Born: October 29, 1957
Hometown: New Albany, MS
Year of Induction: 2009
High School Career
West Union HS, New Albany, MS (1972-1976)
• All-America, All-State (’76)
• MS High School All Star game (’76)
• Lettered in baseball
College Career
University of Mississippi (1976-1980)
• Four-year letterman
• Ended Career with 2,328 points; #2 All-Time SEC scoring behind Pete Maravich
• Three-time Coaches All-SEC team (’78-’80)
• Two-time Consensus All-SEC, AP, & UPI (’79, ‘80)
• SEC Player of the Year, Tuscaloosa, AL, Tip-Off Club (’78)
• SEC Athlete of the Year (’80)
• Two-time SEC scoring leader (’79, ‘80)
• Mississippi Amateur Athlete of the Year (’80)
• Team Captain (’80)
• 3rd team All America, AP (’80)
• Honorable Mention All American, AP (’79)
• Team MVP (’79, ‘80)
• MVP Sugar Bowl Tournament (’80)
• Holds numerous school records including made field goals & free throws; consecutive double figure scoring (61 games)
Professional Career
NBA Houston Rockets (1980-1982)
• 27th player selected overall; Rockets first draft choice (’80)
• NBA Championship Series vs. Boston (’81)
European League Caja De Ronda, Malaga, Spain (1982-1983)
Coaching Career
Alabama Assistant Coach (’1984-1985)
Head boys coach, W.P. Daniel HS, New Albany, MS (1985-1988)
• Overall record 71-24; winning percentage 74.7%
• Two-time Class 3A State Champions (’86, ‘87)
• All Star Coach North squad, MS High School All Star Game
• Coach of the Year, the Clarion Ledger & NE MS Daily Journal (’87)
Head basketball coach, East MS CC, Scooba, MS (1988-1990)
• Led team to first winning season in six years and the school’s first ever state & Region 23 tournament appearances (’89)
• MS JUCO Coach of the Year (’89)
Head men’s coach; assistant AD, Millsaps College Jackson, MS (1990-2003)
• Winningest coach in school history (205)
• Three-time SCAC champions (’95, ‘96, ‘01)
• Three NCAA Tournament Appearances (’95, ‘96, ‘01)
• NCAA tournament Sweet 16 (’95)
• Two-time SCAC Coach of the Year (’96, ‘01)
• Head girls basketball coach, New Albany, MS (2004-time of induction)
Hall of Fame Memberships
• Ole Miss Student Hall of Fame, Colonel Rebel & Student Senate (1980)
• Outstanding Young Men of America (1987)
• Runner-up Clarion Ledger’s Most Popular Athlete MS sports history (1989)
• West Union HS Alumni Hall of Fame (1991)
• Ole Miss Athletic Hall of Fame (1995)
• SEC Living Legends Team, Atlanta, GA (1999)
• Millsaps Atheltic Hall of Fame (2005)
• SEC Business Hall of Fame (2007)
• Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame (2009)
Did You Know?
Stroud’s father John played for a bearded barnstorming professional team known as the Whiskered Wizards in the 1950’s. Young John was recruited by about 100 colleges and his signing by first-year Ole Miss coach Bob Weltlich was considered a coup for the long dormant Rebel’s program. At the time of his induction, Stroud still held the Humphrey Coliseum game scoring record (42 points) at arch-rival Mississippi State.
