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Mississippi College athletic director Mike Jones has been selected for induction into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame, Class of 2018, it was announced on Monday (October 23rd).
The announcement was made at a press conference at the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum on Monday afternoon. Jones will be joined in the Class of 2018 by Anna Jackson (Murrah women’s basketball coach), Lafayette Stribling (MS Valley State men’s basketball coach), Billy Brewer (Ole Miss football coach), Joe Walker, Jr. (Mississippi College and Ole Miss track & field coach) and Archie Moore (Boxer). The induction ceremony will take place on July 28, 2018.
“I am extremely humbled and honored to be included in the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame, Class of 2018,” said Jones. “This would not have been possible without the support of my family, and especially my beautiful wife Jane. I have been blessed to work with some outstanding coaches and people that have influenced my career, and I owe them a debt of gratitude for this great honor.”
Following a career as a two-sport (baseball and basketball) student-athlete at Mississippi College, Coach Jones earned his Bachelor of Science in Education from MC in 1975 and Master of Education in School Administration in 1977.
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He served as an assistant men’s basketball coach at Southern Miss before taking over as head coach at Copiah-Lincoln Community College. Jones went 112-20 (.848) over four seasons, leading the Wolves to two Region 23 championships and one state title. He was inducted into the Co-Lin Sports Hall of Fame in 1996.
Coach Jones then became the head men’s basketball coach at Mississippi College in 1989 and compiled a 324-110 (.747) record over 16 seasons in Clinton. The Choctaws won one Gulf South Conference championship (1994-95) and four American Southwest Conference titles. His teams reached the “Sweet Sixteen” round of the NCAA Division III Tournament three times.
For his head coaching career, Jones posted a 436-130 (.770) record and had winning records in all 20 of his seasons, including 16 straight at Mississippi College. He was inducted into the MC Sports Hall of Fame in 2002.
Jones is in his 16th year at MC’s athletic director and has spearheaded fund-raising efforts to make improvements and additions to each facility and program in the department. Through the MC Athletics Dinner alone, Jones has helped the department bring in more than two million dollars, while hosting some outstanding guests, including Bobby Bowden, John Smoltz, Gene Stallings, Fred McAfee and this year’s speaker Buck Showalter.
“As an alumnus, former athlete, teacher, outstanding coach, long-time Athletic Director and devout Christian family man, Mike Jones represents the best of Mississippi College,” said Mississippi College President Dr. Lee Royce.
“The basketball court was named in his honor some years ago as a testimony to the appreciation and affection that so many members of the MC family feel toward Mike Jones. He has made an extraordinary difference for good in the lives of thousands of athletes over a lifetime of service. We rejoice in this additional and much deserved recognition from the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame.”
