The Stone High Class of 1973 celebrates their 40th Reunion today. The Old Firehouse Museum will honor the Class of 1973 with a special exhibit and open house today from 9am-11am at the Museum. As you can see from the baby photos in this post, “Things Have Definitely Changed”.
Among the coaches of the 1984-85 championship Tomcat football team was Coach Ode Burrell. Coach Burrell was an athlete from an early age excelling in football and track. He received a degree from Mississippi State University and played with the Houston Oilers from 1964-1969 as a tailback. He received many awards including Senior Bowl MVP, Liberty Bowl MVP, Blue-Gray Game MVP, MVP of Houston Oilers 1967,Pro Bowl 1967, College All American to name a few. He coached at various schools Bogalusa High School, Holmes Community College, Vancleave High School, Stone County High School, St. Stanislaus High School and Gulf Coast Community College where he retired. He was a member of the MSU “M” Club, Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame, Mississippi Coaches Association, Holmes Community College Hall of Fame, Mississippi State University Sports Hall of Fame, Mississippi Junior College Sports Hall of Fame, NFL Alumni Association
The write-up in the Stone High yearbook described this team as follows:
Graceful, poised, determined and classy, these are words which perfectly describe the 1984-85 football team. With precision coaching, hard practicing, and perfectly executed plays the 84-85 football team was developed into a mean-lean fighting machine. Finishing the season with a 9-2 record the Tomcats easily clinched the conference title.
Coaches were. Floyd Davis (Head Coach), Chris Calcote, Ode Burrell.
Did you know Nick Walters was the National President of the Beta Club in 1984? This post shows the SHS chapter on their way to the national convention in 1984. According to Mike Cain, the National Beta Club President came from Stone High for two years straight!
Did you know our own Dr. Needham Jones belonged to the famous Tuskegee Airmen? While a student at Alcorn A&M College, Jones was called up in the draft just six weeks after the bombing of Pearl Harbor in December 1941. He was allowed to complete the spring semester as a member of the reserves and reported to the Air Corps at Camp Shelby, Mississippi on September 7, 1942. After eight days of testing, he was sent with the 30 highest scoring to Maxwell Air Force Base in Tuskegee, Alabama, and became a member of the 99th Pursuit Squadron. At discharge he had the rank of Corporal.
Dr. Jones spent many years in education in Stone County serving as Principal at Locker High School and then as Assistant Principal at Stone High. Through Dr. Jones efforts, many young people stayed in school to complete their high school education.
Congressman Steven Palazzo (R-MS), on March 1, 2013, hosted a ceremony officially recognizing Tuskegee Airman and current Hattiesburg resident, Corporal Needham Jones, Sr., at the Lake Terrace Convention Center in Hattiesburg.
Sources: http://palazzo.house.gov/press-release/palazzo-honors-local-tuskegee-airman-congressional-gold-medal; http://mscivilrightsproject.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=266:needham-jones&catid=788:person&Itemid=74; http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/article/20130301/NEWS01/130301032/Member-Tuskegee-Airmen-honored-Congressional-Gold-Medal
Did you know the award winning Stone High Pride was one of 12 bands selected to participate in the 2002 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade?
Enjoy this video of their 2002 “Big Apple Sketches” show celebrating their selection.
The Old Firehouse Museum 