Webb Farish (1993) - Southern Miss M-Club Hall of Fame

Webb Farish

Induction:
1993

When Webb Famish played for the University of Southern Mississippi back in 1950-51 it was unusual for a player to specialize in one particular area. You weren’t just a punter, you just weren’t just a long snapper, and in the era of two platoon football, you didn’t just play offense or defense, you played wherever and whenever you were needed.
   And although Famish, like most players of his time, logged his share of playing time on both sides of the ball, it was his exploits as a place-kicker that have burned the most memories into the history of Southern Miss football.
   Farris’s route to the University of Southern Mississippi started in Waynesboro, Mississippi and then to Jones Junior College, where he was a stand out player at both halfback and defensive back.
   It was about midway through the 1950 season that Webb took over the place-kicking duties at Southern Miss, that were being handled by among others quarterback David Lee Walker. At season Famish connected on 12 of 18 extra points and his high hanging kick-offs kept the opponents pinned deep in their own territory.
   In 1951 Famish handled the kicking duties the entire year making 34 of 44, still thirty years later USM records for most extra points made and attempted, and is soaring kickoffs once again gave the Southern Miss defense a big advantage.
   The 1950 squad captured the Gulf States Conference by defeating Louisiana Tech 41-20 at old Faulkner Field. The team finished the season 5-5 and played among others Tennessee and Alabama. The 1951 team captured a third straight Gulf States Conference title and included in that season was a 76-0 win over Northwestern Louisiana that saw Webb attempt a then and now school record 11 extra points. That 1951 team finished 6-5 again playing a difficult schedule that included LSU and Alabama, but also finishing as one of the highest scoring teams in school history. Six times that team scored 33 points or more.
   Even today when you study the Golden Eagle record book you find Farris’s name. His 46 career extra points made is still the seventh best mark in school history and only four players have ever attempted more extra points than Webb’s 62.
   Famish was one of the first players to really specialize in place-kicking and he helped set standards that players even today try to reach. He helped lay the foundation for the tradition of outstanding place-kickers at Southern Miss and some of the success that the players of today enjoy can be traced back to some of the doors that he opened back in the 1950s.