Ocean Springs Sports Hall of Fame’s Class of 2020 loaded with legendary coaches, athletes

The 2020 class for the Ocean Springs Sports Hall of Fame features standout Greyhounds from a variety of sports, including a pair of football players who reached stardom at Southern Miss.

There are a total of 14 former athletes and coaches in the third installment of honorees for the Hall of Fame.

The date for the induction ceremony is still to be determined.

The former Greyhounds who made the cut this year are:

Doug Blakeney — Served as cross country coach for Ocean Springs from 1986-2007. His girls and boys teams won multiple state titles. The girls won 12 championships and the boys won four. He was selected MAC Coach of the Year four times for cross country. His girls track and field teams won 10 district titles.

DeAndre Brown — Won the 200-meter championship as a freshman. He had 88 receptions and over 4,200 total yards in his high school career. In his senior year, he amassed over 1,800 all-purpose yards. He was ranked the No. 1 player in the state in 2007 as a five-star recruit and a Parade All-American. He caught 134 passes for 2,207 yards and 24 touchdowns in three seasons at Southern Miss.

Donald Catchot — Lettered in football, baseball and basketball in 1953. At age 18, the St. Louis Cardinals signed him to play in the minor leagues with a Class C contract. He played in the minor leagues for four seasons, advancing to Double-A in Fort Worth, Texas. He had a .283 batting average over those four seasons.

Alan Curry — The inaugural winner of the Greyhoud Spirit Award. The purpose of the honor is to recognize an individual who supported sports in Ocean Springs, but not necessarily as a coach or a player. Curry was a principal and superintendent in the Ocean Springs School District during the 1960’s and 70’s.

Charles ‘WaWa’ Galloway — An All-Gulf Coast running back for football coach Hugh Pepper from 1977-1979. He made All-Bay Area running back for three years. In the 1979 Shrimp Bowl, he gained 95 yards on five carries. He was awarded 18 sports letters during his high school career. He played college football at Jackson State and was a running back on the Tigers’ SWAC title teams in 1980 and 1983.

Penny Galloway — A dual-port athlete at Ocean Springs from 1985-1990, she was the first 8th-grader to letter on the varsity softball team. In her junior and senior years, she received the MVP and Athlete of the Year awards. Also in her senior year, she led the varsity basketball team to its first Gulf Coast Conference title. She received a scholarship to play at Conner’s Community College in southeastern Louisiana.

Kenny Hudson — During his 1980 senior year, Hudson played quarterback and led the Greyhounds with more than 1,200 yards of offense and was named All-Gulf Coast. He was selected to play in the Mississippi All-Star football game. During his senior baseball season, he led Ocean Springs to a 25-6 record and a No. 5 ranking in the state. He hit .412 and was selected to play in the Mississippi All-Star baseball game. He signed a football scholarship to Mississippi College, where he played baseball as well.

Tommy Jones — A quarterback and linebacker for the Greyhounds from 1956-60, he was also a member of the Ocean Springs basketball team that reached the state finals in his senior year. He averaged 15.2 points a game and led the Greyhounds to a mark of 32-10. He received a scholarship to play at Perkinston Junior College.

Richard ‘Dick’ Mayfield — A football and basketball standout in his senior season, he was named to the 1970’s All-Decade Defensive Team after earning All-Star linebacker for West Jackson County and All-Gulf Coast Conference in football and basketball. At Grambling State, he was a four-year starter in football.

Jack Milton — An All-Gulf Coast Conference running back under coach Shannon Suarez from 1960-1962, he led the Hounds in rushing with 1,320 yards on 120 carries. He scored at least one touchdown in 9 out of 10 games and later played at Perkinston Junior College and Southeastern Louisiana.

Steve Rusk — Served as head boys’ soccer coach at Ocean Springs High from 1984 to 2003. He had undefeated teams in 1985, 1987 and 1988, with a career record of 219-68-17. Steve was selected as the MAC All-Star coach in 1985 and 1988, and was selected as Region 5 coach of the year in 1989. He had a 75 percent winning record over a 22-year career.

Ronnie Simnicht — As a senior in 1989, he was named first team football all-district, first team all-state, defensive player of the year, Bay Area defensive player of the year, Burger King All-Star and played in the Mississippi-Alabama All Star game. Ronnie earned a football scholarship to LSU, where he was a four-year letterman on the offensive line.

Rose Skelton — Instrumental in establishing the boys and girls high school soccer programs, she was the girls soccer coach for 4 years. Her record was 60-15-10. In 1990, she received the U.S. Youth Soccer Association State, Regional, and National ‘Coach of the Year’ awards. Also, she was coordinator of the first State Open Tournament held in Ocean Springs for their division.

Andre Watson — Played running back for the Greyhounds from 2003-04 under Steve Jones. His junior year, he racked up 1,523 yards rushing with 14 TDs. As a senior, he ran for 1,720 yards and 12 TDs, leading his team to the state finals against South Panola. He later played as a defensive back at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College and at Southern Miss.

This story was originally published October 21, 2020 at 5:00 AM.