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Pearl River Community College's Athletic
tradition spans most of this century and includes some prominent and memorable
sports figures, athletes, and coaches.
Football
Pearl River County Agricultural
High School played its first football game in 1911, according to information
gathered by former Director of Public Relations, Larry Stanford, for the
Wildcat’s Roar sports magazine:
...Making
its debut in 1911, the first-ever Wildcat team finished with a 2-1-1 record
under head coach Blonde Williams (See Note Below.) The first
game ever played by Pearl River (County Agricultural High School) was against
Laurel in a hard-fought defensive battle that ended in an uncharacteristic
5-5 tie. Later in the debut season, halfback and Captain George Pearson
scored Pearl River’s first touchdown...Besides Pearson, other members of
the Wildcats’ inaugural squad included tackle Basil Breland, tackle Ned
Cooper, center Seancy Davis, guard Clyde Fulton, quarterback L.A. Hurst,
guard John Lumpkin, end Tom Pearson, fullback Luther Smith, end Clarence
Stewart, and halfback Hubert Strahan.
Editor's Note:
Blonde Williams, it is discovered, was not the first coach, but was listed
as the coach for Mississippi Normal College's (now USM) football team and
served as a referee at this game. The first football coach was Mr.
L. A. Hurst. Mr. Hurst served as the school's second Agricultural
teacher. During those times, the coach would often play as well.
Hurst played on and coached the Pearl River "Aggies," as the team was known.
This inaugural football team, after beating Laurel 6-3 claimed the State
prep school championship. Their claim was not challenged.
In 1912, the "Aggies" met defeat
against Laurel, then trounced the Hattiesburg Boy Scouts 9-0. They
then met the Tulane scrub (second string) team and soundly defeated them
22-6. The following week, the Aggies beat powerhouse Gulfport Military
Academy 21-0. These were the only scores reported by the Poplarville
Free Press during the 1912 season.
Over the next several years,
the “Aggies,” as the team was known, began to gain a reputation.
By 1914, the Aggies became a veritable powerhouse, winning every game that
year, including a 51-0 trouncing of the Harrison County A.H.S. (Perk) in
the very first meeting with that team. Not only did they win every
game except the 0-0 tie game with Mississippi Normal College (now USM)
but their defense kept every team from crossing the goal line. In
the fall of 1921, the high school team was coached by J. A. Huff, the school's
superintendent. "Daddy" Huff, as he was known to his students, led
the team to a perfect season in regular play, with 7 wins against scoreless
opponents. The only score against them occurred when they faced the
north Mississippi champs in the state show-down. An early touchdown
by the Okolona team was quickly answered by the Pearl River Aggies and
the game remained deadlocked 7-7 for the remainder of the game. That
stellar season's scores were: Pearl River, 31-Jones County, 0; Pearl
River, 68-Bogalusa, 0; Pearl River, 7-Gulf Coast Military Academy, 0; Pearl
River, 91-Jones County (rematch), 0; Pearl River, 40-Mississippi Normal
College, 0; Pearl River, 42-Pike County. 0 (south championship).
This stellar season saw a total score of 278-0 and the final game of the
season (against Okolona) would see Huff's champs end the season at 285-7.
Editor's Note:
Although
the newspaper's tally of games played and points scored does not add up,
the declaration of no score against the Aggies bears up, and it is even
possible that the Aggies scored more than the 285 points, since the newspaper
pointed out that the Aggies had played in 8 games scoring 278 points, but
the 7 games' scores listed above totals 286 points.
Edwin W. “Goat” Hale took
the helm as the Aggies head coach in 1922 and tallied a 7-1 season.
Hale won his nickname “Goat” when he ran through an end zone fence after
scoring a touchdown for his high school team, Jackson Central. Hale
was considered the greatest running back in the history of Mississippi
football and has been inducted into four Halls of Fame, including Pearl
River’s. Hale's 1923 and 1924 teams saw perfect seasons (8-0 and
7-0). When he left PRCAHS he did so with a 22 and 1 record.
The 1924 season marked the
debut of the college team. Pearl River trounced Delgado, Clark College,
Louisiana College (LSU) freshmen, State Teachers College (USM), Gulf Coast
Military Academy, Mississippi College, and St. Stanislaus, allowing only
9 points to be scored against them the entire season while scoring 293
points against the hapless teams. The team’s motto was “they shall
not pass” and the teams mascot was “William the Goat.”
In 1925, J.F. “Rat” Stuart,
an alumnus of PRCAHS and later president of the college took over for Hale
who moved on to Mississippi College. Stuart took the finely honed
club to yet another championship in 1925. In 1926, the newly formed
Mississippi Junior College Athletic Association recognized the Pearl River
Junior College Wildcats. The team colors were maroon and gold.
The ‘Cats took the first ever MJCAA state championship crown that year,
playing such teams as Gulf Coast Military College, Clarke College, Perkinston,
Hinds, Loyola (freshmen), Jefferson College (in Natchez) and St. Stanislaus.
With only one loss to the Loyola freshmen, they allowed only 31 points
to be scored while scoring 175 points against the opponents. They
posted a 6-1 record that year. 1927 saw the Wildcats win the state
championship again, this time under coach D.L. Simmons (according to the
1928 Satsuma). In 1928 the Wildcats shared the title with Sunflower
(Mississippi Delta) and Clarke College.
The Wildcats went into hibernation
for the next 21 years. They would not win the state championship
again until 1949, under the leadership of coach Thomas “Dobie” Holden.
Over the next seventeen years, Coach Holden lead his team to the state
championship 8 times, including 3 co-championships. (1952 and 1953
co-champions with Hinds and 1960 co-champions with Northwest.)
In 1961, Coach Holden’s team
went a perfect 10-0. This “dream team” amassed an impressive 446
points against the opponents' 47 points. This team placed two backs
and a center on the JUCO All-American team: quarterback Mack Cochran of
Hattiesburg, fullback J.E. Loicano of Bay St. Louis, and center Alvin Doyle
of New Orleans. The 1961 wildcats set a national junior college scoring
record during the season and went on to win the National Junior College
Championship. Team statistics include 2103 yards running (compared
to 836 yards by the opponents), 1980 yards passing (554 by the opponents)
and picked up 226 first downs (64 by opponents).
Called the “master motivator”,
Coach Holden led the wildcats from 1948 to 1966. About his philosophy,
Holden said, “My philosophy was simple. I don’t coach bums.
A good football player is never a quitter. He learns to take the
bitter with the sweet. Isn’t that what life is all about?” (The Picayune
Item Profile, October 24, 1982) After the 1966 football season, he
retired to the athletic director’s position. Holden led the Wildcats
to 140 victories, while bowing to only 43 defeats and 7 ties. During
the 18 years he led the teams the Wildcats were always in the nation’s
top ten. Holden led the ‘Cats to 17 straight wins over Perk and won
4 of 5 bowl games.
Holden was one of the first
coaches to recognize the potential of the forward pass, and his employment
of the pro-set at Pearl River College in the 1950's was years ahead of
other colleges and pro teams. Before coming to Pearl River, Holden
led the Picayune High School teams to 72 victories over a 10 year period.
He had a 37 game winning streak at one time during this period. Honoring
his life’s work, the Mississippi Legislature recognized him in House Concurrent
Resolution No. 270 on April 5, 1986.
After Holden left, the Wildcats
would again take the state championship in 1969 and 1970 under the field
supervision of Head Coach John Russell, and in 1976 under the leadership
of Head Coach J.C. Arban.
In 2002, new head coach,
Tim Hatten, a PRJC alumnus took his team to the State playoffs but had
to settle for South Division Championship. His 2003 team had different
plans, and on November 15, 2003 the Wildcats became MACJC State Champions
for the 16th time. The team went 10-1 losing only to Hinds, their
worthy opponent for the championship game. Even though both teams
were 9-1 and evenly matched, the Wildcats were hungry for a victory.
It had been 27 years since the team had held the championship trophy and
Hatten's group of 'Cats were hungry. The final score was 21-17.
In 2004, Hatten led his team to 10 victories and ended the season, not
only as state champion and number 2 in the nation, but as a contender for
the NJCAA National Championship. PRCC's Wildcats met the Butler CC
Grizzlies at the Dalton Defender's Bowl in Coffeyville, Kansas. With
a 35-14 romp over the Butler team, Hatten expanded his winning streak to
19.
Mississippi Junior/Community
College Champions
| 1925 |
Pearl
River |
1964 |
Jones |
| 1926 |
Pearl
River |
1965 |
Northwest |
| 1927 |
Pearl
River |
1966 |
Mississippi Gulf Coast |
| 1928 |
Pearl
River, Sunflower*, Clarke |
1967 |
Mississippi Gulf Coast |
| 1929 |
Copiah-Lincoln |
1968 |
Jones |
| 1930 |
Copiah-Lincoln |
1969 |
Pearl
River |
| 1931 |
Copiah-Lincoln |
1970 |
Pearl
River |
| 1932 |
Copiah-Lincoln |
1971 |
Mississippi Gulf Coast |
| 1933 |
Copiah-Lincoln |
1972 |
Mississippi Delta |
| 1934 |
Copiah-Lincoln |
1973 |
Mississippi Delta |
| 1935 |
Holmes |
1974 |
Mississippi Gulf Coast |
| 1936 |
Holmes |
1975 |
Itawamba |
| 1937 |
Copiah-Lincoln |
1976 |
Pearl
River |
| 1938 |
Copiah-Lincoln |
1977 |
Itawamba |
| 1939 |
East Central |
1978 |
Jones |
| 1940 |
Jones |
1979 |
Jones |
| 1941 |
Jones |
1980 |
Mississippi Gulf Coast |
| 1942 |
Perkinston** |
1981 |
Holmes |
| 1943 |
No State Champion due to
WWII |
1982 |
Gulf Coast & Northwest |
| 1944 |
Hinds |
1983 |
Jones |
| 1945 |
Hinds & Holmes |
1984 |
Mississippi Gulf Coast |
| 1946 |
Hinds & Jones |
1985 |
Copiah-Lincoln |
| 1947 |
Jones |
1986 |
Mississippi Gulf Coast |
| 1948 |
Perkinston** |
1987 |
Northwest |
| 1949 |
Pearl
River |
1988 |
Hinds |
| 1950 |
Holmes |
1989 |
Northwest |
| 1951 |
Jones |
1990 |
Itawamba |
| 1952 |
Hinds & Pearl
River |
1991 |
Northwest |
| 1953 |
Hinds & Pearl
River |
1992 |
Northwest |
| 1954 |
Hinds |
1993 |
Mississippi Delta |
| 1955 |
Jones |
1994 |
Hinds |
| 1956 |
Pearl
River |
1995 |
Hinds |
| 1957 |
Hinds |
1996 |
Hinds |
| 1958 |
Southwest |
1997 |
Hinds |
| 1959 |
Pearl
River |
1998 |
Jones |
| 1960 |
Pearl
River & Northwest |
1999 |
Northwest |
| 1961 |
Pearl
River |
2000 |
Hinds |
| 1962 |
Mississippi Delta |
2001 |
Jones |
| 1963 |
Pearl
River |
2002 |
Holmes |
|
|
2003 |
Pearl
River |
* Name change: Mississippi
Delta—1960
** Name change: Mississippi
Gulf Coast—1967
The Wildcat Record Book—FootballStatistics
and Records from all recorded past games.
Basketball
Pearl River has competed
in college basketball since at least 1927, when they won the state championship.
Although undocumented, the basketball team (men) were state champions in
1927, 1929, 1931, 1935, 1945, 1947, 1958, 1965. (Section incomplete)
The 1957-1958 championship
came with some controversy. The old clock (c.1949) that hung in Shiver’s
gym had a small problem. It always started at 2 seconds after 0 and
the buzzer always sounded the period at 2 seconds after 0. Pearl
River was trailing in a hard fought championship in 1958 against North
Division leader, Itawamba. In the last few seconds of the game, an
Itawamba player fouled Donald Clinton just as the buzzer sounded.
The foul was called by the referee, and Itawamba’s coaches noticed that
the clock was 2 seconds beyond the 0 mark. A lengthy argument ensued
as the Itawamba coaches contested the 2 second aberration. After
the official timekeeper assured the referees that the clock was accurate,
having started 2 seconds after 0, Clinton took his free throws and Pearl
River won the championship by one point.
In 2002-2003 the Wildcat
Basketball team recorded a great year, capping it with the MACJC State
Championship. The Lady Wildcats missed the State Championship, but
took the Region XXIII Championship. The following year, the 2003-2004
Wildcat team took the State Championship again to record two in a row,
the first time this feat had been accomplished on the hardwood court.
Baseball
(Section to be added later)
Soccer
Pearl River began playing
soccer in 1999 under head coach Adam Breerwood. Breerwood had never
played or coached soccer before, but he was a good coach and this was only
a minor inconvience for the young baseball star. The 1999 teams recorded
outstanding play all around. Breerwood's girls were hungry and in
2000, 2002 and 2003 they took the south division titles. The men's
team came alive in 2003, after seeing the women's teams outdistance them
for the previous four years, and took the south division championship,
state championship and Region XXIII championship.
Wildcat Football:2003
State Championship Game (entire broadcast 3hrs. 55min. 45sec.)
Note: These
are MP3 files. For best results, use Internet Explorier 5.0 or better
and have Windows Media Player installed on your computer.)
Part
One 30:49 (Pre-game show and 1st part of the 1st quarter)
(Note: The first
PRCC touchdown was missed by the radio station taping the game)
Part
Two 31:03 (2nd part of the 1st quarter and 1st part of 2nd quarter)
Part
Three 26:42 (2nd part of the 2nd quarter and halftime show)
Part
Four 32:35 (last of halftime show and 1st part of 3rd quarter)
Part
Five 16:50 (2nd part of 3rd quarter and 1st part of 4th
quarter)
Part
Six 16:59 (middle part of 4th quarter)
Part
Seven 23:12 (end of 4th quarter and post-game includes an interview
with Head Coach Tim Hatten)
