NJCAA MAKES 2002 FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME SELECTIONS
ELLISVILLE - A pair of history making teams, four former players, six coaches and one contributor have been inducted into the National Junior College Athletic Association Football Hall of Fame for 2002.
"Junior college football has a rich tradition throughout our country," said Parker Dykes, head coach at Jones County Junior College and president of the NJCAA Football Coaches Association. "The teams and individuals selected to the Hall of Fame represent all that is good in the sport of football. They have made a positive impact on their colleges and communities, and for that we salute them."
NJCAA Hall of Fame selections for 2002 are as follows.
Team Selections
Team selections include the 1955 Jones County Junior College Bobcats and the 1972 Blinn College Buccaneers.
In 1955, the Jones County Junior College Bobcats from Ellisville, MS was named Mississippi Junior College Champions after completing an undefeated 10-0 season. Ranked second nationally, the squad accepted an invitation to play top-ranked Compton Junior College of California for the national title in the Junior Rose Bowl.
By accepting the invitation, the Bobcats became the first intercollegiate team from Mississippi to play a racially integrated team. Although the 1955 Bobcats lost the game, they are still remembered for breaking the barrier of segregation.
In October 1995, the Jones County Junior College Alumni Association named the 1955 Bobcat team the Honor Alumni. The team also endowed a scholarship to benefit student athletes attending Jones County Junior College.
The 1972 Blinn College football team was the first in school history to go undefeated. They were 12-0 and won the Wool Bowl 38-21 over Mesabi State College.
Located in Brenham, TX, Blinn finished third in the 1972 NJCAA Football poll. The coach and three players from that Buccaneer team have been inducted into the NJCAA Football Hall of Fame.
Players
Four men from three schools have been selected to the Hall of Fame players list. Will Cokely and Mel Gray both played at Coffeyville (KS) Community College. Dick Hewins is from Highland (KS) Community College and John Perkins played at Jones County Junior College.
A linebacker, Cokely was a two-time All-American for the Red Ravens in 1978-79. He went on to Kansas State University where he helped lead the Wildcats to a bowl game in 1982. Also in 1982, Cokely was named Chevrolet Player of the game against both the University of Kansas and Oklahoma. He was selected second team All-Big Eight his senior year.
After college, Cokely went on to play with the Michigan Panthers and the Memphis Showboats of the United States Football League. In 1986, he played for the Canadian Football League's Montreal Alouettes. During the players' strike in 1987, Cokely played for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League.
A first-team All-American running back in 1980-81, Gray also played for the Coffeyville Red Ravens. In 1981, he rushed for 1,397 yards and scored 20 touchdowns.
Gray then played for the Purdue Boilermakers where he was selected to the All-Big 10 squad both years. He was also named to several All-American teams. He was the featured running back in the USFL Los Angeles Express' one back attack before being traded to the Tulsa Outlaws. Gray played in the NFL for New Orleans, Detroit, Houston and Philadelphia.
On October 23, 1994, Gray became the NFL's all-time leader in kick-off return yardage. During his career, he returned 342 kick-offs (also an NFL record) for 8,275 yards and four touchdowns.
Additionally, Gray is the NFL's all-time leader in combined kick-off and punt return yardage. He had 547 total returns for 10,608 yards and seven touchdowns. He was All-Pro six times and has been selected as the all-time kick returner in the NFL by a number of football publications. He retired to private business in 1997.
At Highland from 1965-66, Hewins distinguished himself by becoming the leading receiver in the school's history. He is still in the school record books ranked first or second in 11 categories for receiving and scoring.
After junior college, Hewins played for Drake University in Des Moines, IA. In 1968 he set the Division 1A single season pass receiving record with 95 catches. The Green Bay Packers drafted him in 1969.
Hewins earned a master's degree in biology and chemistry. He taught and coached at Des Moines' Roosevelt High School for 32 years. Hewins coached football for 15 years and was the head boy's track coach.
He also coached the girl's track team to four state titles. Under Hewins' leadership, the girl's track team has also finished second in the state three times, third in the state three times and in the top five 10 times in the last 18 years. Hewins has been named conference coach of the year four times and regional coach of the year twice.
Perkins played at Jones County Junior College during a time when many junior colleges in Mississippi had both high school and junior colleges located on the same campus. As a result, Perkins was able to play three years of junior college football, one as a high school senior, the other two as a college student.
The starting left tackle both offensively and defensively from 1953-55, Perkins was a three-time selection to the Junior College All-State Team. In 1954, he was named Honorable Mention All-American.
Perkins was a member of the 1955 Bobcat Junior Rose Bowl team and was a major contributor to the scholarship that team endowed at Jones County Junior College in 1995.
He continued his college football career at the University of Southern Mississippi where he started both ways as a left tackle. Perkins has been inducted into the USM Sports Hall of Fame and received special recognition on the USM All-Century Team.
After college, the Pittsburgh Steelers drafted Perkins. In 1958, he was the starting left tackle on the undefeated and untied National Champion Steelers team. Additionally, the All-American Football Foundation honored Perkins with the Unsung Hero Award in 2000.
Coaches
Individuals earning Hall of Fame recognition for their NJCAA coaching careers include Bob McElroy of Navarro (TX) Community College, Skip Foster of Coffeyville (KS) Community College, Phil Martin of Montgomery (MD) College, Ron Haun from Ricks (ID) College, and Marty Allen and Dale Kessinger, both from Highland (KS) Community College.
With a coaching career that spans 40 seasons, McElroy spent 19 years at Navarro. He was an assistant coach for 11 years and the head coach from 1986-93. As a head coach, his record with the Bulldogs was 61-19-3.
In 1989, Navarro captured the national title under McElroy's leadership. The Bulldogs played in five bowl games during his tenure. McElroy was named Texas Junior College Football Conference Coach of the Year three times.
While coaching at Navarro, he was associated with six teams that ranked in the NJCAA Top 15 and seven that were ranked in the Grid-Wire's national poll. He has helped coach 15 NJCAA All-Americans and 21 Grid-Wire All-Americans. Fifteen Navarro players have gone on to play professional football.
Foster was an All-American player for Coffeyville in 1980 and went on to be the Red Ravens' most successful coach in school history. From 1989-2000, Foster served as Coffeyville's head football coach. His teams posted an overall record of 83-39-2, including the 1990 NJCAA and J. C. Grid-Wire national championships.
In the 12 years Foster was Coffeyville's head coach, his teams played for six conference titles and he coached 58 first-team All-Conference players. He was voted Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference Coach of the Year in 1990 and 1991. His 1990 team went undefeated, while six players from the 1991 squad were named to the NJCAA Academic All-American team, the most ever from one school in a single sport.
Foster served as president of the NJCAA Coaches Association from 1997-98. In 2001, he became the head coach of the Arena 2 Football League's Tulsa Talons. The Talons finished the season with a 13-3 record and played in the first round of the play-offs.
During Martin's 22 years at Montgomery, his teams have posted a 130-50-9 record. His teams played for the national title in 1986 and 1990.
In 1990, he was named Coastal Conference Coach of the Year in 1990 and Washington D. C. Touchdown Club National Small College Coach of the Year. He was also a four-time Coach of the Year in the Central Conference. Martin served as president for the NJCAA Football Coaches Association from 1999-2001, vice-president from 1997-99 and secretary from 1995-97.
Haun joined the Ricks staff in 1979 as coach of the quarterbacks and receivers. The following year he became the team's offensive coordinator and in 1982 became head coach.
Under his leadership, the Vikings have posted a 168-39-2 overall record and won seven of 13 post-season bowl appearances. None of Haun's teams have lost more than four games in a single season. Sixteen of his teams have finished the season ranked in the NJCAA Top 15.
Haun was named Western States Football League Coach of the Year seven times and Intermountain Area Coach of the Year once. More than 300 players from Ricks have gone on to play for teams in the National Collegiate Athletic Association and more than 12 have played professionally.
Allen has been coaching football at Highland for 24 years, 20 as head coach. His teams have posted 15 winning seasons and won 104 games, giving him the most career victories of any head coach at HCC. Allen's career best was in 1984 when the Scotties went 9-2.
Currently serving as president of the Jayhawk Conference Football Coaches Association, Allen is also vice-president for the NJCAA Football Coaches Association.
Kessinger, now deceased, had a 56-33 record as head coach at Highland. His teams won three conference championships in the 1960's. In addition to coaching football, Kessinger was also the men's head basketball coach and led those teams to three consecutive conference titles from 1957-60.
Kessinger was a versatile individual who was not only a coach but also an athletic director and teacher of social science and physical education. He even acted as the head administrator of the college when needed.
In 1976, the Highland football field was named Kessinger Field in his honor. He was one of the first individuals inducted into the Highland Athletic Hall of Fame in 1997.
Contributor
Cummings has been affiliated with Navarro for many years. Prior to coming to Navarro, he spent 36 years coaching in the Texas high school ranks. After retiring in 1985, he joined the Bulldogs on a volunteer basis as their wide receivers coach.
He worked under four head coaches and added kickers and special teams to his duties. Additionally, Cummings coached the college's baseball team, also on a volunteer basis.
In 2000, the Navarro softball field was named in honor of Cummings and his wife, Lou.