Sports stars help raise funds for Mississippi HOF

By By Jeff Byrd / sports editor
April 29, 2003
PHILADELPHIA Hall of Famers and well-known Mississippi sports figures gathered at the Pearl River Resort's Dancing Rabbit Golf Course for a day of playing and fellowship on a sunny Monday afternoon.
The occasion was the Bancorp South Celebrity Golf Tournament for the benefit of the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame.
The event drew 18 members of the Hall of Fame to the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indian's premier golf course at Dancing Rabbit.
Hall of Fame Director Michael Rubenstein said the tournament is a key event for the Jackson-based museum which honors Mississippi's rich athletic history.
One of the Hall of Famers who was glad to participate was former Boston Celtic great and Mississippi State alumnus Bailey Howell.
Other Hall of Fame members who either played or made an attendance at the day-long event included Denver Brackeen, Kayo Dottley, Boo Ferriss, Jake Gibbs, Doug Hutton, Jimmy Lear, D.D. Lewis, Bucky McElroy, Ray Perkins, Ray Poole, Willie Richardson and Dave Whitney.
The field also included two new members to the Hall of Fame including former Buffalo Bills All-Pro center Kent Hull and former Ole Miss athletic director Warner Alford.
The Hall of Famers were joined by a handful of special guests including Ole Miss head football coach David Cutcliffe, former Mississippi State pitcher and current ESPN baseball analyst Jeff Brantley, Mississippi Valley State head football coach Willie Totten and former PGA golfer Randy Watkins.
Cutcliffe was glad to be a part of the day's festitivies.
Golfers from around the state were able to pay a tournament fee to golf with the arrayed cast of Hall of Famers and guests. The tournament was handicapped.
The team of Mississippi State assistant coach Curley Hallman won the event with a score of 44. Rick Cleveland's team was second with a 46. The team of Alcorn State head coach Dave Whitney was third.