Ace Cleveland (1985) - Southern Miss M-Club Hall of Fame

Ace Cleveland

Induction:
1985

   Ace Cleveland spent the majority of his life in and around Southern Miss athletics, serving for 31 years as the school’s sports information director, and spending several other years covering the school for the Hattiesburg American newspaper.
   The veteran sports information director was active in four sports at Hattiesburg High School, earning letters in football, basketball, track and field and tennis. He also played semi-pro baseball before and after a two-year stint in the U.S. Navy during World War II.
   Cleveland joined the staff of the University in September 1955, when he was named as Assistant Director of Public Relations and Sports Information. He was appointed Director two years later and worked in that capacity until the two positions were split in 1970 and he began concentrating solely on athletics.
   Prior to joining the USM staff he was a news reporter/sports editor of the Hattiesburg American for eight-plus years and a sports writer for the Jackson Daily News for one year.
   Cleveland was a long time member of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) and a former member of the American College Public Relations Association (ACPRA). He was a former president and two-time vice-president of the Mississippi Sports Writers Association (MSWA).
   In 1980 Cleveland was inducted into the Mississippi Sports Writers Association Hall of Fame as one of five charter members.
   It one point Cleveland had witnessed 325 consecutive Southern Miss football games, with that streak ending only after his retirement and illness that kept him from traveling.
   As the school’s sports information director Cleveland was responsible for handling publicity for all of the Southern Miss varsity sports and for nearly all of his career it was a job that he handled all by himself. While his counterparts at other schools had the luxury of one or more assistants, Cleveland never had anything other than student or graduate assistants until the late 1970s.
   As SID he was involved in promoting and writing about some of the school’s greatest moments. The two UPI small college national championships are credited in part to Cleveland. Since that award was voted on by sports writers around the country, it was up to Cleveland to make sure that each of those voters had an intimate knowledge of the school and its accomplishments.
   He was also greatly involved in the campaign that ended with defensive back/kicker Ray Guy being named an All-American in 1972 and eventually becoming the only kicker at the time to ever be taken in the first round of the NFL draft. Guy was selected by Oakland as the 23rd pick overall in 1973.
   His association with the Senior Bowl All-Star game in Mobile, Alabama also lasted throughout his career and many Southern Miss players earned a spot in that game, and a chance to showcase themselves to the pro scouts because of Cleveland.
   The press box at Roberts Stadium is now named in his honor.
   He was inducted into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame in March of 1998.