Southern Miss M-Club Hall of Fame
Robert "Curley" Dement
- Induction:
- 1965
Ask anyone that watched Robert (Curley) Dement play during his two season at Southern Miss and the first thing that comes to his or her mind is toughness. Dement during the 1941 and 1946 seasons personified the word toughness. As a two way guard for the team before and after the war, Dement played with an aggressiveness and spirit that has been rarely matched in the rich tradition of the school.
        As an offensive lineman, Dement seemed to almost take it personally when a defender tried to break through the line and try to tackle one of his teammates. He would do everything within his power to try to stop them, and more times than not, he would win those battles.
        On defense no one like to go up against him, because he used the same philosophy on that side of the ball. He did whatever he could to get to the ball carrier and he wasn't about to let anyone stop him.
        He didn't have great speed, he didn't have enormous size, but what he did have was the heart of a giant and the will to be a winner.
        Dement was without a doubt one of the best linemen, offense or defense, that Southern Miss has ever had. But one has to wonder, if World War II had not interrupted his career, just how much better he might have become.
        Dement was fortunate to join a Southern Miss team in 1941, that just might have been one of the school's best ever. The team was full of experienced players and Dement found himself behind a pair of future Hall of Fame guards, M.G. Clements and Dick Thames. But Dement would get plenty of playing time on that team and the opportunity to learn not only from Coach Reed Green, but the veterans playing in front of him.
        That 1941 team would open the season with a 70-0 win over Georgia State, and then follow that with six more wins. The chance for a perfect season would end with a 0-0 tie at Southwestern Louisiana, but Southern would win its final two games to finish 9-0-1. Dement would see action at both guard and tackle and got better and better as he gained game experience.
        Like most players of that era Dement would head into the military with the outbreak of World War II and continued to improve more than likely by continuing his football career as while in the service.
        When the war ended he returned to Southern Miss for the 1946 season and was a crucial part of getting the program back on its feet. Dement, now solidly entrenched in the starting lineup helped lead the team to a 7-3 record that year that included a trip to Cuba to play the University of Havana in the Cigar Bowl. Twice that year the Southern offense scored 65 points and once they had 55. On defense they recorded six shutouts that season.
              Dement also played baseball for Southern Miss during the 1947 season.
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        As an offensive lineman, Dement seemed to almost take it personally when a defender tried to break through the line and try to tackle one of his teammates. He would do everything within his power to try to stop them, and more times than not, he would win those battles.
        On defense no one like to go up against him, because he used the same philosophy on that side of the ball. He did whatever he could to get to the ball carrier and he wasn't about to let anyone stop him.
        He didn't have great speed, he didn't have enormous size, but what he did have was the heart of a giant and the will to be a winner.
        Dement was without a doubt one of the best linemen, offense or defense, that Southern Miss has ever had. But one has to wonder, if World War II had not interrupted his career, just how much better he might have become.
        Dement was fortunate to join a Southern Miss team in 1941, that just might have been one of the school's best ever. The team was full of experienced players and Dement found himself behind a pair of future Hall of Fame guards, M.G. Clements and Dick Thames. But Dement would get plenty of playing time on that team and the opportunity to learn not only from Coach Reed Green, but the veterans playing in front of him.
        That 1941 team would open the season with a 70-0 win over Georgia State, and then follow that with six more wins. The chance for a perfect season would end with a 0-0 tie at Southwestern Louisiana, but Southern would win its final two games to finish 9-0-1. Dement would see action at both guard and tackle and got better and better as he gained game experience.
        Like most players of that era Dement would head into the military with the outbreak of World War II and continued to improve more than likely by continuing his football career as while in the service.
        When the war ended he returned to Southern Miss for the 1946 season and was a crucial part of getting the program back on its feet. Dement, now solidly entrenched in the starting lineup helped lead the team to a 7-3 record that year that included a trip to Cuba to play the University of Havana in the Cigar Bowl. Twice that year the Southern offense scored 65 points and once they had 55. On defense they recorded six shutouts that season.
              Dement also played baseball for Southern Miss during the 1947 season.
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