Southern Mississippi's Great Come Back

HATTIESBURG----Southern Mississippi's remarkable comeback victory over the University of Virginia in the third week of the new football season was dramatic and important to Larry Fedora's football program.
The Cavaliers led by 17 points before bowing 37-34. UVA will still shock some Atlantic Coast conference teams before this season ends. The Golden Eagles have now won eight straight games including the strong finish and New Orleans Bowl victory.
Southern now goes on the road for its next three games including the visit to the University of Kansas, one of the Big Seven powerhouses.
The weekend in the Hub City was special. A new class was inducted into the M Club Hall of Fame, including Jim Carmody, whose Nasty Bunch scored some important wins including the defeat of the University of Alabama in Bear Bryant's final home game in Tuscaloosa.
Carmody who coached at Ole Miss and should have been named Billy Brewer's successor rather than Joe Lee Dunn--a Chancellor Gerald Turner miscue---was saluted by former players at his M Club induction. It has been a big year for Jim, who was elected to the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame earlier this year.
Besides Carmody other M Club honorees include" Marchand Kenny. Lee Roberts and the late Louis MeGhee, former players, track star Pokey Faggard and Erin Doyle Parker, ace golfer. Roberts quarterbacked the Eagles to two Bowl seasons including the impressive Liberty Bowl triumph over the University of Pittsburgh. Kenney was on Southerns top defensive backs as a tackler,pass interceptor and fumble recoverer.
MeGhee was the Old timer elctee chosen by the veterans committee. He played in the late 1920's.
It is a pleasure to be in the USM Sports Hall of Fame. My tour of duty there as the Director of Public Relations for the University and Director of Athletic Publicity was a job most enjoyed. I had one assistant, a student who typed and cut stencils. I also was involved in Recruiting, landing P. W. Underwood and recommending Southern play Villanova in the Catholic City of Mobile.
Two straight wins over Alabama in 1953 and 1054 and a 14-0 win over the University of Georgiain Jackson before a standing roon only crowd leading to a Stadium expansion were important to the schools football history.
Billy Jarrell, the fine Quarterback of the 1952 and 1953 Southerners is rounding up his teammates for another Reunion Oct. 23 prior to the Homecoming game with Tulane. The All-American Football Foundation will have its 102nd Banquet of Champions Oct. 22 at the Hattiesburg Convention Center and will be dedicated to the late Pat Ferlise who passed away this year.
Ferlise was one of Pie Vann's favorite players. He was one of the few players who had a car. Coach Vann asked Pat to turn in his car keys which he did. He forgot to tell his Coach he had a second set of keys.
He later contributed and made possible the beautiful Pat Ferlise Building near the Stadium. In 1951 Reed Green scheduled the Carswell Air Force Bombers, which incluided many All-Americans. Texs' king sized Bud McFadin a 240-pounder, who would face Ferlise across the line of scrimmage. Felise weighed 186. Pie Vann told Pat the last thing he would want to do was to make Bud mad.
On the game's first play from scrimmage Ferlise gave Bud his best shot. They did not have face masks then. Bud did not even blink. Pat looked at Bud and smiled and said Excuse Me with 59 minutes plus left to play. Carswell won, 41-0, and went on to win over the Armed Forces Championship, topping the Fort Jackson team which included many SEC and Independents stars.
It is always good to get back to Hattiesburg.
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