When asked to discuss his football playing days at East Mississippi Community College, Mississippi State Senator Terry Brown might take you in a number of directions.
Yet every story the United States Army Veteran tells is a good one.
This weekend, Brown will be one of 11 individuals inducted into the EMCC Athletics Hall of Fame. The new class will be formally inducted tonight at a banquet in Scooba. It also will be introduced in pregame ceremonies prior to No. 3 EMCC’s Homecoming game against Mississippi Delta C.C. at 2 p.m. Saturday at Sullivan-Windham Field.
“This is one of the biggest honors I have ever received,” Brown said. “East Mississippi Junior College, Junior College is what it was back then, will always have a very special place in my heart. It made me the man I am today. I would not have had the opportunities that I have had without my time at East Mississippi.”
Columbus’ Jimmy Kibe and Charlie Studdard, Starkville’s Charlie Morgan, and Bill Pearson, who used to live in Columbus, also will be honored.
In addition, EMCC also will honor the school’s 2011 Alumnus of the Year recipient (Langston Rogers) and Distinguished Service Award winner (Rick Garner, of Columbus). The public is invited to attend a luncheon at 11:30 a.m. Saturday at EMCC’s Keyes T. Currie Coliseum.
A 1971 graduate of EMCC, Brown also graduated from New Hope High School in 1968. He later attended Delta State University and Mississippi State University. From 1970 to 1976, Brown served in the United States Army as a Specialist Fourth Class. Brown belonged to the Mississippi House of Representatives from 1988 to 2000. He serves as the 17th District Senator for the state, which is a position he has held since 2004.
“I remember my time at East Mississippi very fondly,” Brown said. “The chance to play for (legendary EMCC coach Bob) ‘Bull’ Sullivan was the most amazing thing to ever happen to me. Not only did he teach you about the game of football, but he taught you about respect and discipline.
“With coaches today, if a player messes up then they sit out a game or two. With Coach Sullivan, if you messed up, you were gone. Period. We knew we had to act right and do everything from class to football right. We didn’t have any other choice.”
Brown played center in 1968 and 1969 on some of the school’s best football teams. During that two year-stretch, EMCC posted a 16-3 record.
“This year’s team has a legitimate chance to win the school’s first national championship,” Brown said. “We should have done it. We had a chance to play in the Junior Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif. We had no idea how we were going to pay for the trip. We were going to have to bus all the way out there and back.
“But we were determined about going. We missed out on that chance by just one game.”
The Lions were highly successful back then due to an incredible amount of hard work.
“There were no such things as rules or regulations back then,” Brown said. “When you say four weeks of two-a-days that is what it really meant. Some days we went sun up to sun down. Coach Sullivan wanted, no demanded, the very best from everybody. He expected that every day.
“The athletic dorm was known as the Alamo back then. The coaches lived with us. We pretty much had to behave 24 hours a day.”
A year ago, author Mike Frascogna wrote “Bull Cyclone and the Lions of Scooba, Mississippi.” The book, which highlights Sullivan’s two decades of coaching Scooba, has received critical acclaim around the state.
“The book is outstanding,” Brown said. “Anyone who has not read it, needs to do so today. I get asked all the time if any of that was true. I simply say, ‘Yes, it’s all true and they didn’t put but about half of it all in there.’
“That is the thing about coach Sullivan. I have been everywhere in my present position and before that in the Army. Just about everywhere I go someone knows about coach Sullivan. I take great pride in having played for him and being able to relay my own experiences.”
Brown has had several positive experiences with this year’s team, too. The No. 3 Lions are undefeated and in position to win their third division title in the past four seasons.
“This year’s team is absolutely fabulous,” Brown said. “You can tell (current EMCC) coach (Buddy) Stephens get the most he can out of them. I think they will have a shot to win the national championship. When the play their best, they are almost unbeatable. I am really proud for the school that this team is having such a successful season.
“I played two years as a center, at around 220 or 225 pounds. Today, the average fullback weighs that. The game has changed so much but I still feel like junior college football in our state is the best forms of athletics around.”
Brown also believes a lot of the success and current growth of the athletics program can also be attributed to EMCC President Dr. Rick Young and the EMCC Board of Trustees. That group spear-headed the $4.7M building of the new Sullivan-Windham Field, which debuted this year.
“There is no doubt that Dr. Young is the right man at the right time for that school,” Brown said. “He has always had a tremendous vision for the future. The facilities are among the best in the nation. Dr. Young and The Board of Trustees have made EMCC a popular destination.
“It is now a very attractive place to go to school.”
Not only is EMCC an attractive place for current students, it can also be attractive for alumni as well.
“My whole family with me this weekend,” Brown said. “I feel really honored to have been chosen. It means a lot to recognize by a group of people who have meant so much for me throughout my entire life.”
Kibe, a native of Columbus, was a three-year football letterman as a two-way starter at fullback and linebacker for Columbus Lee High School. He attended EMJC and played fullback for Hall of Fame football coach Bob “Bull” Sullivan, helping lead the Lions to a two-year composite record of 18-4-1 with back-to-back state runner-up finishes during the 1962 and 1963 seasons.
In addition to working nearly 39 years for Omnova Solutions, a major technology-based manufacturer, at their Columbus facility, Kibe also served his county and community as a volunteer fireman for nearly 19 years in the Lowndes County District 3 Volunteer Fire Department.
Morgan was a three-year starter on the gridiron at Sturgis High before continuing his athletic career playing for football coach Bill Buckner at EMJC in 1971-72. The versatile performer played on both sides of the football and handled place-kicking duties in high school and junior college. Though earning a football scholarship to attend Delta State University, Morgan opted to continue his education at Mississippi State after a second knee injury ended his football playing career. Shortly thereafter, Morgan started up Morgan Construction and later began Morgan Rental Properties. The family owned and operated business, specializing in the buying and selling of residential and commercial properties as well as home construction and rental properties, continues to serve Starkville and the surrounding Golden Triangle area.
Pearson, a native of the Golden Triangle area, played his senior season of high school football at Kemper County Agricultural High. He stayed in Scooba and starred for Sullivan at EMJC. As a sophomore tight end, Pearson helped lead the Lions to a postseason bowl appearance along with participating in the 1961 East-West All-American Game in Albuquerque, N.M.
As a third generation breeder of Appaloosa horses, Pearson has been involved working with horses his entire life. After working for Fidelity Union Life Insurance and Prudential, Pearson settled in the Ozark Mountain community of Gainesville, Mo. He is owner and CEO of Two Crows, LLC, an agency representing world champion bullfighters.
Studdard, a standout football and baseball player at New Hope High, helped lead EMJC to a two-year composite mark of 16-3 on the gridiron. As a sophomore, Studdard earned All-State North Division First Team honors as a wide receiver in 1969 and then went on to collect All-State baseball accolades during the spring semester. Off the playing field, Studdard was voted Mr. EMJC in 1970 and served as vice president of the sophomore class.
With a degree in political science from MSU, Studdard continues to serve as the general manager/partner at Electric Motor Sales & Service, a Columbus-based company that specializes in 24-hour, full-service electric motor repair and service.
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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