Below is a press release from the The Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame:
The Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame will induct the largest number of honorees ever on July 31st when the Class of 2020 and the Class of 2021 will enter the Hall of Fame together.
"Due to COVID concerns, we were unable to properly induct the 2020 Class so we will have eleven new members going into the hall that night" according to Executive Director, Bill Blackwell.
The 2020 Class includes:
- Pete Brown, the first African-American winner of a PGA event;
- Jerry Boatner the winningest high school baseball coach in state history;
- Janet Marie Smith, a Jackson native that has designed stadiums across the nation, including Oriole Park at Camden Yards;
- Larry Templeton, the longtime Athletic Director at Mississippi State University; and
- Patrick Willis, the Ole Miss All-American and All-Pro linebacker of the San Francisco 49er's.
Antonio McDyess, the former NBA great will be unable to attend this year.
The 2021 Class features: Debbie Brock, the playmaker on the Delta State University three time national champion teams; Erick Dampier who lead the Mississippi State Bulldogs to the NCAA Final Four prior to a long NBA career; Lindsey Hunter of Jackson who played hoops at Murrah High School and Jackson State University before spending 17 years in the NBA; Dave Randall a tennis player from Tupelo that was an All-American at Ole Miss and spent eleven years on the pro-tennis tour; Terrence Metcalf of Clarksdale that was a force as a lineman at Ole Miss and the NFL; and Randy Watkins, the national junior golf champion and PGA Tour member who now owns and operates Randy Watkins Golf.
The Induction Weekend sponsored by Sanderson Farms will begin with the Drawdown of Champions at the Madison Healthplex with a silent and live auction and a $5,000 drawdown. Saturday morning Meet the Inductees will be an autograph session at the museum located at 1152 Lakeland Drive in Jackson. In the evening beginning at 5:30 pm at the Downtown Jackson Convention Complex there will be a reception for all the Inductees prior to the 7pm dinner and program.
Tickets for all events are available online at www.msfame.com or at the museum offices.
