When the question was first asked, this writer really didn’t pay any attention.
As the weeks mounted, the question was asked again a couple of times.
People were speculating whether Buddy Stephens had had enough fun as East Mississippi Community College football coach and was ready to move on to another phase in life.
With the Mississippi Bowl and the 2016 season now in the books, it’s safe to say, Stephens isn’t going anywhere.
EMCC completed its ninth season under Stephens with a 27-17 win over Kilgore College (Texas) in the Mississippi Bowl played before another strong contingent of EMCC fans at A.L. May Stadium on the campus of Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College in Perkinston.
Let’s now review how good those nine seasons have been:
Under Stephens, EMCC has compiled an 87-12 record. The Lions have won their first five Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges (MACJC) state championships under his watch, as well as the school’s first three National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) national championships.
EMCC has made the playoffs eight times, won the North Division title eight times and won all five bowl games played under Stephens. The team has finished in the NJCAA Top 10 seven times.
Without question, the last two years though have taken their toll on Stephens and the entire EMCC community.
The quest for a third straight national championship was derailed in 2015 when a benches-clearing brawl marred the final game of the regular season – a 48-0 win over Mississippi Delta Community College.
The brawl led to a postseason ban. That is why EMCC has not made the postseason in all nine seasons under Stephens. That is quite amazing considering only four of the state’s 14 teams make the playoffs each season.
During the summer, Netflix unveiled “Last Chance U,” a six-part documentary taking a behind-the-scenes look into the program.
In August, Stephens seemed at peace. He talked about finding religion during the off-season, shortly before the documentary went public.
School officials deflected any criticism of the documentary. However, that criticism was offset by an incredible support of the documentary on a national level. The bookstore saw record sales and fans traveled from across the county to see the 2016 team play.
With more than 82 million views in the first week, Netflix eagerly renewed the series for this season.
In the season opener, EMCC played short-handed and only dressed 32 of its 55 players due to the brawl. In that opener, EMCC – then preseason No. 1 in the nation – fell to Jones Junior College 27-25. The Lions had a fumble inside the 5-yard line late and a failed game-tying two-point conversion attempt or the game (and thus season) could have ended very differently.
As the season progressed, EMCC won and won again. The Lions won their final 11 games to finish with 11 or more wins for the fifth time under Stephens. EMCC did it without swagger and bravado. They did it without calling timeouts when leading 48-0. EMCC took knees. EMCC punted. EMCC made plays and out-athleted most opponents. Stephens was still passionate and intense. However, several players admitted he was a much different person on the practice field this season.
There is nothing wrong with the way EMCC went about business. Some would argue that it was long overdue. However, it was hard to tell if the team was overly cautious or simply didn’t have the swag gene in its DNA. Stephens also admitted the team needed to be more like some of the EMCC teams in the past.
In the end, EMCC could not overcome the short-handed loss and had to settle for No. 2 in the nation.
After winning the first national title in 2009, Stephens called himself a “JuCo lifer.” If he were to coach on the senior college level then would have been the time to go. Now after 16 seasons as either a head coach or assistant coach, was it time for the former MACJC player himself to do something different?
Well this is what we do know.
Prior to kick off of the Mississippi Bowl, Stephens and some EMCC administrators toured the new academic facility for Gulf Coast athletes. The $9M complex is adjacent to the stadium and also houses the football stadium’s press box, as well as suites for big-money donors of the program. It is easily the best press box in the MACJC. The students of every sport also have a top-notch building for academic purposes. A new field house is also being constructed and will be connected to the academic complex.
During the tour, one EMCC official said “wait, till you see what we build.”
EMCC also has a new indoor practice facility on the drawing board. The complex will include a practice field, locker rooms and coaches’ offices. It is set to be built behind the home stands at Sullivan-Windham Field.
In its sixth season, Sullivan-Windham remains the state’s nicest stadium. The Lions are 33-1 at home since the stadium opened in 2011.
In the Mississippi Bowl, EMCC simply went through the motions. Vastly superior to Kilgore, EMCC was dealing with the emotions of being shut out of the national championship game for a second straight season. The game also falls just prior to exams and prior to many players signing with senior colleges. Three weeks from now, players with completed degrees will already be enrolled on new campuses.
After the game, Stephens talked about what lies ahead. He talked about swag and killer instinct. He talked about things that are fixing to be built on the EMCC campus. He talked about remaining the state’s best program. He also talked about starting another national championship run. These days, No. 2 is not a reason to celebrate in Scooba.
In other words, EMCC will be looking for a little more swag and a few more Division I transfers who need a new place to play. They will also be looking for more room in the school’s trophy case. They won’t be looking for a new coach.
Scott Walters is a sports writer for The Dispatch. He can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @dispatchscott.
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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