The Southern Miss M-Club, on behalf of the Alumni Association, inducted its 2014 Hall of Fame Class on Friday at the Southern Oaks House and Gardens and recognized the class during Saturday evening’s football game against Appalachian State.
The M-Club is composed of former athletic letter winners such as cheerleaders, coaches, managers, players and trainers who participated in various sports during their time at Southern Miss. The M-Club inducted nine athletes into this year’s Hall of Fame class. They include Michael Boley, Ken Fischer, Sherrod Gideon, Jarrett Hoffpauir, Nedra Hosey, Jeff Kelly, Casey Price, DeQuincy Scott and Jason Wilson.
Boley was a two-time All-American linebacker for Southern Miss, a three-year starter at his position and was selected to the All-Conference USA team in 2002, 2003 and 2004.
During his tenure with the Golden Eagles from 2001 to 2004, he recorded 412 tackles with almost 56 of them for a loss, 27 sacks, two interceptions, 14 passes deflections, nine forced fumbles and six fumble recoveries. Following his stint with the Golden Eagles, Boley was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the 2005 NFL Draft in the fifth round. He also later played with the New York Giants.
As a three-year letterman at shortstop on the baseball team, Ken Fischer attended Southern Miss on a football and baseball scholarship from 1955 to 1957. Known for his ability to play in clutch situations, to many, he was one of the greatest fielding shortstops to play for the Golden Eagles. After his Southern Miss days, Fischer played in the minor leagues as a member of the Chicago Cubs organization.
Holding numerous records for a Southern Miss wide receiver, Sherrod Gideon was a four-year letterman on the Golden Eagle football team. From 1996 to 1999, he tallied 193 receptions for nearly 3,300 yards and 23 touchdowns. Gideon holds the record for most career yards, receptions and touchdowns for Southern Miss. He was named to the Conference USA first-team twice and second-team once during his tenure at Southern Miss.
As a second baseman, Jarrett Hoffpauir was very influential in leading the baseball team to the 2003 Conference USA regular season and tournament championships as well as two NCAA Tournament appearances. From 2002 to 2004, he totaled a .348 batting average, 57 doubles, 22 home runs and 86 walks. The St. Louis Cardinals drafted Hoffpauir in the sixth round of the 2004 Major League Draft. In two seasons, he played with the Cardinals and the Toronto Blue Jays.
From 1993 to 1997, Nedra Hosey was a four-year letter winner for the Lady Eagles in basketball. During her career, Hosey played in 118 games and started in 97, totaling nearly 14 points, four rebounds and four assists per game. She led her team in scoring, assists and steals in her senior season and was named to the C-USA All-Tournament team in 1995-96.
Jeff Kelly was one of the most prolific quarterbacks to ever play football at Southern Miss. From 1998 to 2001, he threw for 7,095 yards and 51 touchdowns. Kelly recorded a former school-record of 415 yards in one game against Tulane and threw for over 200 yards in a game on 22 occasions. The biggest moment of his career was his touchdown pass in the final seconds of the game to upset TCU, 28-21, in the GMAC Mobile Bowl.
Although undersized as a forward on the Golden Eagle basketball team, Casey Price was a three-year letter winner and starting forward from 1971 to 1974. He played in 74 games, averaging nearly 11 points per game, nine rebounds and converted on 44 percent of his field goals.
From 1997 to 2000, DeQuincy Scott played an important role in the success of the Golden Eagle football team. As a four-year letterman at defensive tackle, Scott accumulated 209 tackles with 27 of them for a loss and nearly 12 sacks for his career.
Scott was also a three-year letterman in baseball and played an integral role in leading the team to the NCAA Tournament in 1999. After his tenure at Southern Miss, he played for the San Diego Chargers from 2001 to 2005 and the Tennessee Titans in 2006.
Jason Wilson was a three-year letterman in track field from 1998 to 2000. Wilson finished eighth in the decathlon at the 2000 NCAA National Championship with 7,310 points. Today, he still holds the Southern Miss record in the decathlon with 7,521 points. Wilson won the C-USA decathlon in 1998 to 2000 and held the record for the event until 2013.
