Vancleave Hall of Fame’s 2nd class stacked with athletes, coaches and 1 legendary team
The Vancleave Athletic Hall of Fame’s Class of 2020 is set with nine Jackson County legends and one team to be inducted in early in the spring.
The selection committee navigated the COVID-19 pandemic by using the technology available, putting together a class with the purpose of “Recapturing the Legacy of the Past, While Honoring the Promise of the Future” for Vancleave athletics, according to a statement released by the committee.
Those included in this year’s class represented either Vancleave or Elizabeth Keys High School, which educated black students prior to integration.
“To a person, the committee is confident that the 2020 class of inductees will be received by the community at large as truly representative of the best of Vancleave athletics,” the committee’s statement said.
The 2020 inductees are:
▪ Myron Tillman, VHS Class of ‘52 — Tillman was a four-year letterman in boys basketball, known for his outstanding defensive skills that helped put an end to Pascagoula’s undefeated streak. After graduation, Tillman became known as a loyal fan for all Vancleave sports. After Vancleave fielded its first football team in 1954, Tillman served as the “Voice of the Bulldogs” for 43 years as the announcer. He was also the founder and the first president of the Vancleave Quarterback Club, which offered support to the school’s program. Tillman founded the Vancleave’s Little League baseball program.
▪ Mary Ellen Tillman, VHS Class of ‘55 — A three-year letterman in girls basketball, she was twice voted team captain. She was also voted by the student body as the best girls athlete. “Mary Ellen is the best defensive guard I ever coached and also coached against,” former VHS principal and coach Ty Pearce said. “She was aggressive and played the game with passion. The only time she sat on the bench was whenever she fouled out.” She helped her teammates capture two Invitational Tournament Titles.
▪ Wilbur “Dick” Reddix, EKHS Class of ‘60 — Reddix was a member of the first high school football team at Elizabeth Keys in Ocean Springs during the 1959-60 school year. He was the team’s MVP that year, earning the nickname “The Mighty Bomber.” The team played with used equipment from the segregated high school nearby, but the players made the most of their opportunity to compete.
▪ Vye Steelman, VHS Class of ‘64 — Steelman was a four-year standout in girls basketball. She earned two letters in track and was a cheerleader for three years. Standing only 5-foot-3, Vye was an excellent ball handler, scorer and play-maker. She led the Bulldogs in scoring for three years. As a junior, she was selected to the All-Conference Team. As a senior, she helped her teammates capture the Pascagoula River Conference Championship and was named All-Conference and the league’s most outstanding player. She helped her team advance to the South State playoffs for the first time.
▪ Willie Williams, VHS Class of ‘72 — A two-sport standout, Williams earned varsity letters in both football and track. He became only the second 1,000-yard rusher in VHS football history his senior year. He also became the second VHS football player to sign a football scholarship to a four-year institution when he inked with Alcorn State his senior year. According to his head football coach Harold Hitt, “Willie did not want to just be Bennie’s little brother. He was Willie, Bennie’s brother and he was just as good. He worked hard to improve and make that statement true. He was a hard worker that did whatever it took for the team to win.”
▪ Allen Williams, VHS Class of ‘81 — A four-sport athlete, he earned a total of 10 varsity letters between football, baseball, basketball and track. The Ocean Springs Record named him the Bay Area Sophomore of the Year for football in 1978. He was a member of the last Pascagoula River Conference (PRC) championship football team in 1980. That team is still the only team in VHS history to complete the regular season with a perfect record. He was also a member of Vancleave’s 1979 PRC basketball tournament championship team. He was the PRC champion in the discus his senior year. As a freshman at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, Williams was the second leading rusher on a team that ranked No. 1 in the nation in rushing offense. He was named offensive captain as a sophomore at MGCC, helping lead the team to a 13-0 mark and an NJCAA national title. He was also named All-State at MGCCC and NJCAA All-Region XXIII. He signed to play football at Northwestern of the Big Ten.
▪ Monty Noblitt, VHS Class of ‘89 — A two-sport standout for VHS between 1987-89, earning five varsity letters between basketball and baseball. He led the only VHS team to compete in the MHSAA state tournament in 1988. That season he led the team in both scoring (18.6 ppg) and rebounding (10.4 rpg), helping them win the program’s first district championship in more than a decade. He earned numerous honors, including Division 16-3A Player of the Year, All-State and Sun Herald Top Ten Players. He signed with Georgia Southern, where he was a three-year letterman and helped team advance to the 1992 NCAA Tournament.
▪ Katrina Howard, VHS Class of ‘98 — As a senior in basketball, Katrina became a full-fledged team leader on a district championship team. That team was also the South State runner-up and the school’s only state tournament team. Howard was selected to the all-district team and named the district’s MVP and best offensive player. She was named to the All-State Tournament Team and the North/South All-Star game. Also as a senior, she made the Sun Herald’s All-Coast Team.
▪ Sam Forehand, VHS Class of ‘98 — Forehand was a star in football as well as in track and field. As an offensive lineman, he helped the football team reach the playoffs for the first time on his way to being the first Vancleave athlete selected for the Mississippi-Alabama All-Star Football Game, where he was selected as the “Most Outstanding Lineman.” In track and field, Forehand was a state champion in the discus and a state runner-up in the shotput while leading Vancleave to three consecutive district and region track titles. Forehand signed to play football at LSU where he started as a freshman.
▪ Chad Pylate, VHS Class of ‘00 — A two-sport athlete for VHS from 1997-2000, earning eight varsity letters between football and baseball. He was two-way player on the gridiron, excelling on both offense and defense. Offensively, he rushed for 1,330 yards and 17 touchdowns in 1999. He played baseball at Faulkner State (Ala.) Community College and was picked in the 37th round of the 2000 MLB Draft by the Minnesota Twins. He was named to the Sun Herald’s All-Coast Football Team and was the Vancleave High School Pitcher of the Year.
▪ Joe Hubal, VHS Coach/Administrator 1989-2008 — In 1989, Coach Hubal began teaching and coaching at VHS as the head softball and baseball coach. In his first year as head baseball coach, he directed the Bulldogs baseball team to the 1990 District 8-3A Runner-up and the state playoffs. His teams won district championships in 1991, ‘92, ‘93 and ‘94. The 1994 team was the South State runner-up. While serving as softball coach, baseball coach and athletic director, he designed the current softball and baseball facilities. He assisted in the construction and maintenance of both fields. As an administrator, he began serving as the principal of Vancleave Middle School in 1993. Prior to his time at Vancleave he played baseball at Delta State and briefly in the Boston Red Sox organization.
▪ 1980 VHS Football Team — The last Pascagoula River Conference football championship team and the only VHS football team to have an undefeated and untied season. Offensively, VHS was led by most valuable offensive back Mark Warren and most valuable offensive lineman Vic Bobinger. Offensively VHS was led by the conference The Bulldogs’ defense had 21 pass interceptions on the season. VHS also had two players recognized as Burger King All-Stars (Bobinger and DB Cornelius Reddix).
