Lou Hart heads MCC’s honorees into JUCO Sports Hall of Fame

WESSON — Nine-time state amateur women’s golf champion Lou Weddington Hart will head a trio of honorees representing Meridian Community College to be inducted into the Mississippi Junior College Sports Hall of Fame here tonight. The induction ceremonies will begin at 7 p.m. in the Billy Thames Center on the campus of Copiah-Lincoln Community College.

Joining Hart in MCC’s inaugural class in the Hall of Fame will be Ronald Murray of the Detroit Pistons and Cliff Lee of the Cleveland Indians, who played basketball and baseball at MCC, respectively. Both Murray and Lee are currently involved in their professional sport seasons, but Hart will be on hand to be personally inducted into the Hall.

“We are very proud of the accomplishments of these three individuals,” said Dr. Scott Elliott, MCC president who will present Hart with a commemorative medallion at the banquet. “Of course, we cannot help but being especially proud of Lou Hart because she is a native of Meridian and excelled not only as a player for MCC, but also as a coach. Most important, I can’t think of anyone who has been associated with MCC sports through the years who better models the integrity, sportsmanship, and competitive spirit that we expect of our student-athletes.”

Hart played golf for Meridian Junior College in 1971-72 despite there being no intercollegiate program for women. In 1971, she represented MJC in what was to become the NCAA women’s intercollegiate golf national tournament. The next year, she played on Coach Jim Redgate’s MJC men’s team, a squad that won every tournament and dual match it entered. After graduating from MJC, where she also excelled academically, Hart went on to play two seasons for the Florida State women’s golf team.

After completing her college eligibility, Hart became the most prolific women’s amateur competitor of her time. Besides winning the state amateur title a then-record nine times, she recorded seven runner-up finishes. Hart then won the state senior amateur title twice (so far) and, to date, is the only player in Mississippi history to have captured both the women’s amateur championship title and the senior amateur crown. Hart has twice qualified for the championship flight of the USGA national senior amateur championships.

This summer she will be inducted into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame in Jackson, following in the footsteps of her legendary golfing father, Hunter George Weddington. They will become the only father-daughter duo in the history of the State Hall of Fame. Hart was also an inaugural inductee into the Meridian Community College Hall of Fame, joining Dr Bill Scaggs and Tommy Dulaney in that class.

Hart coached the MCC men’s golf team for 12 years, retiring in 2006. Her coaching record was just as impressive as her playing achievements. Hart’s Eagle teams won seven Region 23 championships, three MACJC state championships, and finished ranked in the top 10 nationally seven seasons. She coached 12 NJCAA All-Americans, eight regional medalists, and four NJCAA academic All-Americans. Her 1997 team finished as national runners-up.

“I am certainly humbled to have been selected for this honor,” Hart said. “I will always cherish my association with Meridian Community College, both as a student and an employee. I felt blessed as a coach at MCC to have worked with so many fine young men who represented the college well inside and outside the classroom. I hope I was able to have some positive influence in their lives.”

Murray, known as “Flip,” was a standout shooting guard for the Eagles in 1997-99. Murray led the 1999 team to the Region 23 title, averaging 20 points per game. Following his career at MCC, Murray matriculated to Shaw College in North Carolina, where he became the NCAA Division II national Player of the Year, leading Shaw to the Division II Final Four as a senior. His professional career has included stints with the Milwaukee Bucks, Seattle SuperSonics, and Cleveland Cavaliers. Currently, he is competing in the NBA playoffs with the Pistons.

Cliff Lee pitched for the Eagles in 1997-98, helping MCC win the Region 23 and sectional titles in 1998 en route to the NJCAA College World Series in Grand Junction, Colo. Known for his 90-plus mile per hour fastballs, Lee finished MCC with 283 strikeouts. He graduated from MCC in 1999 with a 3.14 grade point average, and then went on to pitch two years for the Arkansas Razorbacks in the Southeastern Conference. After completing his college eligibility, Lee began his professional career in the Montreal Expos organization before being traded to the Cleveland Indians. Going into the current major league season, Lee owned a 49-28 record with 483 big league strike outs to his credit. Lee’s best year to date as a professional came in 2005 when he compiled an 18-5 record, leading all American League lefthanders in won-loss percentage and finishing fourth in the Cy Young Award balloting. He was the first Cleveland Indian to accomplish that feat since the legendary Bob Feller in 1951.

Each of the state’s 15 public community colleges will have up to three honorees inducted into the Hall of Fame, formulating the inaugural class.