to the courts clocking time as a member

the Delta State Lady Statesmen tennis team in the late 1980s

and early 1990s and has been an active member of the recre-ational tennis scene for many years.Smither, who serves as an ABE/GED instructor for North-

east’s Adult Basic Education division, holds a bachelor’s in physical education and health science from Delta State with a minor in special education and also earned a master’s in special education from the Cleveland, Miss.-based university.Smither played singles and doubles for the Lady Statesman

program and grew up playing tennis at Cleveland High School.During her time at Delta State, Smither was also a founding

member of the Delta Ladies, a group of young women that served as recruiters for the Statesman football program. Smither has also had the opportunity to serve a three-year term

on the Mississippi Professional Educators Board of Directors and represented Mississippi’s 15 community and junior col-leges on the board.Smither is the wife of Northeast head football coach Ricky

Smither and has two children, Russ and Kaitlyn.

Lynn Smither

Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist Bo Ricks

A life-long Booneville resident has return to be Northeast’s Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist .Bo Ricks, who grew up in Booneville, has returned to the City

of Hospitality to take over the reins of the Northeast athletic training program after Meghan Sink returned to Florida during the fall 2011 semester.Ricks, whose mother Debbie Ricks served as the department

chairperson for the Northeast Mississippi Community College Associated Degree Nursing program, spent the last six months in Gainesville, Fla., before returning home. Following his graduation from the University of Mississippi

(Ole Miss) with a Master’s Degree in Exercise Science with an emphasis in Neuromechanics, Ricks headed to the Sunshine State to serve as a personal trainer at the Gainesville Health and Fitness Center during the latter part of 2011.While at the University of Mississippi, Ricks completed work

on his undergraduate degree in business administration with an

emphasis in Management of Behavioral Groups in 2007 and then focused on his master’s degree while working with the University of Mississippi football team and served as an intern strength and conditioning coach for the Rebel football from July-December, 2009.During his time with the Rebel football team, Ricks helped

to lead, direct and coach athletes in the weight room as well as assisted with the speed, strength and conditioning training of the Rebel skill and redshirt groups. Ricks oversaw the day-to-day dietary needs and nutritional needs of the athletes under his watch as well.While focusing on his master’s degree, Ricks moved into a

laboratory setting as a graduate research assistant in the Ap-plied Biomechanics/Ergonomics Laboratory (ABEL) and as-sisted with data collection during a study entitled, “The Effect of Extended Durations on Walking with Different Footwear on Postural Control Measures.”Before making the trek to Oxford, Ricks was busy in the City

of Hospitality working at the Master Craft Builders, Inc., for a year-and-a-half where he learned how to design commercial steel buildings in AutoCAD and assessed project plans with cli-ents and prospects.Ricks’ love for working with people dates back to his days his

high school days where he served as a lifeguard at the Boon-eville City Park as a lifeguard for three straight years starting in 2001.Ricks is currently certified with the National Strength and

Conditioning Association as a Certified Strength and Condi-tioning Specialist (CSCS) and in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and to use an automated external defibrillator (AED).

Bo Ricks

11

Northeast SportS


Arnold

When Northeast was founded in 1948, Bonner Arnold served as physical education instructor, men’ basketball coach and athletic director.

Arnold and legendary University of Kentucky Wildcat men’s basketball coach Adolph Rupp were friends and as a result of this friendship and the success of the Kentucky basketball program, Arnold wanted the school’s athletic teams to sport a similar nickname.

“Fighting Tigers” was adopted as the school’s mascot.

Later, the school’s athletic program grew to include men’s and women’s varsity sports. “Fighting” was dropped and the teams became known as the “Tigers” and “Lady Tigers.”

“TIGERS”

Michael Joseph Miller of Milton, Fla., was hired August 25, 2008 to the Public Information Office as the Assistant Public Information Officer and Sports Information Director at Northeast Mississippi Commu-nity College.

After graduating from Milton High School in May of 1995, Miller joined the United States Navy in September of that same year and served in Pearl Harbor, Ha-waii as a Torpedomans Mate. Miller re-ceived an honorable discharge in 1998 along with the National Defense Ribbon from the Gulf War and the Good Conduct Medal for his faithful service to the country.

Upon completing his duty to the Navy, Miller decided to return to school and pursue his education and athletic aspirations.

He found his way to Northeast Mississip-pi Community College in the spring of 1999, and soon began his journey to fulfill his aca-demic and athletics aspirations as a Tiger.

As a student-athlete for Northeast playing football for the Tigers, Miller was coached by head coach Laurin Collins during the 1999 and 2000 seasons. Despite being plagued by knee injuries (torn ACL’s), he entered both seasons atop the depth chart at free safety. Miller graduated early in the fall of 2000 and was on the Dean’s List with an associate’s degree in physical education from Northeast.

After Northeast, Miller went on to play football and pursue his higher educational

goals at Troy State University and lettered in Division I-A football in 2002-03. He gradu-ated from Troy on the Dean’s List in 2004 with a bachelor’s degree in broadcast jour-nalism mentoring in Media Relations and Sports Information.

Miller spent one year in the Sports Infor-mation Department at Troy as an intern for the Sports Information Director Tom Stroth-ers. He also worked part-time for the Troy State Television Department as a student-reporter, cameraman, anchorman, master control room operator, and writer for three years before graduation. As part of his work with TSU-TV, Miller was chosen to repre-sent Troy at the WAKA 8 television station in Montgomery, Ala., as a sports anchor for a contest of amateur sports anchors. He was selected as the third best anchor out of count-less of contestants by the viewing audience in 2003.

Miller worked for the Unity Broadcasting Network in Booneville in 2004 as a master control operator, cameraman, anchor, report-er, writer, and as an advertising sales repre-sentative in the public relations department.

After his work in journalism, Miller spent four years from 2004 to 2008 working for the United States government at Miltec Mis-siles and Space A Ducommun Company in Iuka. He worked as a Missiles Mechanical Technician/Inventory Clerk and was also the Media Relations representative for the Iuka facilities reporting to the home office public relations department in Huntsville, Ala.

Miller decided to get back to his first love, journalism, and came on board with Northeast Mississippi Community College in August of 2008.

His responsibilities at Northeast duties include working with members of the lo-cal media as they cover NEMCC sporting events and other campus happenings, con-structing and sending press releases to local media outlets regarding NEMCC, and help-ing the Tigers’ coaching staff recruiting ef-forts, and keeping statistics, working for the associate vice president of Public Informa-tion Tony Finch.

Miller and his wife Sabrina have two children, Elias Jude and Lydia Diane,and are members of Calvary Apostolic/Holiness Church in Corinth.

Sports Information Director Joseph Miller

Joseph Miller

12

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Retired JerseysNortheast athletic department officials have announced the retirement of nine jerseys worn

by former Tiger athletes who played or are currently playing on the professional level.

88 10 25 33

2088321422

David “Nub” Strickland (‘55)

Holly SpringsDenver Broncos

(NFL)

Adrian Smith (‘56)

Kirksey, KYCincinnati Royals

(NBA)

Mike Williams (‘81)

Atmore, ALPhiladelphia Eagles (NFL)

Jackie Perry (‘86)

Jackson, TNInt’l Women’s

Basketball League Boa-Viagem, Portugal

Qyntel Woods (‘02)

Memphis, TNPortland

Trailblazers (NBA)

Michael Boireau (‘98)

North Miami, FLMinnesota Vikings

(NFL)

Dontae Jones(‘95)

Nashville, TNNew York Knicks

(NBA)

Mitch McNeely(‘94)

New AlbanyLos Angeles

Dodgers (MLB)

Jerome Woods (‘93)

Memphis, TNKansas City Chiefs

(NFL)

Go, Fight, Win“Go --- Tigers, We’re behind you.

Fight --- till the battle’s over.Win --- for --- the pride of Northeast

Gain the Victory!

Go!.........................Fight!.....................Win!.......................

N.E.M.C.C.

Lyrics by former Northeast director of bands and ‘74 alumnus Ricky Bishop.Sung to the tune of “The Victors,” (L.Elbel) the University of Michigan fight song.

13

Northeast SportS


Date Opponent Site TimeSEPTEMBERSaturday, Sept. 24 Meridian# Decatur 1 p.m. East Central# (2) Decatur 4 p.m.OCTOBERWednesday, October 12 Northwest# Jackson 10 a.m. Meridian# Jackson 1 p.m.FEBRUARYTuesday, February 14 Wallace St.-Hanceville (2) Booneville NoonTuesday, February 21 Calhoun (Ala.) (2) Booneville NoonSaturday, February 25 Jones County (2) Ellisville 2 p.m.Monday, February 27 Jackson St. (Tenn.) (2) Jackson, Tenn. NoonTuesday, February 28 Wallace St.-Hanceville (2) Hanceville, Ala. 1 p.m.

MARCH Thursday, March 1 Hinds Tournament Raymond NoonSaturday, March 3 Arkansas Baptist (2) Booneville NoonTuesday, March 6 East Central (2) Decatur 1 p.m.Saturday, March 10 Ellsworth (Iowa) Booneville 10 a.m. Jones County Booneville 4 p.m.Monday, March 12 Coahoma* (2) Clarksdale NoonSaturday, March 17 Mississippi Delta* (2) Booneville NoonSunday, March 18 Arkansas Baptist (2) Little Rock, Ark. 1 p.m.Tuesday, March 20 Holmes* (2) Booneville 1 p.m.Saturday, March 24 Northwest* (2) Senatobia 1 p.m.Wednesday, March 28 East Mississippi* (2) Booneville 1 p.m.Saturday, March 31 Itawamba* (2) Fulton 3 p.m.

APRILTuesday, April 3 Calhoun (Ala.) (2) Decatur, Ala. NoonThursday, April 5 Coahoma* (2) Booneville NoonWednesday, April 11 Mississippi Delta* (2) Moorhead 1 p.m.Saturday, April 14 Holmes* (2) Goodman 2 p.m.Tuesday, April 17 Northwest* (2) Booneville 1 p.m.Saturday, April 21 East Mississippi* (2) Scooba 3 p.m.Wednesday, April 25 Itawamba* (2) Booneville 1 p.m.

MAYMay 4-5 MACJC State Playoffs May 10-13 MACJC State Championships *Denotes MACJC North Division Game #Denotes Fall Exhibition Game BOLD denotes home contest at Harold T. White Field

2011-12 Tiger Baseball Schedule

14

Northeast SportS


2011-12 Tiger Baseball Team

No. Name Position Class Ht. Wt. Bats/Throws High School1 Drew Wray Infield Fresh. 5-10 140 R/R New Albany2 Trae Allison Infield Soph. 5-10 170 L/R Hernando3 Drew Chisholm Infield Soph. 5-8 130 R/R Saltillo4 Tre Welch Outfield Fresh. 5-9 154 R/R Booneville5 Kyle Robbins Left-handed Pitcher Fresh. 5-10 214 R/L North Pontotoc6 Drew Cristo Infield Soph. 5-6 142 R/R Booneville7 Josh Mills Infield Fresh. 5-10 165 R/R Lafayette Co.8 Hunt Halford Left-handed Pitcher Fresh. 6-1 174 L/L Oxford10 Beau Cummings Right-handed Pitcher Soph. 6-4 198 R/R Myrtle11 Kyle Stephenson Right-handed Pitcher Fresh. 6-0 155 R/R Booneville12 Ethan Estes Infield Fresh. 5-9 152 R/R Biggersville13 Jake Beck Catcher Fresh. 6-0 172 L/R Alcorn Central17 Josh Drake Right-handed Pitcher Fresh. 6-2 225 R/R Hopkinsville (Ky.)18 Jonathan Morrison Right-handed Pitcher Fresh. 6-0 192 R/R Ripley19 Blake Littlejohn Catcher Soph. 6-2 191 R/R Pontotoc20 Will Robertson Outfield Fresh. 5-10 201 R/R Falkner21 Dillon Payne Left-handed Pitcher Fresh. 5-11 199 L/L Saltillo22 Dalton Sims Outfield Fresh. 6-0 198 R/R DeSoto Central23 Taylor Bonifacio Outfield Soph. 5-10 205 L/R East Central24 Eric Wilson Left-handed Pitcher Soph. 5-10 154 L/L Southaven26 Corey Smith Catcher Soph. 5-9 175 L/R New Albany27 Morgan McCarley Right-handed Pitcher Soph. 5-10 156 R/R Vina (Ala.)29 Tyler Beaty Right-handed Pitcher Fresh. 6-2 167 R/R New Albany30 Blake Frazier Catcher Fresh. 5-11 177 R/R Corinth31 Tyler Nelson Right-handed Pitcher Fresh. 5-11 155 R/R Baldwyn32 Tyler Basil Right-handed Pitcher Fresh. 6-0 184 R/R New Albany33 Chris Aichinger Right-handed Pitcher Fresh. 6-4 167 R/R Milton (Ga.)34 Daymon Eriksen Right-handed Pitcher Soph. 6-4 204 R/R Collierville (Tenn.)35 Sawyer Wheatley Infield Soph. 6-1 217 R/R New Albany36 Justin Neal Outfield Fresh. 5-10 154 L/R Southaven Kent Farris, Head Coach Rich Harrelson, Assistant Coach Stuart York, Student Assistant Jacob Prather, Student Manager

15

Northeast SportS



No. 1Drew Wray

InfielderFreshman

New Albany HS

No. 2Trae Allison

InfielderSophomore

Hernando HS

No. 3Drew Chisholm

InfielderSophomoreSaltillo HS

No. 4Tre WelchOutfielderFreshman

Booneville HS

No. 5Kyle Robbins

Left-Handed PitcherFreshman

North Pontotoc HS

No. 6Drew Cristo

InfielderSophomore

Booneville HS

No.7Josh MillsInfielderFreshman

Lafayette County HS

No. 8Hunt Halford

Left-Handed PitcherFreshmanOxford HS

No. 10Beau Cummings

Right-Handed PitcherSophomoreMyrtle HS

No. 11Kyle Stephenson

Right-Handed PitcherFreshman

Booneville HS

No. 12Ethan Estes

InfielderFreshman

Biggersville HS

No. 13Jake BeckCatcher

FreshmanAlcorn Central HS

16

Northeast SportS



No. 17Josh Drake


Hopkinsville (Ky) HS

No. 18Jonathan Morrison

Right-Handed PitcherFreshmanRipley HS

No. 19Blake Littlejohn

CatcherSophomore

Pontotoc HS

No. 20Will Robertson

OutfielderFreshman

Falkner HS

No. 21Dillon Payne

Left-Handed PitcherFreshman

Saltillo HS

No. 22Dalton SimsOutfielderFreshman

DeSoto Central HS

No. 23Taylor Bonifacio

OutfielderSophomore

East Central HS

No. 24Eric Wilson

Left-Handed PitcherSophomore

Southaven HS

No. 26Corey Smith

CatcherSophomore

New Albany HS

No. 27Morgan McCarley

Right-Handed PitcherSophomore

Vina (Ala.) HS

No. 29Tyler Beaty


New Albany HS

No. 30Blake Frazier

CatcherFreshman

Corinth HS

17

Northeast SportS



No. 31Tyler Nelson


Baldwyn HS

No. 32Tyler Basil


New Albany HS

No. 33Chris Aichinger


Milton (Ga) HS

No. 34Daymon Eriksen

Right-Handed PitcherSophomore

Collierville (Tenn.) HS

No. 35 Sawyer Wheatley

InfielderSophomore

New Albany HS

No. 36Justin NealOutfielderFreshmanSouthaven

Commuter Meal TicketsWhenever hunger strikes...

10 meals for $50, 20 meals for $98 or 30 meals for $145.50

18

Northeast SportS


2011-12 Diamond Girls

Name Class HometownAnna Bass Freshman CorinthTiffany Blake Sophomore New AlbanyAnna Brooke Conlee Sophomore New AlbanyTaylor Cotton Sophomore BruceLiz Davis Sophomore RipleyChelsey Hall Freshman KossuthHannah Jamieson Sophomore BoonevilleKaitlin Kendrick Sophomore BoonevilleMolly Koon Freshman WheelerLindsay Long Freshman Olive BranchArgerie Marin Freshman Olive BranchDevin McCalla Freshman KossuthNikki McDonald Sophomore Alcorn CentralLakin Potts Freshman IngomarCarlee Puckett Sophomore Tish CountyMarlana Ray Freshman CorinthSallie Richardson Sophomore Olive BranchMolly Rowland Sophomore BoonevilleTiffanie Settlemires Sophomore GlenKarrie Beth Stevens Sophomore BoonevilleLauren Stevens Sophomore HamiltonEmily Thomas Sophomore BoonevilleDevin Tucker Freshman BaldwynSavannah Wilbanks Sophomore Pine GrovePaige Witt Freshman New Albany

19

Northeast SportS

NortheaSt MiSSiSSippi CoMMuNity College20


Anna BassFreshmanCorinth

Tiffany BlakeSophomore

New Albany

Anna Brooke ConleeSophomore

New Albany

Taylor CottenSophomore

Bruce

Liz DavisSophomore

Ripley

Chelsey HallFreshmanKossuth

Hannah JamiesonSophomoreBooneville

Kaitlin KendrickSophomoreBooneville

Molly KoonFreshmanWheeler

Lindsay LongFreshman

Olive Branch

Argerie MarinFreshman

Olive Branch

Devin McCallaFreshmanKossuth

Nikki McDonaldSophomore

Alcorn Central

Lakin PottsFreshmanIngomar

Northeast SportS



Carlee PuckettSophomore

Tishomingo County

Marlana RayFreshmanCorinth

Sallie RichardsonSophomore

Olive Branch

Molly RowlandSophomoreBooneville

Tiffanie SettlemiresSophomore

Glen

Karrie Beth StevensSophomoreBooneville

Lauren StevensSophomoreHamilton

Emily ThomasSophomoreBooneville

Devin TuckerFreshmenBaldwyn

Paige WittFreshman

New Albany

Susan CristoSponsor

Booneville

Northeast SportS


Date Opponent Site TimeSEPTEMBERSaturday, September 17 Family Potluck# Booneville 9:30 a.m.Saturday, September 24 Fall Classic# Senatobia TBA

OCTOBERSunday, October 9 Fall Alumni Game# Booneville 1:30 p.m.Saturday, October 15 NEMCC Fall Classic# Booneville TBAOctober 17-22 Black and Gold Series# Booneville TBA

FEBRUARYThursday, February 9 Calhoun (Ala.) (2) Decatur, Ala. 1 p.m.February 17-18 Rush Tournament Meridian TBAFebruary 24-25 Tiger-Fest Booneville TBA

MARCHThursday, March 1 Coahoma* (2) Clarksdale 1 p.m.Saturday, March 3 East Mississippi* (2) Booneville NoonTuesday, March 6 Holmes* (2) Booneville 3 p.m.Friday, March 9 Itawamba* (2) Fulton 2 p.m.Wednesday, March 14 Southwest Tenn. (2) Memphis, Tenn. 2 p.m.Saturday, March 17 Jackson State (Tenn.) (2) Jackson, Tenn. 1 p.m.Wednesday, March 21 Northwest* (2) Booneville 2 p.m.Saturday, March 24 Mississippi Delta* (2) Moorhead NoonTuesday, March 27 Calhoun (Ala.) (2) Booneville 1 p.m.Friday, March 30 Coahoma* (2) Booneville 2 p.m.

APRILMonday, April 2 East Mississippi* (2) Scooba 3 p.m.Wednesday, April 4 Holmes* (2) Goodman 3 p.m.Tuesday, April 10 Itawamba* (2) Booneville 3 p.m.Saturday, April 14 Northwest* (2) Senatobia NoonTuesday, April 17 Mississippi Delta* (2) Booneville 3 p.m.Monday, April 23 Jackson State (Tenn.) (2) Booneville 3 p.m.April 26-27 MACJC State Tournament North Champ TBA

MAYMay 3-5 Region XXIII Tournament Clinton TBAMay 16-20 NJCAA National Tournament Clinton TBA * Denotes North Division Games # Denotes Exhibition Games Bold denotes Home Games All Home Games are played at Booneville City Park

2011-12 Lady Tiger Softball Schedule

22

Northeast SportS


2011-12 Lady Tiger Softball

No. Name Position Classification Hometown1 Raleigh Downs Second Base Sophomore Booneville2 Kimberly Jumper Outfield Sophomore Etta3 Hannah Hastings First Base Sophomore Booneville5 Nicki Whitten Shortstop Sophomore Booneville6 Claire Wilkerson Outfield Sophomore Myrtle7 Erin Dixson Pitcher Freshman Amherst, NY9 Jaisa Fox Pitcher Sophomore Cincinnati, Ohio10 Kelsie Follin First Base Sophomore Kossuth11 Andrea Cutts Catcher Freshman Ackerman12 Jazmin Smith Utility Sophomore Anchorage, AK13 Haley Knepp Utility Sophomore Kossuth15 Katie Beth Dahlem Catcher Sophomore Hamilton17 Ellen Tarrant Third Base Freshman New Albany18 Madeline Hickman Outfield Sophomore Booneville20 Jessica Pannell Outfield Freshman Booneville21 Brittany Minton First Base Sophomore Horn Lake22 Leeanna Nelms Second Base Freshman Kossuth23 Kristen Claunch Pitcher Freshman Cherokee, Ala.

23

Northeast SportS



No. 1Raleigh Downs

Second BaseSophomoreBooneville

No. 2Kimberly Jumper

OutfielderSophomore

Etta

No. 3Hannah Hastings

First BaseSophomoreBooneville

No. 5Nicki Whitten

ShortstopSophomoreBooneville

No. 6Claire Wilkerson

OutfielderSophomore

Myrtle

No. 7Erin Dixson

PitcherFreshman

Amherst, NY

No. 9Jaisa Fox

PitcherSophomore

Cincinnati, Ohio

No. 10Kelsie Follin

First BaseSophomore

Kossuth

No. 11Andrea Cutts

CatcherFreshmanAckerman

No. 12Jazmin Smith

UtilitySophomore

Anchorage, AK

24

Northeast SportS



No. 13Haley Knepp

UtilitySophomore

Kossuth

No. 15Katie Beth Dahlem

CatcherSophomoreHamilton

No. 17Ellen Tarrant

Third BaseFreshman

New Albany

No. 18Madeline Hickman

OutfielderSophomoreBooneville

No. 20Jessica Pannell

OutfielderFreshmanBooneville

No. 21Brittany Minton

First BaseSophomoreHorn Lake

No. 22Leeanna Nelms

Second BaseFreshmanKossuth

No. 23Kristen Claunch

PitcherFreshman

Cherokee, Ala.

Northeast SportS


Date Opponent Site Time

FEBRUARY

Thursday, February 16 Copiah-Lincoln Wesson 2 p.m.

Friday, February 17 Hinds Jackson 2 p.m.

Saturday, February 18 Holmes Goodman Noon

Friday, February 24 East Central Booneville 1 p.m.

Saturday, February 25 Gulf Coast Booneville 10 a.m.

Tuesday, February 28 Itawamba Fulton 2 p.m.

MARCH

Monday, March 5 Meridian Meridian 10 a.m.

East Central Meridian 2 p.m.

Wednesday, March 21 Bethel College Booneville 1 p.m.

Friday, March 23 Jones County Booneville 1 p.m.

Monday, March 26 Itawamba Booneville 2 p.m.

Friday, March 30 Holmes Booneville 10 a.m.

Marion Military Institute Booneville 2 p.m.

APRIL

April 19-21 MACJC State Tournament Tupelo TBA

April 25-26 NJCAA Regionals TBA TBA

BOLD Denotes Home Matches All home tennis matches are played at the

Northeast Tennis Courts adjacent to the Haney Union

2011-12 Northeast Tennis Schedule

26

Northeast SportS


Name Class HometownTaylor Dees Sophomore BoonevilleAndrew Ferrell Freshman CorinthDrew Gann Freshman CorinthBrandon Gardner Sophomore CorinthJoshua Heylin Sophomore BoonevilleBen Nhek Sophomore CorinthDuncan Schaefer Sophomore RipleyPreston Wade Sophomore Jacks Creek, TN

2011-12 Northeast Tennis

2011-12 Tiger Tennis

2011-12 Lady Tiger TennisName Class HometownEmily Burk Sophomore Holly SpringsElizabeth Mitchell Freshman CorinthLeigh Ann Mock Sophomore BelmontMonica Pruitt Sophomore CorinthAmanda Rorie Sophomore CorinthMarcey Ann Sykes Sophomore Iuka

Northeast SportS


2011-12 Tiger Tennis

Taylor Dees

SophomoreBooneville

Andrew Ferrell

FreshmanCorinth

Drew Gann

FreshmanCorinth

BrandonGardner

SophomoreCorinth

Joshua Heylin

SophomoreBooneville

BenNhek

SophomoreCorinth

Duncan Schaefer

SophomoreRipley

Preston Wade

SophomoreJacks Creek,

Tenn.

Northeast SportS


2011-12 Lady Tiger Tennis

EmilyBurk

SophomoreHolly Springs

Elizabeth MitchellFreshmanCorinth

MonicaPruitt

SophomoreCorinth

AmandaRorie

SophomoreCorinth

MarceyAnn

SykesSophomore

Iuka

Leigh AnnMock

SophomoreBelmont

Northeast SportS


Date Tournament/Host School Course/LocationFEBRUARY February 26-27 MACJC Event #1 The Oaks Golf Club MS Gulf Coast Pass Christian MARCH March 3-4 MACJC Event #2 Eagle Ridge Golf Club Hinds Raymond March 5-6 MACJC Event #3 Brookhaven Country Club Copiah-Linclon Wolf Hollow Golf Club March 25-26 MACJC Event #4 MSU Golf Course East Mississippi Starkville APRIL April 2-3 MACJC Event #5 North Creek/Horn Lake Northwest Wedgewood/Olive Branch April 16-17 MACJC State Championship Riverbirch Itawamba Amory April 22-23 NJCAA Region XXIII Championship Big Oaks Northeast Tupelo MAY May 20-25 NJCAA National Championship Swan Lake ResortMay 20-21 Practice Indiana National Golf ClubMay 22-25 18-hole Rounds

BOLD Denotes Home Matches

2011-12 Northeast Golf Schedule

30

Northeast SportS


2011-12 Tiger Golf

Name Class Hometown

Easton Cartwright Sophomore Booneville

Blake Conlee Sophomore New Albany

Daren Farrar Freshman Thrasher

Ty Lindsey Freshman Baldwyn

Taylor Trimble Sophomore Thrasher

Jordan Wilson Freshman Baldwyn

Austin Woodard Freshman Muscle Shoals, Ala.31

Northeast SportS


2011-12 Tiger Golf

EastonCartwrightSophomoreBooneville

BlakeConlee

SophomoreNew Albany

DarenFarrar

FreshmanThrasher

Ty Lindsey

FreshmanBaldwyn

TaylorTrimble

SophomoreThrasher

JordanWilson

FreshmanBaldwyn

AustinWoodardFreshman

Muscle Shoals,Ala.

32

Northeast SportS


All-AmericansThroughout the history of Northeast Mississippi Community College, superior athletes have been named to the All-American

team, the highest honor bestowed upon any player.Recipients of this honor are chosen by the 23 regional directors of the National Junior College Athletic Association. Their

selection for the All-American team, second team and honorable mention are made only after careful evaluation of the hundreds of nominations which are submitted by community/junior college coaches from across the country.

We are proud to salute those who brought honor to themselves as young men and women and to Northeast Mississippi Com-munity College for the time to come.

FOOTBALL BASEBALL

GOLF

MEN’S BASKETBALL

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

SLOW-PITCH SOFTBALL

FAST-PITCH SOFTBALL

Jerry King - 1956Running Back, All-American

Chattanooga, TN

Johnny Buskirk - 1969Quarterback, Honorable Mention

New Albany

Donnie Clayton - 1969Tight End, Honorable Mention

Ripley

Larry Parker - 1977Running Back, Honorable Mention

Rogersville, AL

Barry Todd - 1977Defensive Back, Second Team

Memphis, TN

Maury Hill - 1979Defensive Back, Second Team

Ripley

Paul Rhodes - 1980Defensive Lineman, Second Team

Kossuth

Anthony Norman - 1980Running Back, Honorable Mention

Morrow, GA

Antonio Foster - 2010Offensive Lineman, Honorable Mention

Valdosta, GA

Chase Porch - 2008Designated Hitter, 3rd Team

East Union

Craig Lauderdale - 1990All American

Booneville

Chase Williams - 2007All American

Corinth

Blake Hatfield - 2010All American

Booneville

Lori Wilson - 20011st Base, All American

Blue Mountain

Jessica Spain - 2002Shortstop, All American NFCA Louisville Slugger

Booneville

Jocelyn McGolrick - 2003NFCA All American

Brandi Vondenstein - 20033rd Base, Honorable MentionNFCA All American 1st Team

Charity Graham - 2003NFCA All American 2nd Team

Josie Lindgrin - 2004Pitcher, NFCA 2nd Team

British Columbia, Canada

Paige Wright - 2004Shortstop, All American

Southaven

Staranna Fraizer - 2004Outfielder, 3rd Team

NFCA All American 2nd TeamNew Albany

Shanika Randle - 2007Outfielder, NFCA All American

Houston

Kelly Hankins - 2007Infielder, Distinguished Academic All American

Mooreville

Callie Weaver - 2008Shortstop, NFCA 2nd Team

Houston

Stephanie Stubblefield - 2000Infielder, All American

Ecru

Jackie Perry - 1986Forward, All American

Jackson, TN

Kunshinge Sorrell - 1986Point Guard, All American

Booneville

Sherry Slayton - 1987Forward, All American

Belmont

Phyllis Stafford - 1987Center, All American

Biggersville

Evelyn Thompson - 1988Forward, All American

LaGrange, GA

Tiffany Sitton - 1998Forward, All American

Glen

Tamica Pierce - 2001Forward, All American

Decatur, GA

Marqueciqa Thomas - 2004Forward, All American

Jackson

Jessica Hooker - 2006Forward, All American

Brownsville, TN

Krystal Robinson - 2006Forward, All American

Covington, TN

Gene Garrett - 1950Guard, All American

LaCenter, KY

Ken Lindsey - 1951Forward, All American

Booneville

Charles ‘Doodle’ Floyd - 1954Forward, All American

Water Valley, KY

Adrian ‘Odie’ Smith - 1956Guard, All American

Kirksey, KY

Vince Del Negro - 1959Forward, All American

Springfield, MA

Gaylon Baird - 1968Forward, All American

Myrtle

Maurice Stafford - 1982Forward, Honorable Mention

Biggersville

Anthony Anderson - 1984Guard, Second Team

New AlbanyAnthony Gamble - 1989Forward, All American

Booneville

Clay Johnson -1989Guard, All American

Booneville

Dontae Jones - 1995Forward, All American

Nashville, TN

Tim Cole - 1998Guard, All American

Memphis, TN

Eric Batchelor - 2000Forward, All American

Memphis, TN

Qyntel Woods - 2002Forward, All American

Memphis, TN

33

Northeast SportS


Northeast Mississippi Community College will induct five new members into its Sports Hall of Fame on Saturday, October 8 as part of the Homecom-ing 2011 festivities on the Booneville campus.

Northeast alumni Ricky Ford, Jim Drewry, Johnny Buskirk, Vincent Del Negro and Sherry Slayton Holland will all be enshrined into the Northeast Sports Hall of Fame during a luncheon held at the Claude Wright Room inside the Haney Union on Saturday, October 8.

Drewry and Buskirk are both former football players for the Tigers while Ford, Del Negro and Slayton starred on the hardwood for the Tigers and Lady Tigers. Ford, who guided the Lady Tiger basketball program for 30 years, also serves as athletic director and dean of student services for the college.

A reception will be held in the Black and Gold Room on the first floor of the Haney Union at 11 a.m. before the induction luncheon at noon in the Claude Wright Room.

Tickets are $15 and can be purchased by contacting the Northeast busi-ness office at 662-720-7251. Deadline to purchase tickets for the luncheon is September 23.

Ford, Drewry, Buskirk, Del Negro and Slayton Holland join an illustrious cast of Sports Hall of Fame inductees.

During the 2010 induction, former Tiger football and baseball player Mike Grier, former Tiger basketball player Jack Martin, former Lady Tiger basketball players Kunshinge Sorrell Howard and Phyllis Stafford Dilworth and former football and softball coach and athletic director David Carnell all became members of the Sports Hall of Fame.

In its second year (2009), Northeast Sports Hall of Fame inducted five members to join the initial 10 inductees with former basketball players Ger-ald Caveness, Clyde Jones, Evelyn Thompson, and football player Larry Parker along with former Tiger basketball coach Harvey Childers all induct-ed during the second year.

Northeast’s inaugural inductees of ten former coaches, players and sup-porters of Northeast Mississippi Community College athletics included Har-old T. White, W.B. ‘Bill’ Ward, Ken Lindsey, Chuck ‘Doodle’ Floyd, Gene Garret, Adrian Smith, Kenneth ‘Cat’ Robbins, David ‘Nub’ Strickland, Ear-line ‘Woodsie’ Woods and Bonner Arnold.

Jim Drewry (Tiger Football 1950-51)

Jim Drewry led Northeast to its first two winning seasons as the Tiger quarterback on the 1950 and 1951 seasons.

In 1950, Drewry helped lead a Doug Hamley squad to a 6-2-2 mark and the Mississippi Conference Valley Championship with a 32-14 win over Sunflower Junior College.

During his time as the Tiger quarterback, Drewry guided Northeast to a 11-6-3 overall record that included back-to-back wins over Northwest Mis-sissippi Community College (31-0 in 1950 and 34-7 in 1951) and North-east’s 47 points against UT-College in 1951 still ranks as the sixth highest point total in school history and as the fourth highest winning margin for Northeast in its 52-year football history.

Following his time at Northeast, Drewry went on to play at Delta State University but it was his time on the sidelines at Kossuth, Booneville and Tishomingo high schools that Drewry made a name for himself.

However, it was his time at Delta State that Drewry got his first taste of being a coach and helped guide the 1954 Statesmen football team to an undefeated record and a national championship as part of E.B. Chadwick’s coaching staff as a student assistant.

Drewry began his coaching career at Kossuth in 1958 and spent two sea-sons as the Aggies head man before moving to Brandon as an assistant coach in 1960.

Drewry returned home in 1965 and began his first stint as Booneville’s head coach leading the Blue Devils to three bowl games and a Tombigbee Conference co-championship in 1977 before leaving for his second stint at Kossuth from 1979-86.

After retiring to sell insurance in 1987-88, Drewry returned to the side-lines at now defunct Tishomingo High School in 1989 before returning to the Blue Devils in 1990 and guiding Booneville until his retirement in spring 2010.

During his second stint with Booneville, Drewry saw most of his success leading the Blue Devils to three state championships and four state runner-up finishes.

Drewry carried his work ethic into his final year as Booneville head coach where in his 50th season as a head coach, the former Northeast signal caller directed his team to a 13-1 record (starting out 13-0) and appearance in the Class 3A state semifinals.

In the spring 2010, Drewry finally hung up his coaching whistle at the

NE welcomes five into Sports Hall of FameNortheast inducted five new members into its Sports Hall of Fame on Saturday, Octo-ber 8. Joining the hallowed halls of the Sports Hall of Fame were (left-right) for-mer Lady Tiger basketball coach and current Northeast Dean of Students and Ath-letic Director Ricky Ford, former Tiger football player Jim Drewry, former Lady Ti-ger basketball player Sherry Slayton-Holland and former Tiger football player Johnny Buskirk along with North-east president Dr. Johnny L. Allen, Ed.D. Former Tiger basketball player Vincent Del Negro was also inducted along with Ford, Drewry, Slayton-Holland and Buskirk but was unable to attend the induction ceremony.

Northeast SportS


age of 79 and with over 50 years in the football.Drewry, who had retired one time before after the 1987 season, ended his

coaching career as Mississippi’s all-time winningest football coach, passing Joe Bradshaw in the fall of 2009 with a 59-6 win over S.V. Marshall in the first round of the Class 3A state football playoffs.

Drewry finished his career with a 346-157-5 record in head coaching stops at Booneville, Kossuth and Tishomingo where his teams made the state playoffs 17 times and brought home the Class 2A state championship trophy in 1990, 1999 and 2000.

Drewry has been the recipient of many awards and honors and was named the 2009 Power of Influence Award recipient by the American Foot-ball Coaches Association.

In addition to the 2009 Power of Influence Award, Drewry has also been inducted into the National Federation of State High School Associations Hall of Fame and the Mississippi Association of Coaches Hall of Fame.

In 2000, he was inducted into the Delta State University Alumni Coaches Hall of Fame and was named the Tombigbee Coach of the Year in 1967, 1969, 1978 along with being the District 1 Coach of the Year in 1985. Dre-wry has also been honored as the Division 1-3A Coach of the Year in 1986, the Daily Corinthian Coach of the Year in 1993, 1997 and 1999 along with the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal Coach of the Year in 1999 and the Class 2A Coach of the Year in 1999 and 2000.

In 2003, Drewry was named All-American Football Foundation’s Gerald R. Ford All-American High School Coach of the Year, and in 2005, he was the first Mississippi recipient of the NSSA-USA Football Champions Award. Drewry has also had the honor of having a street named after him in the city of Booneville.

Currently, Drewry sits on an advisory board for the American Football Coaches Association and has been figured in a trio of books about football in the state of Mississippi — Gridiron Gold, Gridiron Glory (which featured the Northeast alumni on the cover) and Y’all vs. Us showcasing the rivalry between Booneville and Baldwyn.

Johnny Buskirk (Tiger Football 1968-69)Johnny Buskirk’s career at Northeast started off a new era of Tiger foot-

ball. Buskirk championed the Northeast football team during the first two seasons after coming off an 11-year hiatus from 1957-67 and led Northeast to an 11-7 record during that time.

During his freshman year at Northeast, Buskirk was named the most out-standing player averaging nearly 270 yards per game running and passing and was nationally ranked for his offensive talents.

Buskirk’s sophomore season saw the Tiger signal caller bring the most success to Northeast’s football program since Horace McCool coached the team to a 10-1 mark in 1956.

Buskirk led Northeast to a 7-2 mark his sophomore year and more impor-tantly was the Tiger Award recipient for that year and was named the most outstanding back in Mississippi inside the junior college ranks.

Buskirk is one of only a handful of football players to end his Northeast career on a four-game win streak. During the 1969 season, Buskirk capped his sophomore season with wins over Northwest, Copiah-Lincoln, a close 20-18 decision over Itawamba and a season-ending win over Perkinston.

Under Coach Bill Ward’s guidance, Buskirk was one of two National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) All-Americans produced by Northeast in 1969. Joining Buskirk on the All-American team was tight end Donnie Clayton.

In 1969, Buskirk led the Northeast to a 7-2 mark and in both his freshman and sophomore years, the former Tiger signal caller led Northeast to high offensive outputs.

In 1968, Northeast put up 48 points against Itawamba and then turned the trick again in 1969 with a 48-14 showing against East Central. The 48-point performance ranks fifth in school history for points scored and sits just one touchdown and extra point away from the top mark.

Following his time at Northeast, Buskirk took his skills to Mississippi College where he was a quarterback, running back and kick returner.

Buskirk’s talents helped him set a record at Mississippi College that holds to today – his six kickoff returns against Furman College in 1970 are still listed in the Mississippi College record book.

Following his time at Mississippi College, Buskirk entered the coaching ranks and was named the Tippamingo Conference Coach of the Year in 1974.

Vincent Del Negro (Tiger Basketball 1958-59, 1959-60)Vincent Del Negro would have made Dominque Wilkins jealous as the

“Human Highlight Reel” in the late 1950s.In his first six games as a freshman on Bonner Arnold’s Tiger basketball

team, Del Negro broke out for 172 points – a 34.4 points per game average – and never looked back.

During his freshman season in 1958-59, Del Negro helped lead the Ti-ger basketball team to the North Half Tournament and a 9-3 mark during North Division play before becoming an unanimous selection for the All-State Team.

In his first six games with the Tigers, Del Negro dropped 32, 32, 32, 34, 39 and 42 points – the latter two coming in a 109-85 win over Memphis State and a 96-95 decision over East Mississippi in Scooba.

During the 1959-60 season, Northeast made an improvement on its 12-12 record of Del Negro’s freshman campaign with a 15-12 mark that included wins over Freed-Hardeman and nationally ranked Vincennes (Ind.) 62-61.

In the one-point win over Vincennes, Del Negro let fellow Tiger captain Bobby McCarley knock down the last shot – a 23-foot jumper – but the 6-5 center had the final say, when Del Negro pulled down the game-ending re-bound to seal the victory.

While scoring just 16 points against Freed-Hardeman in their first meet-ing, Del Negro made up for lost time with a 45-point effort against Freed-Hardeman in an 83-69 win and turned the trick once again with a 45-point night against East Mississippi in a 100-74 showing.

Del Negro’s biggest night came in a 46-point effort against Sunflower.Del Negro was also popular with the student population as evident from

him being voted Most Athletic on the Northeast campus during his sopho-more year.

McCarley and Del Negro were also selected to play in the national all-star game together in Coffeyville, Kansas at the culmination of his sopho-more season.

During his second season in Booneville, Del Negro led the nation with a 33.4 points per game average while racking up 1,022 points and was named a first-team All-American.

Del Negro helped lead Northeast to the North Half championship his sophomore season as the Tigers finished as runner-ups in the state.

Del Negro was an all-around athlete. During regular season play, the 6-5 center average 33.024 points per game, in North Half play 34 points per game and in the State Tournament 31.5 points per game.

In his two seasons at Northeast, Del Negro average 32.6 points per game as a freshman and 33.4 points per game as a sophomore.

Following his time in Booneville, Del Negro played for legendary coach Adolph Rupp at the University of Kentucky after signing a grant-in-aid scholarship with the program following his appearance in the national all-star game.

Sherry Slayton Holland (Lady Tiger Basketball 1985-86, 1986-87)Sherry Slayton Holland made an immediate impact on the Northeast bas-

ketball scene when she joined Ricky Ford’s Lady Tigers during the 1985-86 and 1986-87 seasons.

Alongside Phyllis Stafford for two years and Kunshinge Sorrell How-ard her first year, Slayton helped guide the Lady Tigers to the National Ju-nior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) national tournament in both her years in Booneville.

During her freshman season, Slayton and the Lady Tigers dropped only one game all season and posted a 31-0 record heading into the national championship game against Odessa, Texas in 1986.

Slayton bested her freshman year one season later when the Lady Tigers went undefeated -- 34-0 -- en route to the 1987 national championship.

During her two years at Northeast, Slayton amassed a 65-1 record on the hardwood and was named to the MACJC All-State and NJCAA Region XXIII teams both years at Northeast.

Northeast swept through the regular season during Slayton’s sophomore year undefeated and knocked off Northwest Mississippi Community College

Northeast SportS


Sports Hall of Fame InducteesNortheast Sports Hall of Fame MACJC Sports

Hall of Fame2011

Kunshigne Sorrell Howard, Women’s Basketball2010

David “Nub” Strickland, Football2009

Harvey Childers, Men’s Basketball Coach2008

Kenneth Lindsey, Men’s BasketballHarold T. White, Football/College President

2007Adrian Smith, Men’s BasketballBonner Arnold, Basketball Coach/Athletic DirectorW.B. “Bill” Ward, Football Coach/Athletic Director

2008David ‘Nub’ Strickland, FootballW.B. “Bill” Ward, Football coach/Athletic DirectorKenneth “Cat” Robbins, Basketball CoachKenneth Lindsey, Men’s BasketballChuck “Doodle” Floyd, Men’s BasketballGene Garrett, Men’s BasketballAdrian Smith, Men’s BasketballBonner Arnold, Basketball Coach/Athletic DirectorHarold T. White, Football/College PresidentEarline “Woodsie” Woods, Supporter

2009Harvey Childers, Men’s Basketball CoachGerald Caveness, Men’s BasketballClyde Jones, Men’s Basketball

Larry Parker, FootballEvelyn Thompson, Women’s Basketball

2010 Michael Grier, FootballKunshigne Sorrell Howard, Women’s BasketballPhyllis Stafford Dilworth, Women’s BasketballJack Martin, Men’s BasketballDavid Carnell, Sr., Softball Coach/Athletic Director

2011Ricky Ford, Women’s Basketball Coach/Athletic Dir.Jim Drewry, FootballJohnny Buskirk, FootballVincent Del Negro, Men’s BasketballSherry Slayton, Women’s Basketball

80-78 for the MACJC State Championship and then swept through the Re-gion XXIII tournament before heading to Senatobia for the NJCAA National Women’s Basketball Tournament.

Northeast made good on its return trip as the Lady Tigers won four straight games in the Division I women’s national tournament -- including the national championship game when Northeast upended St. Gregory’s in the national championship game 68-64.

It was during the 1986-87 National Tournament that Slayton made a name for herself on the hardwood and was named the Most Valuable Player for the tournament.

During her sophomore season, Slayton led the Lady Tigers in steals per game and assists per game with 3.8 and 6.6 per game, respectively. North-east’s undefeated season also saw Slayton piece together a 14.2 points per game average.

In her two years at Northeast, Northeast captured two North Division championships, two state championships, two Region XXIII championships, back-to-back Tyler, Texas Invitational Championships, a national runner-up finish and a national championship.

Following her sophomore season, Slayton was named an NJCAA All-American alongside Lady Tiger Phyllis Stafford.

Following her time at Northeast, Slayton took her talents to the Univer-sity of Mississippi (Ole Miss) where she was joined by a pair of former Lady Tigers – Phyllis Stafford and Jackie Martin.

Ricky Ford (Lady Tiger Basketball 1981-2011, Athletic Director 2006-Present)

Former Northeast Mississippi Community College women’s basketball coach Ricky Ford left his “built Ford tough” mark on many Lady Tiger teams since coming to Northeast in 1981.

On March 7, 2011 Ford announced he was stepping down as women’s basketball coach at Northeast.

Ford ended his career at Northeast with an overall record of 588-226. During his 30-year coaching career, Ford only had four sub-.500 seasons

and the first of those did not come until his 2002-03 Lady Tigers finished 11-12 but even it finished as the North Division runner-up.

Within five years since taking over the Lady Tiger program in 1981, Ford had transformed the Lady Tigers into national title contenders that included

a national runner-up finish in 1986 and a national championship in 1987. During Ford’s illustrious career, the Lady Tiger basketball coach led his

team to 15 North Division titles, nine MACJC State Championships with 6 (six) of those state championships being consecutive and three Region XXIII crowns while leading the Lady Tigers to the National Junior College Athletic Association’s (NJCAA) national basketball tournament on three separate oc-casions.

Ford went to the national tournament a final time in 2005-06 as the Lady Tigers captured the North Division, MACJC State and Region XXIII titles and finished the season as the nation’s No. 21-ranked team after appearing in the national event in Salina, Kan.

Following his final national tournament appearance, Ford was honored as the Division I, District O, Region XXIII Coach of the Year - an award that is given to the head coach of each of the 16 regional championship teams.

One year after his national tournament appearance, Ford continued his success in the MACJC as the veteran mentor led the Lady tigers back to the Region XXIII tournament for a twenty-fifth straight year as the Lady Tigers once again captured the North Division - their fourth straight division title - and successfully defended their 2006 MACJC State Title.

While Ford may hung up his coaching whistle, the veteran coach still has plans to carry that same passion he showed on the basketball court into the academic life.

Ford was appointed Dean of Student Services at the beginning of the 2011 spring semester following the retirement of Kenneth Pounders, and is currently in his sixth year as athletic director for the college.

His responsibilities as athletic director has Ford overseeing the day-to-day operations of an athletic department that features eight varsity sports, an all-female cheerleading squad and also coordinates the annual MACJC All-Star Football Classic game that is held each year in December.

Prior to coming to Northeast, Ford built successful basketball programs at Booneville High School coaching the Lady Blue Devils for four years and the Blue Devils for a pair of seasons.

Ford’s overall career record stands at 676-253 and carries a winning per-centage of 72.7 percent into retirement.

Before putting on the coaching whistle, Ford also played basketball un-der Northeast Sports Hall of Fame coach/basketball player Kenneth Lindsey.

Northeast SportS


Throughout the 2010-11 academic year, the Northeast athletic de-partment continued to bring praise to the college. Whether it was on the gridiron, hardwood, diamond, tennis courts or the golf course, Northeast athletics continued to excel inside and outside of the classroom.

Ricky Smither’s Tiger football team posted the twelfth winning season in the college’s 51-year football history when Smither’s troops finished with a 5-4 overall record and a 4-2 mark in the Mississippi Association of Community/Junior Colleges (MACJC) North Division in 2010. North-east’s 4-2 mark in the North Division helped the Tigers finish in a tie for second place in the ultra competitive North Division.

Northeast garnered national attention during week six of the season af-ter the Tigers were able to knock off defending MACJC State Champion East Mississippi 49-42 in a shootout in Scooba where Tiger running back Jaquise Cook (Ripley) Ran for 267 yards and four scores against the Li-ons. Cook was awarded the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Player of the Week honors following his week six performance.

In addition to posting the team’s first winning season since 2005, the Tiger football team also captured the attention of the national media when Northeast was included in the NJCAA National Top 20 Football Poll for the week of October 19, 2010 at No. 18 after the Tigers opened up the season 5-2.

Not to be outdone, five different Tigers were honored by the MACJC with All-State status with wide receiver Josh Jarboe (Atlanta, Ga.), de-fensive back Brynden Trawick (Atlanta, Ga.), linebacker Anthony Brown (Cairo, Ga.), defensive back Jeremy Spikner (Olive Branch) and offen-sive lineman Antonio Foster (Valdosta, Ga.) all being selected to the All-State squad. Foster continued to represent the Tigers on the NJCAA Region XXIII squad and became the first Tiger football player to garner All-American status in 30 years when the Valdosta, Georgia native was selected as an honorable mention All-American.

On the hardwood, David Robbins led the Tiger basketball team to appearances in the MACJC State Tournament and the NJCAA Region XXIII Tournament after finishing as the North Division runner-up with a 7-5 mark in the North Division and an 11-14 mark overall. The Tigers found the same opponent awaiting them in both the state and region tour-naments – 19th-ranked Pearl River Community College – and the Tigers gave the Wildcats a run in the state tournament before falling in overtime 92-83.

Due to his effort on the court, sophomore point guard Tyler Pritchard (Iuka) was honored as a NJCAA Region XXIII selection after his 19-point effort against Pearl River in the Region XXIII Tournament and the North-east sophomore was selected to play in the MACJC All-Star Basketball Game in Decatur following the season.

In women’s basketball, Ricky Ford’s longtime run as Lady Tiger head coach came to an end after 30 years when Ford stepped down following the Lady Tigers appearance in the post-season. Ford helped lead the Lady tigers to a fourth place finish in the North Division (6-6) and faced off with the MACJC 2010-11 state champion and state tournament host Copi-ah-Lincoln Community College in the first round of the state tournament.

After posting a 11-12 overall mark, the Lady Tigers had a pair of indi-viduals selected for the MACJC All-North Division second team as Erin Strowder (Memphis, Tenn.) and Anna Brooke Page (Belmont) garnered individual honors.

Sophomore point guard Amber Johnson (Pine Grove) was selected to play in the MACJC All-Star Basketball Game in Decatur following the season.

Ford wrapped up his 30-year coaching career at Northeast with a 588-226 collegiate record and carries a 72.7 winning percentage overall with

a 676-253 record.On the tennis courts, Jeff Melson continued to transform the Tiger and

Lady Tiger tennis teams into state and national contenders.During the 2010 MACJC state tournament, Northeast saw its whirl-

wind season come to an end as the Tigers placed four matches into the semi-finals of the state tournaments and the Lady Tigers had two matches reach semi-final status with Chelsey Whitaker (Alcorn Central) reaching the finals of the state tournament.

Led by sophomores Ward Bynum, Colin Holley, Ben Ferrell, Ben Ford and Matt Murphy, the Tiger team had one of its most successful season in recent history and finished the year ranked in the top 30 by the Interna-tional Tennis Association (ITA) at the end of the season.

On the links, Craig Lauderdale continued to keep the Northeast Tiger golf team in the national spotlight as Austin Holt (New Albany) contin-ued Northeast’s streak of national tournament appearances when the Ti-ger sophomore qualified for the NJCAA National Golf Championships at Goosepond Colony Golf Course in Scottsboro, Ala., in May.

In 2010, a pair of Tiger linksters – Blake Hatfield (Booneville) and Brandon Robbins (Corinth) – qualified for the national event while Hat-field made a solo appearance in Northeast’s first year back in Division II competition in 2009.

During the 2007 and 2008 season, Northeast went undefeated through the Mississippi Association of Community/Junior Colleges (MACJC) Di-vision III ranks and captured the Region XXIII crown and appeared in the NJCAA Division III National Golf Championship in Jamestown, NY.

Holt rallied back on the final day of the four-day national event to fin-ish in a tie for 57th overall with a four-day 305.

On the softball diamond, Jody Long’s Lady Tigers returned to the 2010-11 MACJC State Tournament in Perkinston and gave host Missis-sippi Gulf Coast Community College a run in the first round of the tourna-ment before seeing their season come to an end.

Northeast finished a 25-23 record on the softball diamond and the pro-gram sits just one win shy of the 300-win plateau since switching over to fast-pitch competition in 2011.

In 11seasons, Northeast is 299-232 and has a 137-56 record in the North Divisionheading into the 2012 campaign.

With its 25 wins during the 2010-11 season, Northeast recorded its most wins since the 2008 Lady Tiger softball team pieced together a 34-20 mark en route to a North Division championship.

On the baseball diamond, Kent Farris’ club finished the year with a 22-20 mark and was 12-12 in the North Division and came away with a season split against rival Itawamba Community College claiming a 4-2 victory in Fulton and 6-1 decision against the Indians in Booneville on April 13.

Corey Smith of New Albany and Jacob Long of Vardaman were named to the MACJC All-State first team while Trae Allison of Hernando and Will Wallis of Ripley were named to the All-State second team. Jordan Gurley of Corinth was awarded with a National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) All-Region XXIII golden glove selection at third base.

Northeast’s cheerleaders made the successful transition from a co-ed squad in the 2009-10 season to a squad of 10 during the 2010-11 year under the leadership of cheerleading coach Jennifer Johnson.

Athletics brought hope in 2010-11

Northeast SportS


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Northeast SportS


A proud sponsor of Northeast Mississippi Community College

Athletics.Go Lady Tigers and Tigers!

Northeast Mississippi Community College’s Sudexo cafeteria staff invites the public to stop in

for breakfast, lunch, or dinner Monday-Friday

Breakfast 7-9 a.m.Lunch 10:45 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

Dinner 4:30-6 p.m.

Sunday lunch buffet open to the public every Sunday from 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

Don’t forget to call for your catering needs 662-720-7260

Northeast SportS


Location........................................................................................................................................................Booneville, MSFounded.........................................................................................................................................................................1948President..........................................................................................................................Dr. Johnny L. Allen, Ed.D.(7226)

[email protected] Director......................................................................................................................................Ricky Ford (7302)

[email protected] Information Director.........................................................................................................M. Joseph Miller (7300)

[email protected] Strength and Conditioning Specialist...................................................................................... Bo Ricks (7286) [email protected] Football Coach.........................................................................................................................Ricky Smither (7890)

[email protected]. Football Coaches...................................Travis Macon (7587), Deljuan Robinson (7351), Jonathan Webster (7575)

[email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected] Men’s Basketball Coach.........................................................................................................David Robbins (7241)

[email protected] Women’s Basketball Coach.................................................................................................Brian Alexander (7887)

[email protected]. Basketball Coach..................................................................................................................Maurice Stafford (7161)

[email protected] Nick Coln (7241)Head Baseball Coach..............................................................................................................................Kent Farris (7309)

[email protected] Baseball Coach...............................................................................................................Richy Harrelson (7344)

[email protected] Softball Coach................................................................................................................................Jody Long (7305)

[email protected]. Softball Coach.............................................................................................................................Evan Pounds (7218)

[email protected] Coach.................................................................................................................................Mike Anderson (416-1929)

[email protected] Coach................................................................................................................................Lynn Smither (365-2118)

[email protected] Coach...............................................................................................................Jennifer Johnson (416-2221)

[email protected] Phone..............................................................................................................................................(662) 720-7302Athletic Office Fax.......................................................................................................................................(662) 728-1165Football Stadium...........................................................................................................................................Tiger StadiumBasketball Arena..........................................................................................................................Bonner Arnold ColiseumBaseball Field...................................................................................Harold T. White Field/Booneville Westside City ParkSoftball Field............................................................................................................Field 1/Booneville Westside City ParkGolf Home Course........................................................................................................................Booneville Country ClubTennis Courts.................................................................................................................................Northeast Tennis CourtsAthletic E-mail...................................................................................................................................... [email protected] Affiliation......................................................................National Junior College Athletic Association/Region 23State Affiliation......................................................................Mississippi Association of Community and Junior CollegesColors..............................................................................................................................................................Black & GoldMascot...........................................................................................................................................................................Tiger

(All numbers carry a 662 area code and are led by a 720-prefix unless otherwise noted)

Quick Facts about Northeast Athletics

nemcc spring sports media guide

Documents

farris biographyp

harrelson biographyp

long biographyp

pounds biographyp

anderson biographyp

smither biographyp

ricks biographyp

baseball rosterp