Henry "Frenchie" Bolis (1966) - Southern Miss M-Club Hall of Fame

Henry "Frenchie" Bolis

Induction:
1966

Henry (Frenchie) Bolis was as talented a football player as the University of Southern Mississippi has ever produced. As a fullback and linebacker for Coach Reed Green in 1939 and 1940, he made numerous contributions to the success of the team on both offense and defense.
   When people talk about Bolis and the way that he played football, they always talk about how hard he played. He didn't seem to have but one speed and that was full out. That enthusiasm was contagious and the high standards that he set for himself were the same ones he set for his teammates and the team.
   Although Bolis wasn't always successful in everything he did on the football field, his attitude and drive made him more successful than most of his era.
   At fullback, Bolis was the type of player you didn't want to have to tackle if you were on the other side of the line. You knew when Bolis got the ball that it wouldn't be very fancy, he wasn't going to put a lot of moves on you to get by you, he was going to lower his head and try to drive right through you. And when you got hit by Bolis, you felt it.
   As a linebacker he was just as fierce and if you were carrying the ball and heading in his direction, you knew that their would be a great collision as he came up to make the tackle.
   It was the attitude and the style of play that Bolis used that still permeates Southern Miss football today, and why the teams were successful then as they are today.
   Bolis first joined Southern Miss in 1939 and under Coach Reed Green played a large role in the team's success that season. They would roll to a 4-2-3 record that year and Bolis was one of many bright spots on both offense and defense. Although the '39 club was not an explosive one on offense, it was good enough to control and take care of the football and take advantage of the opportunities that were presented them.
   On defense in 1939 they were superb. With Bolis one of the leaders of the defense from his linebacker spot, they would shutout three opponents that year and only twice all year would they give up more than one touchdown in a game.
   During the 1940 campaign Bolis, with a year under his belt, would become one of the true leaders on the team, and would be one of the key ingredients as they posted a 7-4 record. The offense became much more explosive that year with Bolis and his teammates in the offensive line, opening holes. While on defense with Bolis terrorizing opposing backfields, they would allow only three teams to score more than a touchdown on them, and record two shutouts.
   Following his two seasons at Southern Miss, Bolis would enter the service where he would fight in World War II, where he would tragically lose his life.
   But players then and since remember the all out style and confident attitude of Bolis and his belief that if you outworked and outplayed the other guy and just wanted it more, you would win.