Looking back on the past 12 months in the sports world, Mississippians have seen another couple of National Championships, witnessed unbelievable feats by our state’s athletes as well as frustrating losses by our favorite teams and sadly suffered the loss of several notable sports greats.
The Top Mississippi 2022 Sports Stories:
No. 1- Ole Miss winning the College World Series was the highlight of the 2022 Sports Year in the Magnolia State. It was the program’s first National Championship. Tim Elko, Kevin Graham, Justin Bench, Dylan DuLucia, Hunter Elliott and Coach Mike Bianco led the Rebels.
No. 2 - The sudden death of Mississippi State head football coach Mike Leach stunned us all. We lost a football genius as his offensive concepts are used at every level of football from the pros on down and will continue to be used for years to come. Only one SEC coach and only four active coaches in Division I had as many wins (158) as the “Pirate.”
No. 3 – Deion Sanders resigned as Jackson State head coach after leading the Tigers to an undefeated regular season and the school’s second straight SWAC football championship. The Tigers (12-1) lost in the Celebration Bowl in what would be the last game for Sanders. Coach Prime was then hired by Colorado of the PAC-12.
No. 4 – College baseball in our state was almost as popular as football. We have the proof as Ole Miss ended the season as the top ranked team in the college baseball world. Pearl River Community College also captured the National Junior College National Championship. Southern Mississippi hosted a Super Regional by winning 47 regular season games and winning the Hattiesburg Regional over LSU.
No. 5 – Coaching rumors and changes dominated the sports scene. The distraction of Lane Kiffin of Ole Miss and whether he was staying or leaving was an on-going issue for most of November. Mississippi State named Zach Arnett to replace Mike Leach. The 36-year-old served as defensive coordinator and linebackers coach the past three years under Leach. Jackson State named former Tiger T.C. Taylor as the school’s head coach replacing Sanders. Mississippi Valley named Delta State wide receiver coach and former Valley star Kendrick Wade to succeed head coach Vincent Dansy.
No. 6 – Deserving top players received awards. Ole Miss Freshman running back Quinshon Judkins won the Conerly Trophy as the outstanding college football player in our state over JSU’s quarterback Shedeur Sanders and Mississippi State's defensive back Emmanuel Forbes Jr. Judkins rushed for 1,476 yards and scored 17 touchdowns for the Rebels. Ole Miss lineman Neil Broeker was chosen as the recipient of the Kent Hull Award for being the best college lineman in the state. Jones County Junior College running back Robert Henry was named the inaugural winner of the Walter Jones Trophy, awarded to the nation’s top junior college player.
No. 7 – Mississippi State's record setting quarterback Will Rogers broke a number of records. During the regular season Rogers led the nation in completions per game (32.17), while ranked first in the SEC in passing yards (3,713), passing touchdowns (34) and points responsible for (204). Rogers also broke several MSU career records this season previously held by Dak Prescott. The junior now sits atop the record book in career passing touchdowns (81) and passing yards (10,428), while he also set a new SEC career record for career completions (1,130).
No. 8 – Frank Gore Jr. set an NCAA bowl record as he rushed for 329 yards, ran for two touchdowns and passed for another as the Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles defeated Rice, 38-24, in the LendingTree Bowl.
No. 9 – Delta State made the second round of the Division II NCAA playoffs and recorded an 11-2 season. Belhaven set a program record with an outstanding 8-2 mark.
No. 10 – Former Mississippi State baseball player Buck Showalter was named the National League Manager of the Year for leading the New York Mets to 101 wins this past season. It was Showalter's fourth Manager of the Year award.
I hope all had a Merry Christmas and wish all of you a Happy New Year!
Listen to Dale and Marshall Wood on the Brouhaha Sports Show each Tuesday at 6 p.m. on WABO FM 105.5 in the Waynesboro area. This week’s guest is former NFL player Randy Grimes. To listen to the broadcast on your computer or smart phone anywhere in the world, go to Google Chrome, go to wabo105.com and click listen live. You may also go to The Brouhaha on YouTube to listen to archived shows. Dale has been writing sports since 1973. Contact him at ddmckee18@yahoo.com.
