Fifteen former athletes were inducted Friday into the 29th annual JSU Sports Hall of Fame, with most delivering a resounding message that “hard work does pay off.”
About 350 gathered inside the Student Center ballroom on the main campus people to attend the celebratory event that was punctuated with overwhelming praise to God, family and Jackson State University for helping them persevere toward excellence.
“This is one of my crowning achievements,” said Dr. Tamika Bradley, a former track- and-field star who walked onto the team. She earned the indoor long-jump championship in 1996 in the Southwestern Athletic Conference. The scholar-athlete, with an ACT score of 30, had checked out one other school (Spelman College) but fell in love with Jackson State University after then-President James E. Lyons Sr. personally invited her to enroll.
Bradley, a native of East Saint Louis, Ill., is now interim associate dean of the College of Education and Human Development at her alma mater.
JSU President Carolyn W. Meyers congratulated each of the new inductees in a spectacular ceremony that included performances by the Sonic Boom and the MADDRAMA performance troupe.
“Regardless of what sports any of our honorees played they have strong beliefs and strong character that support the values of our 138-year-old institution. Through your prowess on the courts and on the playing fields, your shining examples will inspire generations to come,” she said.
Meyers especially thanked the men and women for choosing Jackson State and giving the university “your best in your sport and … lighting up dreams in young people and helping to ensure that this university continues to thrive for 138 more years.”
Athletes also shared special moments from their glory days and expressed why they chose JSU.
Robert Hardy, drafted in the 10th round by the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks in 1979, described football as a team sport. The native of Tulsa, Okla., credits JSU for its family-oriented atmosphere. “I consider everyone, the coaches and players, my brothers,” he said. One of his high school coaches had attended the urban university and “chose JSU for me” over UCLA, Hardy said. During his days at the HBCU, Hardy was named the 1978 All-SWAC and Defensive Player of the Year.
And, simply because an athlete experiences a moment of success doesn’t mean you rest on your laurels, said Annette Hibbler-Wells, a native of Scooba, Miss. She was considered one of the best basketball centers in the SWAC.
Hibbler-Wells remembers a big victory over Alabama State University. Despite the team’s win, she said her coach, James Turner, didn’t lighten up. “He said we didn’t play well enough. So, when everyone cleared the gym, we practiced.”
Samuel Jefferson, a native of Centreville, Miss., who was the sports information director (SID) during the Walter Payton era, referred to his induction as “indescribable.” Everyone in his family, including his mother, attended JSU. Jefferson graduated in 1968 and eventually would serve 29 years in his professional role. He was named SWAC’s SID of the Year nine times.
“This is the probably the greatest honor I’ve ever received. … We had outstanding memories after outstanding memories … football, track and field, and championships in basketball and baseball,” he said.
The level of talent exhibited by this cadre of inductees is proof-positive that they will be remembered forever.
Like other inductees, Vanetta E. Robinson Kelso, distinguished herself as a high-performing athlete. Eventually, she excelled to become a well-regarded coach. Her JSU basketball squad became the first-ever team to represent the SWAC in an NCAA National Championship Tournament.
The spotlight finally shined on another new inductee: legendary basketball Coach Turner. This year and in previous years, he’s helped a number of athletes earn a place in the JSU Hall of Fame. Now, his picture will be among dozens of great JSU athletes.
“This induction is the pinnacle of athletic achievement,” said Turner, who is in his 49th year of coaching and teaching. He is often hailed as a pioneer who revolutionized basketball with a full-court pressure defense and the fast break. His players have defeated nationally ranked teams, and a number of his former athletes have played professionally.
Other inductees this year included:
Leslie Duncan, a former JSU athlete who played with the NFL’s San Diego Chargers and Washington Redskins- Roy Hilton, a JSU alum who formerly played with the Baltimore Colts, New York Giants and Atlanta Falcons
- Sandra Louis Jenkins, a volleyball standout at JSU from 1978-1982
- Barney King, a former three-time All-SWAC performer in track who led JSU to its first NAIA National Championship
- Willie Frank Molden Sr., who played with the NFL’s Pittsburgh Steelers and Los Angeles Ram
- Phillip Perkins, named JSU’s Defensive Player of the Year in football in 1979
- Janice Staffney, honored as JSU’s Best Defensive Player in basketball in 1986 and 1987, and recognized as MVP in 1987
- Frank LaRose Sutton Sr., regarded among the most dominant offensive guards and defensive tackles in SWAC; played with the New York Giants
- Henry Ward (honored posthumously), played with the NBA’s San Antonio Spurs
Leslie Duncan, a former JSU athlete who played with the NFL’s San Diego Chargers and Washington RedskinsJSU Athletics Director Wheeler Brown reminded the honored former players of their stellar past and the significance of the enshrinement.
“All of you inductees are part of a special club now.” As a 2003 Hall of Famer himself at North Carolina A&T, Brown told them to embrace this special moment. With his playing days long over, he said he realizes now that “the older I get the better I was.”
Furthermore, he reminded inductees that at the end of the day this honor was earned, not given. “This is something you don’t have to tell a story about because other people will tell the story for you.”
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NOTE: On Saturday, the newest inductees assembled for one final bow on the field of the Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium, where thousands of fans cheered them for their contributions to the legacy of JSU sports before the start of the first home game against Grambling. Click HALL OF FAME PHOTO GALLERY.
