PEARL – Natchez native and Delta State University coaching great Ronnie Mayers received one of the greatest honors any sports figure in Mississippi could ever get as he was inducted into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame on Aug. 1 at the Clyde Muse Center in Pearl.
Mayers made a name for himself coaching and promoting the sport of swimming in Cleveland and the state of Mississippi.
Mayers, 74, began the age group swimming program the Delta Aquatic Club in 1974, which has given many youth a chance to participate and compete in swimming. Ten years later at Delta State University, Mayers, with support from then athletic director Dr. Brad Hovious, started the men’s and women’s swimming programs at the university as he was named the head coach for both programs.
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During a 20-year run leading the teams, Mayers guided the Statesmen to six New South Intercollegiate Swim Conference Championships and the Lady Statesmen to five NSISC Titles with both programs combining for 15 NCAA Division II National Championship appearances.
The two programs ended up having a combined 220 all-conference swimmers, 113 individual conference champions and 56 All-Americans in Mayers’ tenure. Also during Mayers’ run, DSU had an individual national championship on the men’s side as Justin Whitaker won the 100-yard backstroke (48.95) at the NCAA Division II Swimming and Diving National Championships in 2002. The swimming facility at Delta State University is named the Ronald G. Mayers Aquatic Center.
After his time as swim coach concluded, Mayers served as DSU Athletic Director from 2013-18.
At the induction ceremony, Mayers had a lot of his family and friends and many of his former swimmers there to support him.
Mayers said he is blessed to be inducted into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame.
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“It’s been a great weekend,” Mayers said. “It’s exciting to be in the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame. The purpose of the hall of fame is to tell your story, and I’m excited the story I’ve been able to write over many years has come to today.
“I’ve already got some of my swimmers here that I’ve coached over the years. It’s been a great life, and I’m really excited.”
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves discusses the state’s dramatic rise in national education rankings, detailing the key literacy and reading reforms behind the success.
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves discusses the state’s dramatic rise in national education rankings, detailing the key literacy and reading reforms behind the success. Reeves credits the state’s structured literacy laws and focused reading programs for transforming the educational system.
Police in Jackson, Mississippi, have arrested a man in the case of Tasia Fortune, the 29-year-old Black woman found hanging from a tree outside an abandoned house last month, following the state medical examiner ruling her death a homicide.
Jackson police officers had responded to the home in early August and discovered a body hanging in the backyard.
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Hinds County chief medical examiner investigator Jeremiah Howard later confirmed the identity as Fortune.
According to Christy Spivey, Fortune’s mother, she last saw her daughter on July 26. Fortune was a mother of four who had lived in Mississippi for more than 10 years.
Her mother stated that she had traveled to Kentucky for a family reunion.
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On Friday, a suspect was arrested while walking along a city street, Jackson Police Chief RaShall Brackney said at a news conference.
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More arrest warrants are expected to be served in connection with the case, the chief said.
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