We are in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at University of Mississippi Medical Center. Tiny, tiny babies are everywhere you look. This day, there are 80 of them, from all over the state, and most are crying. That’s a good thing, a doctor tells me. Crying is good. You worry, she says, when they […]
Hundreds attended the funeral of Hall of Famer Hunter George Weddington Friday morning at First Presybterian Church in Meridian, including a virtual Who’s Who of Mississippi golf. Earlier Friday, the funeral hearse, Weddington aboard, made one last trip around the Northwood Country Club course Weddington played thousands of times. It has been said that the […]
Hunter George (H.G.) Weddington, a three-time state champion golfer who had been the oldest living member of the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame, died today in his hometown of Meridian, three months shy of his 99th birthday. Weddington won the State Am three times. Perhaps more impressively, he played in 56 Mississippi state amateur championships, […]
Heisman Trophy winner Derrick Henry ran for 158 yards and three touchdowns. Quarterback Jake Coker threw for 335 yards and two touchdowns. Tight end O.J. Howard caught five passes for 205 yards and two touchdowns. Kenyan Drake ran a kickoff back 95 yards for a touchdown. But it wasn’t enough for Alabama. And neither was […]
Reading about Saturday’s Blues Marathon reminded me of a day 31 years ago, when it was too cold to go cover a marathon, much less run one. My column from that marathon follows… The alarm goes off at 6:30 on a Saturday morning. The mercury has dipped to 20 degrees during the night. The wind […]
Last night, on a lark, wife Liz and I drove over across the river to seek our fortune. Yes, we went to buy Powerball tickets. We headed I-20 West, Liz driving, me shotgun. “Sure is a lot of traffic,” Liz said. “Everybody’s headed to get rich,” said I. We laughed. But the traffic got worse […]
A Daunting Task By Bill Blackwell As I take over the leadership of the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum, I am keenly aware of the responsibility that has been given me. For a small and impoverished state Mississippi has produced leaders in many categories. In the arts, music, literature and of course […]
Most telling moment of the college bowls season? It came in Alabama’s 38-0 dismantling of Big Ten champion Michigan State. Spartans’ quarterback Connor Cook, who somehow survived the Cotton Bowl carnage, was shown on the sidelines talking about Alabama and telling anyone who would listen and millions of lip-reading TV viewers: “They’re (insert profane adjective […]
