University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Southern Miss Sports Hall of Fame Announces 2002 Inductees
10/30/2001 12:00:00 AM | Football
Southern Miss Sports Hall of Fame Announces 2002 Inductees
Hattiesburg, Miss. - Southern Miss "M" Club Alumni Association President Earl Marshall announced the inductees for the 2002 Southern Miss Hall of Fame during the halftime of the Houston-Southern Miss Homecoming 2001 game at M.M. Roberts Stadium.
Included in this group are five outstanding former Golden Eagle athletes and one former head football coach. The list includes Willie Coats (football), Marvin Harvey (football), L.T. Herrmann (football), Steve Knight (baseball), Diana Lyons- Hill (basketball), Chuck Rohe (track & field) and Bobby Collins (Head Football Coach)
The formal induction ceremony will be held on Friday, April 12, 2001, at the Lake Terrace Convention Center in Hattiesburg, Miss. It will be held in conjunction with the Spring football game, that will be held on Saturday, April 13, 2001.
The Class of 2002
Willie Coats, Football, 1957-58
Played quarterback and defensive back and was an important part of the 1958 Southern Miss team that won the UPI College Division National Championship ... Received the Sportsmanship Award for the Southern Miss team in 1958 ... Following graduation, he served as head football coach at Seminary High School (1964-66), Lumberton high School (1966-70), East Central High School (1970-76), Decatur High School (1976-78), Quitman High School (1978-81), Hattiesburg High School (1984-91), Pearl River Junior College (1991-95) and East Central Community College (1995-98) ... As a high school and junior college coach, he won numerous conference championships and was selected as Coach of the Year several times.
Marvin Harvey, Football, 1977-80
One of the truly great tight ends in Golden Eagle history who finished his career with 74 receptions for 1,286 yards and 14 touchdowns ... Averaged 17.4 yards per catch during his career ... As a freshman, had only 11 catches but averaged 31.2 yards per reception ... Tied for 12th in career receptions and 8th in total yards receiving ... Tied for eighth in average yards per catch and fourth in career receiving touchdowns ... An all-South Independent selection and honorable mention All-American in 1979 and 1980 ... Drafted in the 3rd round of the 1981 NFL draft by the Kansas City Chiefs and played for them in 1981 and 1982 ... Played three seasons with the Tampa Bay bandits of the USFL, before injury cut short his career ... Selected as the tight end on the Southern Miss Football Team of the Century.
L.T. Herrmann, Football, 1952-54
Prototype offensive guard/nose guard of the day at 5-10, 205 pounds with speed and power and great athletic strength ... A key offensive lineman on some of the best offensive teams that the school has ever produced ... As a sophomore in 1952, played on the highest scoring team in school history with 402 points, an average of 36.5 points per game ... That 1952 team with Herrmann blocking rushed for a school record 3,651 yards and an average of 331.9 per game ... Herrmann?s 1952 team set the school record for total offense with 415.9 yards per game and 4,575 yards ... Transferred from the University of Alabama and played an important role in defeats of the Crimson Tide in 1953 and 1954 ... After standout seasons in 1952 and 1953 was rated as one of the best in the country at his position heading into the 1954 campaign ... However after helping Southern defeat Alabama 7-2 in 1954 was injured in that game and unable to play the rest of the season ... The leg injury was severe enough to
end his career.
Steve Knight, Baseball, 1975-78
Four-year letterman for Coach Pete Taylor and was the last individual to throw a no-hitter ... His no-hitter was an 18-0 victory over North Park College in 1976 ... As a freshman, his earned run average of 0.98 was the lowest on the team ... He led the team in innings pitched in 1978 with 52.2 ... After completing his career at Southern Miss he signed with the Seattle mariners and pitched a couple of seasons in their minor league system ... Since the early 1980s, he was worked at William Carey College in Hattiesburg, where he currently serves as athletic director and head basketball coach ... His basketball teams at Carey have been some of the most successful in school history, winning numerous conference and district championships and making regular trips to the NAIA National Tournament in Kansas City ... Also spent some time as a member of the Golden Eagle basketball team ... Played both football and basketball at Hattiesburg High School and played on a state basketball championship team with the Tigers.
Diana Lyons-Jones, Basketball, 1977-79
Though she played only two seasons at Southern Miss, she quickly established herself as one of the most prolific rebounders for the Lady Eagles ... She came from junior college and was one of the better players to ever wear the Black & Gold ... .She averaged 12.9 rebounds for a career average and averaged 18.9 points ... She was the first USM player named to the all-MAIAW all-state and AIAW all-region teams ... Lyons still owns four of the top six rebounding games in school history ... She led the team in scoring and rebounding both years she played ... Grabbed a career high 24 rebounds against Ole Miss her junior year to help the Lady Eagles beat the Lady Rebels for the first time ever in Oxford ... Currently head women?s basketball coach at Hattiesburg High.
Chuck Rohe, Track & Field, 1952-53
Member of the Southern Miss track and field team during the 1952-1953 seasons ... A walk-on on the football team in 1951 ... Later served as an assistant track coach and graduate assistant football coach while working on his masters degree ... Following graduation, he became a very successful track and field coach at Hattiesburg High School, where he won two state championships ... Also served as an assistant football coach and head track and field coach at Furman (1958-62), head track and field and Director of Football Recruiting at Tennessee (1962-71), Director of Athletic Administration and Recruiting at Virginia Tech (1971-72) and general manager of the Houston Texans of the World Football League (1972) ... Serves as executive director of the Tangerine/Florida Citrus Bowl since 1982.
Bobby Collins, Head Football Coach, 1975-1981
Became the head football coach at Southern Miss in 1975 and led the team to its first postseason bowls and national rankings as a Division I program ... His 1980 team earned the school its first national ranking as a Division I school and finished the year 9-3 and defeated McNeese State in the Independence Bowl, the school?s first postseason appearance since 1957 ... His 1981 Southern Miss team was ranked as high as 8th in the country and finished the year with a 9-2-1 record and a berth in the Tangerine Bowl ... Finished his career at Southern Miss with a 48-30-2 record and was 18-5-1 in his final two years ... Also served as head football coach at SMU ... Returned to Southern Miss in the mid-1990s serving in the athletic department as Associate Athletic Director for External Affairs.
