It’s the centennial of the Mississippi High School Activities Association, 100 years as the governing body for high school sports and other extracurricular activities in the Magnolia State, with some basic changes through the years.
The original formation came out of a desire by the Mississippi Education Association to organize local literary and athletic associations into a statewide organization. That resulted in the formation of a state association to direct and control interschool relations beginning with the 1922-23 school year.
The original organization functioned until 1939 when the executive committee of the Mississippi Education Association approved a resolution to revise the organization. A committee was established to draft a constitution and by-laws for submission to the Mississippi Education Association, resulting in the Mississippi High School Literary and Athletic Association.
Ten years later, a new constitution was approved, and it became the Mississippi High School Activities Association
There have been some important milestones. Most significant was the 1971 merger with the Magnolia State High School Activities Association, the governing organization for Black schools.
It was also in 1971 that MHSAA began conducting girls sports, a decade before the NCAA added women’s sports.
There is competition in two boys sports – baseball and football – two girls sports – volleyball and softball – two coed sports – archery and tennis – and eight sports with boys and girls teams – basketball, bowling, cross country, golf, powerlifting, soccer, swimming and track.
But there is more to MHSAA than sports. Classified as activities are band, bass fishing, cheer & dance, choral, esports and speech & debate.
“They build character and discipline, just like sports do,” said MHSAA executive director Rickey Neaves. “There might be someone who might not have the athletic ability to be a football player or a baseball player that can excel in music or speech. We just try to make sure we have something to offer to all students.”
There will be a change in the fall with the addition of a seventh classification, but it will not have a direct effect on the three Attala County schools. Kosciusko will remain in 4A, albeit with mostly new region opponents, while Ethel and McAdams remain 1A.
There are special rules for scheduling schools that are not members of the organization. Whether they are Mississippi schools, such as MAIS members, or out of state, the opponents must have stated non-discrimination policies, must be in good standing with their associations, and the scheduling must be approved by MHSAA.
MHSAA is sometimes referred to as the public school association, but there are a handful of private schools, including French Camp Academy.
And MHSAA is not just high schools. Current membership includes 245 high schools and 325 middle schools. There are invitational middle school meets for basketball, cross country and track.
The MHSAA governing body is the 15-member executive committee, with representation from all areas of the state. Members are administrators, such as superintendents, principals and athletic directors, who serve four-year terms, can only serve two terms, and the terms are staggered.
Neaves is the MHSAA’s seventh executive director, having succeeded Don Hinton January 1, 2021.
