George Herring (1992) - Southern Miss M-Club Hall of Fame

George Herring

Induction:
1992

George Herring was a marvelous quarterback for Coach Thad (Pie) Vann during the 1954 and 1955 seasons and his passing and running skills mixed with his versatility made him one of the most valuable Southern Miss players of that era.
   Herring was native of Hopes Bluff, Alabama, where he drew a lot of attention as a prep standout.
   Following high school he went to Jones (Miss.) Junior College in Ellisville, Mississippi, where he played quarterback for Coach Paul Davis, and earned all-state honors.
   Herring was a triple threat for Southern Miss, who proved early in his career that he could throw on the run, kick the football, run with strength and power and throw the long and short pass. He also proved to be a superb defensive player as well.
   In 1954 he saw the most of his action on the offensive side of the football seeing time at quarterback with Jim Davenport.
   Herring connected on 33 of 88 passes for 498 yards and seven touchdowns as a junior in helping the team to a 6-4 record. He also proved to be a durable runner that year as only four players carried the ball more than he did that season.
   That 1954 team that featured Herring opened the season with an impressive 7-2 win over Alabama, one of the biggest wins in school history. The team was more of a running team than a passing team, averaging 188.0 yards a game on the ground and 115.0 yards through the air. Herring was valuable to the team as a runner when they were in the split-T.
   He was also one of the team’s punters in 1954 with 26 kicks for a 37.4 yard average.
   In 1955 Herring would see action regularly on both sides of the football as he once again led the team in passing by hitting on 31 of 68 attempts for 457 yards and six touchdowns. His passing yardage was over half of what the team passed for that year. He also rushed 64 times for 270 yards (4.2 average) and four touchdowns.
   Serving as the team’s primary punter in 1955 he kicked 36 times for a 38.8 yard average and he also kicked one out of three extra points.
   Defensively he aided the 1955 team with two interceptions for 86 yards and a touchdown.
   The 1955 team with Herring at the controls finished with a 9-1 record that season and won its last seven games of the year. Five times the offense scored over 30 points that season, while the defense recorded five shutouts.
Herring played in the 1956 Senior Bowl game in Mobile, Alabama and was drafted in the 16th round of the 1956 NFL draft by the San Francisco 49ers, but wound up playing a couple of seasons (1960-61) with the Denver Broncos of the AFL.