Mississippi

Three legendary football coaches who left lasting legacies in Mississippi

Published

2 years ago

June 4, 2024

Three legendary football coaches who left lasting legacies in Mississippi

Mac Gordon
| Special to the Mississippi Clarion Ledger

Their hallmarks of authentic goodness, love of coaching young men and strong affection for Mississippi overlap their wins and losses.

The trinity of former head college football coaches in this state, Archie Cooley at Mississippi Valley State, Steve Sloan at Ole Miss and Bob Tyler at Mississippi State, secured some sweet victories, however. While not as often as desired by all fans, each delivered the glory.

I knew Tyler best, mainly from his willingness to do anything he could to help this state, on or off the field. He was super successful as a prep coach with records that vaulted him into the college ranks.

I’ll always believe that if he’d been chosen to succeed John H. Vaught at Ole Miss in 1970, the Rebels’ long run as a Southeastern Conference power would’ve endured. He wasn’t picked and the Rebs’ heyday closed.

Tyler prospered as head coach at Mississippi State from 1973-1978, taking his 1974 team to the program’s first bowl in 11 years, defeating North Carolina in the Sun Bowl and attaining a national ranking. Eventually, he worked in government, lobbying for the state parks system and his home county of Yalobusha.

He and I talked about a book project. It never happened, but I wanted to entitle it, “Bob Tyler: He coached the Bulldogs; He should’ve coached the Rebels.”

Sloan was called “America’s hottest young coach” when he became the Ole Miss head man, succeeding the fired Ken Cooper. He’d won everywhere he’d been, including the impossible Vanderbilt, where, at age 27, his team played in the school’s first bowl in 20 years.

He never got it going at Ole Miss from 1978-1982, his best season 5-6 as he compiled a 20-34-1 overall record. Sloan went beyond the call supporting “The Ole Miss Spirit,” a publication of mine and two associates, Chuck Rounsaville and Josh Bogen, while he was the Rebel coach. We are forever grateful.

I’ve often said Sloan missed it on vocations. I believe he was good enough to have played professional golf. He found time to play often and well, even while coaching, and qualified and competed in the 1995 U.S. Senior Open.

Veteran Mississippi sportswriter Rick Cleveland called Sloan “the nicest coach I ever covered. Just a prince.” That’s a sentiment heard often about this, well, prince of a guy.

Sloan played quarterback for Alabama legend Bear Bryant, who on his deathbed called in Sloan to sit with his family.

Cooley, the most colorful of this coaching triumvirate, was known as “The Gunslinger” for his wide-open, no-huddle “Satellite Express” offensive scheme sometimes featuring five receivers.

Cooley found microphones early and often in Itta Bena, highlighted by his Sunday night TV show that attracted an outsized Mississippi Delta following.

At Valley from 1980-1986, he coached inarguably the greatest wide receiver ever known in College Hall of Famer and NFL Hall of Famer Jerry Rice, who dazzled crowds catching passes from Delta Devils quarterback Willie “Satellite” Totten.

Cooley took Valley to the NCAA playoffs and coached a momentous game in 1984 against in-state rival Alcorn State. Both were unbeaten at 7-0 going into the game played in Jackson because, in a move successfully sought by the writer Cleveland, Valley’s stadium was deemed too small for such a tectonic game.

Alcorn rattled Valley 42-28 before 63,000-plus fans. The Jackson stadium’s capacity was 62,000. “They whipped us good, like we usually do to people,” Cooley admitted later.

Each member of this special trio spoke candidly, among their other traits.

— Mac Gordon, a native of McComb, is a retired newspaperman. He can be reached at macmarygordon@gmail.com.

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Mississippi

Why Rebels are keeping pace for Mississippi State CB commit Brandon Allen Jr

Published

9 minutes ago

March 3, 2026

Press Room

Why Rebels are keeping pace for Mississippi State CB commit Brandon Allen Jr

Ole Miss is working to eventually flip Mississippi State cornerback commit Brandon Allen Jr. (Atlanta, Ga.). Ahead of a packed spring travel schedule, visiting multiple programs, Allen speaks on his current recruitment with Rebels247.com.

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Mississippi

Carpenter Pole and Piling invests $5M in Mississippi, creating 10 jobs

Published

12 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

Carpenter Pole and Piling invests M in Mississippi, creating 10 jobs

Staff
| Mississippi Clarion Ledger

A Mississippi wood products manufacturer is investing nearly $5 million in an expansion.
Carpenter Pole and Piling’s project is expected to create 10 new jobs in Wiggins.
The expansion includes a new treatment plant and an additional 20 acres for storage.
Construction is anticipated to be completed by September 2026.

A wood products manufacturer is set to create new jobs as part of a major expansion.

Carpenter Pole and Piling is investing nearly $5 million into its Wiggins, Mississippi, operation.

The expansion will add 10 new positions and support long-term growth in the region.

“Carpenter Pole and Piling is a true Mississippi success story, and we’re proud to see the company continue investing right here at home,” Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves said.

“This expansion in Stone County is creating new opportunities for hardworking Mississippians while strengthening a company that has long contributed to our state’s economy,” Reeves said. “When Mississippi businesses grow, our communities grow with them, and we remain committed to fostering a business environment where companies can thrive.”

Carpenter Pole and Piling produces utility poles and pilings for marine and foundation use.

The project includes construction of a new treatment plant, investment in a 2,600-cubic-foot autoclave and an alternative treatment option to improve production capacity.

The company is also clearing and preparing an additional 20 acres for a new pole storage yard.

Stone County is also contributing to the project.

The company expects to complete construction by September 2026.

The new roles are expected to be filled by January 2027.

Carpenter Pole and Piling specializes in the production of utility poles. It also manufactures foundation and marine pilings.

The new autoclave will increase production and add an alternative treatment option.

This story was created by business and development writer Ross Reily, with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of the information gathering, review, editing and publishing process. Learn more.

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Mississippi

CBSB: Southern Miss sweeps again, Mississippi State shines in Texas, Ole Miss struggles – SuperTalk Mississippi

Published

1 day ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

CBSB: Southern Miss sweeps again, Mississippi State shines in Texas, Ole Miss struggles – SuperTalk Mississippi

Southern Miss earned its second consecutive sweep, rounding out a mostly successful weekend of college baseball for Mississippi’s major programs.

The No. 12 Golden Eagles (10-1), fresh off a mercy-rule victory over Alabama, exited a hostile Louisiana Tech environment with three straight wins versus a former conference counterpart. Christian Ostrander’s crew won 8-3 on Friday, cruised to an 11-0 run-rule victory through seven innings on Saturday, and was on the good side of a 6-2 scoreboard in Sunday’s finale.

A three-run bomb by Kyle Morrison in the top of the fourth of Friday’s game put the black and gold up 5-3, and solid pitching carried the team the rest of the way. A six-run top of the fourth of Saturday’s game, in part due to a Matthew Russo 2 RBI single, broke a scoring stalemate and fueled Southern Miss to a win in a shortened matchup. A two-run long ball by Joey Urban in the top of the ninth of Sunday’s battle gave the Golden Eagles a buffer that would not be eclipsed.

Kros Sivley (2-0) was Friday’s winning pitcher after logging a pair of strikeouts in 1.2 innings. Grayden Harris (2-0) got the win on Saturday after fanning five batters and surrendering no runs through six complete innings. Camden Sunstrom (1-0) closed out the finale with the win after striking out two batters and not giving up a hit or a run in the final two frames.

Mississippi State wins two in Texas

The No. 4 Bulldogs (11-1) had a solid weekend in the Amegy Bank College Baseball Series. Brian O’Connor’s club handled the weekend test with an 8-4 win over Arizona State, a 15-8 victory over Virginia Tech, and a heartbreaking 8-7 extra-innings loss to No. 1 UCLA.

Mississippi State broke a scoring hiatus on Friday with a strong bottom of the fifth. A Bryce Chance RBI single scored the game’s first run, then a Gehrig Frei homer put the Bulldogs up 4-0. Three insurance runs were added in the next offensive frame, and Mississippi State did not look back. On Saturday, an Ace Reece longball gave the maroon and white a 4-0 lead in the top of the second. Virginia Tech chipped away, cutting the deficit to two runs, until a five-run top of the seventh put things out of reach.

Sunday’s finale was a battle between two teams vying for bragging rights as the nation’s best. The Bruins took an early 3-0 lead, but Mississippi State quickly countered. A two-run bomb by Reed Stallman and an RBI double by Ryder Woodson knotted things up 3-3 in the bottom of the fourth. The Bulldogs added a run in the bottom of the seventh and eighth innings to lead 5-3.

A two-out home run by UCLA’s Roch Cholowsky tied the ballgame in the top of the ninth. Mississippi State, with runners on second and third and no outs in the bottom of the ninth, could not send a runner home. A wild pitch and a 2 RBI triple scored three Bruins in the top of the 10th. Stallman hit his second home run of the day to inch the Bulldogs within one run of their foe, but it was not followed up with more scoring.

Winning pitchers for Mississippi State this weekend were Ryan McPherson (2-0) and Tomas Valincius (3-0), while Ben Davis (0-1) was tabbed with the lone loss.

Ole Miss struggles in neutral-site tournament

In its first set of tests versus power conference opponents, the Rebels (10-2) struggled mightily, dropping two of three outings in the BRUCE BOLT College Classic. Mike Bianco’s club fell to Baylor 6-5 in extra innings on Friday before bouncing back on Saturday in an 8-0 win over Ohio State and suffering a 9-2 loss to Coastal Carolina in Sunday’s finale. Ole Miss was a combined 0-18 at the plate with runners in scoring position in the two losses.

Though the weekend didn’t play to the Rebels’ advantage, a few individual performers stood out. Murray State transfer Dom Decker, who entered his junior campaign without hitting a home run, hit three balls over the outfield wall at the Houston Astros’ Daikin Park. Hunter Elliott had a career-high 11 strikeouts on Friday, while Cade Townsend and Taylor Rabe collectively fanned 16 batters in Saturday’s shutout.

Next up

Southern Miss will play a pair of home midweek games, the first being against Mississippi State on Tuesday at 6 p.m. and the second versus Nicholls on Wednesday at 6 p.m., before hosting North Alabama over the weekend.

Mississippi State will host Lipscomb over the weekend after facing the Golden Eagles.

Ole Miss will host Memphis on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. and North Alabama on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m., before welcoming Evansville for a weekend series.

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