Tony Rouchon (1998) - Southern Miss M-Club Hall of Fame

Tony Rouchon

Induction:
1998

   When you look back at the various eras of Southern Miss football they all have something that makes them stick out. What makes the era of the late 1940s and the early 1950s unique was the talent of the teams and the closeness of the teams. That closeness is even exhibited today as the teams gather at various reunions and special events.
   Those teams stayed close because of the dedicated, focused efforts that those teams put on the field. It was a team of champions and the Southern teams of 1949, 1950, 1951 and 1952 included one of the best running backs in school history, Tony Rouchon.
   Tony began his football career but didn't see a great deal of action on the Southern Miss team that finished 7-3 and included runners such as Bubba Phillips, Morris Brown and Frank Spruiell. But when he did play, there wasn't any doubt that he had the tools to get the job done.
   Rouchon would see even more action in 1950. Although he still played behind Phillips and Brown, he finished the year as the team's third leading rusher and also ranked among the team's leading receivers and kickoff returners as well. That 1950 team finished the year with a 5-5 record.
   He would be an important part on the 1951 team that won the Gulf States Conference Championship. On an offense that was one of the most explosive in the country, if not the most explosive, Rouchon and his offensive teammates rolled up 45 touchdowns that year and a school record 306 points, while finishing 6-5. By now the versatile Rouchon was involved in everything, returning punts, returning kickoffs and playing more than his share of snaps on defense.
   Rouchon would have his best year statistically in 1952, his senior year. Playing with the backfield of Hugh Lauren Pepper and Bucky McElroy, Tony would rush for 642 yards on 98 carries, an average of 6.34 per carry. That 1952 team would go on to play in the Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas, finishing the year 10-2.
   Tony would finish his football career with 1,014 yards rushing and rushed for 12 touchdowns. His 190 yards rushing against Tampa during the 1952 season, is the fifth highest total in school history.
   He was a hard nosed back, that loved to lower his head and hit you, the men that played and watched him, will tell you now. He loved the contact, the chance to go one on one with a defensive player, and I'll bet you that more times than not, Tony won.
   It might have been that toughness and determination that also helped Tony to excel as a boxer on the school team. Statistics are sketchy on the individual boxers of that era, but I would be willing to say that Tony more than acquitted himself in the ring against all contenders.