Willie Oubre (1979) - Southern Miss M-Club Hall of Fame

Willie Oubre

Induction:
1979

   He was known as the “Kemper County Flash” and if you wondered why, all you had to do was watch Willie Oubre carry the football for the University of Southern Mississippi. He had the ability to stop on a dime, change directions and then like a flash disappear down the field. For teams that gave him only a sliver of daylight, they would regret it as Oubre would slip right through that.
   Put that running ability, together with his ability to line up and compete successfully at defensive back and do all the other things that good football players do, it is easy to see why he is considered one of the school’s all-time great backs.
   Playing first in 1936 for Pooley Hubert and in 1937 and 1938 for Reed Green, Oubre was the ultimate team player. A player that could have piled up impressive individual stats, but was more concerned and more interested in helping the team reach its goals. Oubre’s attitude and the attitude of his teammates made the teams of ’36-’38 three of the most successful teams in Southern Miss history.
   As you would expect it took Oubre awhile to work himself into position to earn some playing time on the 1936 squad. It was loaded with veterans off a team that had gone 6-4 the season before. But like most young players he was willing to bide his time and wait for the opportunity to prove what he could do.
   That 1936 team with Oubre a valuable reserve would go on to finish the year with a 7-2-1 record. Although the offense was slow getting started that year, they eventually would get things going towards the end of the season. It was the defense that year that played superbly allowing only 54 points all year and 33 of those came in the last three games.
   Oubre would begin to see his share of playing time when the 1937 season rolled around. Although the team possessed several skilled runners that season, including several who would go on to join Oubre in the Hall of Fame, Oubre’s unique style of running and his hard nosed approach to running the ball made him a favorite of the coaches and fans.
   The 1937 team would finish 7-3, twice scoring over 50 points in a game that season and shutting out seven opponents.
   In 1938 Oubre would share a starting halfback slot for most of the season, but in Reed Green’s style there were enough carries to go around. Oubre posted his most impressive year that season for Southern Miss and helped lead the team to a 7-2 mark.
   Twice that year the offense recorded over 40 points and six times the defense had a shutout.
   The three teams that Oubre was a part of recorded a mark of 21-7-1 and few doubt he was one of the big reasons for their success.
   The “Kemper County Flash” was one of the school’s best backs and his dazzling runs and acrobatic moves are still remembered by Southern Miss fans.
Oubre was also a standout basketball player during the 1937-38 season.