Former MCC golf coach, Lou Hart named to Mississippi Sports HoF

From staff and wire reports

There will be a family reunion of sorts this summer when five new members will be inducted into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame.

Lou Hart of Meridian, a nine-time state amateur champion, will join her father, Hunter George Weddington, as a member of the Hall of Fame. Weddington was inducted in 1983 and now, 24 years later, his daughter will join him.

"We will be the first father-daughter twosome in the hall of fame," Hart said. "I was speechless when they told me. This is a tremendous honor."

The announcement of the 2007 class was made Monday in Jackson. Other inductees include football greats Jerry Rice and Robert Brazille, Red Sox Hall of Famer George Scott, and basketball coach Troy Ricks. The induction ceremony will be July 27.

Hart recently retired as head golf coach at Meridian Community, a post she held for 12 seasons. She still plays competitive golf but mostly in senior events. She has won the state senior women's amateur title twice.

As successful as she has been over the years, one wonders whether Hart ever considered playing on the LPGA tour.

"I did once when I was very young, but God did not bless me with the power that it would have taken to be competitive," Hart said. "He did bless me with a lot of tournament wins, and (because of this) I feel like I was able to have credibility with these kids and why they came and played at MCC, and how I made a difference in their lives."

Though she was very pleased with the honor, being inducted into the Sports Hall of Fame is not something Hart sought.

"I never hit a golf ball with that in mind," Hart said. "I loved to play golf and compete.

"One thing that is special is so many people share in it; my husband, my family, the golfing community at Northwood, Florida State where I played, and at MCC where I played and coached. Any golf pro who has helped me or my team has to share in this as well."

The rest of the class Hart, Brazile and Ricks were on hand for the announcement.

Rice was unable to attend because he was shooting a reality show in Florida, but he sent a short statement of thanks and said he will attend the induction ceremony in July.

Scott also missed the news conference after bad weather delayed him on a driving trip from Boston, where he was inducted into the Red Sox Hall of Fame last week.

Rice is the most well-known of the group, but all made large impacts, though in different ways.

— Rice, of Crawford, still holds 15 NCAA records 20 years after graduating from Mississippi Valley State. He retired from the NFL with 38 career milestones, including most receptions, yards and touchdowns. He is considered the greatest receiver to play in the NFL.

— After an All-American career at Jackson State, Brazile was a seven-time All-Pro for the Houston Oilers. The Mobile, Ala., linebacker played in 147 consecutive games, which is still a team record. Brazile, known as Dr. Doom, was joined in the first round of the 1975 draft by teammate Payton, who is also a member of the Mississippi Hall of Fame.

— Scott, whose use of the term ‘‘tater’’ to describe his home runs is still being emulated by sportscasters, was one of the more colorful major leaguers. The Greenville native played 2,034 games for the Red Sox, Kansas City Royals and Milwaukee Brewers. He batted .268 with 271 home runs and 1,051 runs batted in and earned eight Gold Gloves with three All-Star Game appearances.

— From 1933 when he began as a player to 1970 when he retired as a coach, Ricks never once suffered a losing season. His career included a stint in the U.S. Army where he played service basketball for three years. Along with winning games in World War II, he also earned a Bronze Star and two Purple Hearts. The Wheeler, Miss., native coached at Hinds and Copiah-Lincoln community colleges, finishing with a record of 441-156 — giving him a winning percentage of 73 percent. At 87, he will be the oldest newcomer to the Hall of Fame at his time of induction.