Willie Heidelburg (1996) - Southern Miss M-Club Hall of Fame

Willie Heidelburg

Induction:
1996

There have been some down through the years that might consider our next inductee to be one of the smallest people to ever be selected for our Southern Miss Sports Hall of Fame. And certainly if one looks just at the vital statistics they would be right, for Willie Heidelburg was only 5-foot, six inches tall and never probably weighed more than 150-pounds.
   Willie was the first African-American football player in the history of the University. And that indeed is a major moment in the athletic history of the school, and his courage and easy going confidence were keys in helping make the transition to an integrated athletic program go smoothly. His success at Southern Miss was instrumental in forcing the other schools in the state to begin actively recruiting African-American athletes.
   Willie had played at John Jefferson High School in Purvis as a halfback and safety and moved on to Pearl River Junior College to play for Southern Miss Hall of Famer J.C. Arban. In his two years at PRC, he was incredible, earning All-state and honorable mention All-American honors.
   His first year he burst onto the scene with a great deal of excitement. He would rush for 110 yards in 1970 on 30 carries and score two of the biggest touchdowns in school history. He also had five pass receptions and returned 26 kickoffs for a 19.8 yard average. That 1970 season will forever be remembered for Southern’s 30-14 win over 4th ranked Ole Miss in the first game on the artificial turf on then Hemingway Stadium.
Willie did his part that day for the Southerners, scoring on an 11-yard touchdown run on a counter play around the right end midway through the second quarter to tie the game at 14. Then early in the third period on the exact same play, he scored again to give Southern a 23-14 edge.
   1971 saw Southern trying to get the ball to Heidelburg in more and different ways and he responded with another sensational year. He rushed 67 times for 247 yards and scored three touchdowns, caught six passes and returned 15 kickoffs for a 24.2 yard average. One of the highlights of that 1971 season was Willie on the receiving end of an 81-yard screen pass from Buddy Palazzo for a touchdown in a 31-24 win over Richmond, still the 2nd longest pass play in school history.
   He is recognized still as one of the premiere kickoff return specialists in Southern Miss history. His kickoff returns time and time again put the team in great field position. Only four players have ever returned kickoffs for more yards than his 878 and only three players have ever returned more kickoffs than his 41. His career kickoff return average of 21.41 yards is still one of the best ever at Southern Miss. All of this remember in just two seasons.