Vic Purvis (1972) - Southern Miss M-Club Hall of Fame

Vic Purvis

Induction:
1972

   Vic Purvis quarterbacked Southern Miss during the early 1960s and set rushing records for a quarterback that have never been matched. Playing in a run oriented Southern Miss offense, Purvis became one of the team’s most dangerous weapons and in the process became one of the school’s top rushing quarterbacks.
   Purvis would see limited action as a freshman playing behind Don Fuell, Billy Coleman and Morris Meador. In fact his rookie year would see him complete just one of four passes and rush one time for two yards.
   He then would red-shirt in 1962 before moving in as the starter in 1963 and remain in that spot for the rest of his career.
   In 1963 Purvis would complete 41 of 94 passes for 460 yards and finish second on the team in rushing with 113 carries for 410 yards and a touchdown. The team posted a 5-3-1 record that year, by winning four of its last five games.
   In 1964 Purvis completed 55 of 114 passes for five touchdowns and led the team in rushing with 117 carries for 422 yards and three touchdowns, and the team finished 6-3. One of his touchdowns that year was 79 yards against Richmond, one of the longest runs from scrimmage in school history.
   Purvis would lead the team in passing for a third straight year in 1965 when he connected on 33 of 109 passes for 465 yards and two touchdowns and lead the team in rushing for a second straight year with a career high 144 carries for 663 yards and six touchdowns.
   He would set a school record for rushing on September 25, 1965 when he ran for 238 yards against Memphis. That record would stand until 1982 when tailback Sam Dejarnette rushed for 304 yards, but still stands as a record for a quarterback at Southern Miss. The following week Purvis accomplished something that few players have ever done in NCAA history when he rushed for over 200 yards again, with 203 against Richmond. Those two marks are still second and fourth all-time at Southern Miss for rushing in a game.
   He would finish his career at Southern Miss completing 120 of 321 passes (40.5 percent) for 1,738 yards and eight touchdowns. But he would establish himself as one of the most prolific rushing quarterbacks in school history by rushing 375 times for 1,497 yards and 10 touchdowns. Only one other quarterback (Reggie Collier) has rushed for more yards in a season or in a career.
   In addition to his two 200-yard rushing games, Purvis rushed for over 100 yards three other times: 155 yards vs. Richmond (10/03/64), 132 yards vs. Arkansas State (10/26/63) and 103 yards vs. Southwestern Louisiana (9/24/64).
   Following graduation from Southern Miss, Purvis spent a couple of seasons with the Boston Patriots of the American Football League as a defensive back, but his career was cut short by injury.
   Since the early 1970s Purvis has served as the color commentator on the Southern Miss Football Radio Network.