Content about Athletics

If he wasn’t coaching football, Larry Fedora says he’d love to work as a builder. Many football prognosticators believe he’s done just that with the 2011 edition of the Golden Eagles, constructing a team that should vie for this year’s Conference USA title.

The head coach of the Southern Miss football team took a few moments recently to discuss the upcoming season.

Q: How is the team looking going into the 2011 campaign?

New University of Southern Mississippi Head Football Coach Todd Monken will visit Waynesboro on Tuesday, June 4, for the Southern Miss Alumni Association Southeast Central Mississippi Chapter’s annual meeting.

The meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the Waynesboro Wayne County Library located at 1103A Mississippi Drive. Cost to attend is $12 per person and includes a barbecue chicken or pork dinner. Door prizes will also be given away.

Incoming University of Southern Mississippi President Rodney Bennett has announced the purchase of 1,000 student tickets for the Golden Eagles’ second round NIT game against Louisiana Tech, scheduled for 9 p.m. on Monday.

Wilbert Jordan Jr., a former University of Southern Mississippi basketball letterman who was the school's first African-American scholar-athlete, died March 14. He was 62.

A native of  Waynesboro, Miss., he walked-on his freshman season before gaining a scholarship for his final three seasons. He enrolled in the fall of 1968 and was recruited and coached by the late Lee Floyd.

Jordan went on to earn an undegraduate and master's degree in biology from Southern Miss, and then earned his law degree from Louisana State Univesity.

Former University of Southern Mississippi football coach P.W. Underwood passed away early Monday (Feb. 4) morning at the age of 81.

Visitation will be held from 5-8 p.m. on  Thursday, Feb. 7 at Hulett-Winstead Funeral Home, 205 Bay St. in Hattiesburg. The Funeral Service is set for 10 a.m. on  Friday, Feb. 8   at Kensington Woods Church of Christ, 415 S. 40th Ave. in
Hattiesburg.

Southern Miss Director of Athletics Jeff Hammond announced on Tuesday, Dec. 11 the hiring of Todd Monken as the school’s 20th football coach. The hiring is pending approval by the IHL Board of Trustees.

Monken comes to Southern Miss after serving the last two seasons as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Oklahoma State. It was his second stint at OSU, after serving as pass game coordinator and wide receivers coach there from 2002-04.

University of Southern Mississippi Director of Athletics Jeff Hammond announced Tuesday, Nov. 27 that head football coach Ellis Johnson will not be retained.

Hammond issued the following statement:

“Following a thorough assessment of our football program, I made the recommendation to our University President that we not retain Ellis Johnson as our head football coach. Dr. (Aubrey) Lucas accepted my recommendation and earlier this morning I informed Ellis Johnson that he will not return in the future as our head football coach.

The WUSM Tailgate Concert Series at The University of Southern Mississippi continues on Saturday, Nov. 3 with a performance on campus by The Mount Rushmores.

Catch great, free, live music on Centennial Green on the Hattiesburg campus starting at 3:30 p.m. before the Southern Miss Golden Eagles take on Conference USA rival UAB in a 6:30 p.m. kickoff at M.M. Roberts Stadium.

The WUSM Tailgate Concert Series continues on Saturday, Oct. 6th with T Bird and the Breaks performing before Southern Miss hosts Boise State in a nationally televised football contest at M.M. Roberts Stadium.

Catch great, free, live music on Centennial Green in the heart of the Southern Miss campus starting at 8 a.m. The Golden Eagles and Broncos will square off in an 11 a.m. kickoff on FOX.