Ben Willoughby (1994) - Southern Miss M-Club Hall of Fame

Ben Willoughby

Induction:
1994

Ben Willoughby holds a special place in the hearts of all of us that love the University of Southern Mississippi.
   Although Ben won’t ever be compared with some of the great running backs the school has ever produced the final two teams that he played on in 1961 and 1962 won 17 of 20 games and you would be hard pressed to find anyone who would disagree that Ben didn’t have a great deal to do with the team’s success.
    Willoughby is remembered for his athletic abilities, but also for his contributions after his playing days were over here at Southern Miss. Contributions that no one else had accomplished in quite the way that he did.
    When the opportunity presented itself to attend the University of Southern Mississippi and play football for the legendary Pie Vann, Ben jumped at the opportunity and he found in Coach Vann, another father figure and a man true to his word. A man with a burning desire to win, yet a man who cared for his players like they were his own children.
    Willoughby played regularly for the Golden Eagles during those 1961 and 1962 campaigns, serving in several different capacities. Tailback on offense, back on defensive and on all the specialty teams. An although their were bigger stars on those teams Ben made his share of big plays on teams that won 12 of the last 13 games he played in, and that loss was by just two points to Memphis State.
    Upon graduation Ben remained involved with the University of Southern Mississippi, but it wasn’t until 1979 that he rejoined the athletic family when he returned to head the department’s fund-raising arm, now the Eagle Club. When Ben started USM was raising approximately $54,000 in athletic support funds, but under Ben’s guidance that figure grew to nearly $700,000 before Ben left in 1993, an increase of nearly 1200-percent. And unlike many other athletic departments, Ben worked by himself, without any assistants and for a long time without a secretary.
    Yet Ben attacked that task with the same vigor, excitement and positive attitude that he displayed on the football field. Like those great teams he played on in the early ’60s, Ben was going to find a way to be successful.
Those closest to the Golden Eagle program appreciate the contributions of Ben Willoughby and realize that without his efforts many of the successes we have enjoyed at Southern Miss would not have been possible. When the history of USM’s evolution as a national name is written, a chapter certainly must be reserved for Ben Willoughby.