EMCC to honor 2016 Sports Hall of Fame inductees this weekend during Homecoming festivities on Scooba campus

SCOOBA – In conjunction with East Mississippi Community College's Homecoming festivities this weekend (Oct. 14-15) on the Scooba campus, nine new members will be formally inducted into the school's Sports Hall of Fame.

EMCC's 2016 Sports Hall of Fame inductees will be honored with a Friday night reception and banquet to be held at the F.R. Young Student Union.  The nine-member class is also scheduled to be recognized Saturday afternoon at EMCC's Sullivan-Windham Field during halftime activities of the fourth-ranked Lions' 2 p.m. Homecoming football contest against reigning national champion and current top-ranked Northwest Mississippi Community College.      

The 2016 induction class of the EMCC Sports Hall of Fame consists of James William "Billy" Bounds Sr., James William Bounds Jr., Willie Gillespie, Clint Hill, William "Gert" Hill, Terry James "Pete" McCleskey, John Santa Cruz, Edward Staten, and James Watson.

East Mississippi Community College will also honor the school's 2016 Alumnus of the Year recipient (Randy Galloway) and Distinguished Service Award winner (Ike Hopper) this weekend in Scooba.  Galloway and Hopper will be honored during EMCC's alumni/friends luncheon set to take place Saturday at 11:30 a.m. at the F.R. Young Student Union on the Scooba campus.  The award recipients are also slated to be recognized during Homecoming halftime festivities of Saturday afternoon's EMCC-Northwest football contest.

For additional information about EMCC's 2016 Homecoming Weekend on the Scooba campus, please visit www.eastms.edu or www.EMCCAthletics.com.

EMCC'S 2016 SPORTS HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES

JAMES WILLIAM "BILLY" BOUNDS SR. – Long-time resident of Kemper County, James William "Billy" Bounds Sr. was a key member of Coach W.F. Childres' 1950-51 EMJC basketball team following a standout prep career at Martin High School in Lauderdale County. As a member of EMCC's 2016 Sports Hall of Fame class along with his son, James William Bounds, Jr., he had a productive 34-year career with Commercial Credit Corporation (now called Citibank) and diligently worked his way up the company ladder before retiring in 1990 as district manager. The 85-year-old Bounds continues to live and work on the family farm in Kemper County.  He and his wife, Virginia, have two children, six grandchildren and 12 great grandchildren.         

JAMES WILLIAM BOUNDS JR. – Privileged to be in the same EMCC Sports Hall of Fame class as his father (James William "Billy" Bounds Sr.), James William Bounds Jr. spent nearly 40 combined years as a successful school administrator and teacher/coach all within the state of Mississippi.  Having graduated from West Lauderdale High School as the school's top senior male athlete after beginning his prep career playing for local coaching legend Billy Brown at DeKalb High School, Bounds Jr. was a two-year starter on the line for Coach Bill Buckner at EMJC before continuing his college career at Delta State.  Following his prep coaching career, he moved into administration and collected administrator of the year honors during his influential career serving both the Meridian and Quitman public school systems.    

WILLIE GILLESPIE – Starkville native Willie Gillespie began his collegiate career playing for current East Mississippi Community College Director of Athletics Dr. Randall Bradberry. A multi-sport standout at Starkville High School, Gillespie became an all-conference wide receiver for the EMCC Lions during the 1979 and 1980 seasons before completing his college playing days at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. After totaling 67 career catches for 1,105 receiving yards for the UTC Mocs, Gillespie played professionally for five seasons beginning with three productive years (1983-85) for the Tampa Bay Bandits of the now-defunct United States Football League. While playing for Coach Steve Spurrier's Bandits, Gillespie had 121 career receptions for 1,929 yards and 10 touchdowns in the USFL.  He also played for the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Minnesota Vikings.

CLINT HILL – DeKalb native Clint Hill has excelled in the sales profession following a successful coaching stint within the Mississippi high school ranks. A multi-sport athlete at E.B. Erwin High School in Birmingham, Alabama, Hill moved back to the Magnolia State after earning a baseball scholarship to EMJC. Following a two-year stint (1970-71) as Coach Gerald Poole's starting catcher for the Lions, Hill continued his collegiate baseball career at the University of Southern Mississippi.  He became USM's starting catcher as a senior and stayed on the next year as a student assistant coach.  The Southern Miss M-Club member coached a few years in the Mississippi prep ranks before spending two separate 10-year sales stints working for Caterpillar out of Jackson. Now with Waters International Trucks in Meridian, Hill owns and continues to live on his grandfather's land in Kemper County.   

WILLIAM "GERT" HILL – West Point's William "Gert" Hill played football for the hometown Green Wave before being recruited to EMJC by Hall of Fame coach Bob "Bull" Sullivan. Hill played on both sides of the line for the Lions during the 1961 and 1962 seasons before receiving a football scholarship to attend the University of Tennessee at Martin. After returning home to West Point, Hill served as District 2 supervisor for eight years in Clay County before pursuing one of his hobbies and securing his private pilot license. That venture resulted in Hill being hired by the Sara Lee Corporation to fly Bryan Foods executives around the country and abroad for 16 years prior to the plant closing down in 2007. He then operated the Corner Package Store in West Point along with his late wife, Frances, until last year when she lost her courageous battle with cancer.   

TERRY JAMES "PETE" McCLESKEY – Inducted this past August into the Mississippi Association of Independent Schools Coaches' Association Hall of Fame, Terry James "Pete" McCleskey has spent a total of 41 productive years serving Mississippi's private school ranks. Owning the distinction of having played football for Bob "Bull" Sullivan during the legendary coach's last two seasons (1967 and 1968) at EMJC, McCleskey was instrumental in getting softball sanctioned within Mississippi's private school ranks. He has also served on MAIS committees for eligibility, realignment and football. Currently the headmaster at Kemper Academy in his third stint at the school, McCleskey's distinguished MAIS career has earned the veteran administrator the 2000 Joe F. Shepard Memorial Service Award as well as the 2014-15 Joe B. Bradshaw Memorial Athletics and Activities Commission Service Award.    

JOHN SANTA CRUZ – John Santa Cruz has divided a successful career between coaching and emergency medical services in his home state of Alabama.  Coached at Foley High School by fellow EMCC Sports Hall of Famer Lester Smith, he developed into a 1974 J.C. Grid-Wire All-American for Coach Bill Buckner's EMJC Lions before completing his collegiate career at Delta State. While pursuing his initial career as a coach and social science teacher in Daphne and Foley, Santa Cruz earned his secondary education certification and later his paramedic certification. His professional experience in emergency medical services included stints at the University of South Alabama, Bishop State Community College and most recently at Faulkner State CC. Following 37 years working within Alabama's public education system, the 2015 recipient of the Chancellors Award of Excellence retired this past May and presently resides in Foley.     

EDWARD STATEN – Noxubee County native Edward Staten made a significant impact as a highly respected school administrator in his adopted home state of Florida.  The two-time all-conference lineman at Noxubee County High School stayed close to home to play for Hall of Fame football coach Bob "Bull" Sullivan at EMJC. Following graduation from Delta State, Staten returned home to coach and teach in Noxubee County before later moving to Florida. Having worked 25 years with the Citrus County Schools, including 13 years as the principal of Citrus High School, Staten retired from the Florida education system in 2003.  Throughout his career, he was very active in Jaycees along with being instrumental in beginning the Special Olympics movement in his local school districts. Now permanently retired after working seven years for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Staten resides in Inverness, Florida.    

JAMES WATSON – A life-long resident of the West Point area and a multi-sport letterman at West Point High School, James Watson followed in the footsteps of his two older brothers, Laymon and Hubert, and came to the Scooba campus to participate in athletics.  He became a two-year starter in EMJC's defensive secondary for football coaches Bob "Bull" Sullivan and A.J. Kilpatrick. Despite receiving football scholarship offers from four-year schools, Watson opted instead to join the work force in his hometown. After spending just under a decade working for 4-County Electric Power Association as a lineman, he followed with a nearly 30-year association working for the City of West Point as a line crew foreman until his retirement in 2007. Currently residing in Cedar Bluff, Watson spends much of his retirement time as a member of the Watson Family Singers, who perform at local functions around the West Point area.