By: Cathy Hayden, HCC Director of Publications
Cain-Cochran Hall at Hinds CC in Raymond, MS
Hinds Community College will honor four former athletes and one retired coach in the annual Sports Hall of Fame induction ceremony at 4:30 p.m. Oct. 24 at Cain-Cochran Hall on the Raymond Campus.
The 2024 inductees are Kelli East Dyess of Madison, Nic Henderson of New Orleans, Michael Myers of Oak Point, Texas, Dot Easterwood Murphy of Raymond and Mark Smith of Madison. Admission is free to the induction ceremony and the public is invited. For information, contact Sydney Love at 601.857.3350 or Sydney.Love@hindscc.edu.
The inductees are as follows:
KELLI EAST DYESS
Women’s Soccer and Softball, 1998-2000
Kelli Dyess came to Raymond in 1998 and made her mark as a dual-sport athlete for the women’s soccer and softball programs.
Dyess played midfielder for the Hinds Women’s soccer team that won back-to-back state championships in 1999 and 2000. She also played shortstop for the Hinds Softball team in 1999 and 2000. Additionally, she was chosen for All-State and All-Region 23 in both of her years at Hinds. She was named the Most Valuable Offensive Player and was a National Junior College Athletic Association All-American in 1998. During the 1999 season, she was voted “Wittiest” by her Women’s Soccer teammates.
Dyess currently serves as the Behavior Coordinator and Specialist at Madison County Schools.
NIC HENDERSON
Men’s Soccer, 2000-2002
Nic Henderson came to Hinds in 2000 and was a member of two State Championship soccer teams, helping lead the team to an overall record of 31-8-2.
He transferred to the University of North Carolina at Pembroke playing defender for the Braves for two seasons and helping to lead the Braves to two consecutive winning seasons. He then traveled to Germany to play for SKV-Rutesheim in the German 5th Division.
After one season of playing overseas, he returned to Mississippi and accepted the job as the Head Boy’s and Girls’ Soccer Coach at Jackson Academy in August 2005. In his time at JA, he led the girls’ team to the State Championship in 2010 and lead the boys’ team to the State Championship in consecutive years 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010.
While working at Jackson Academy, Henderson also worked as a youth soccer coach for Jackson Futbol Club. In this capacity, he won Mississippi Youth Soccer State Championships in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2011 and 2012 coaching boys and girls teams ranging in ages from 10-15 years old.
In May 2015, Henderson stepped down from his role at Jackson Academy to pursue a career in Real Estate.
MICHAEL MYERS
Football, 1994-1995
After graduating from Vicksburg High School, Michael Myers was a member of the 1994 and 1995 football teams, playing on the defensive line. As a freshman, he posted 46 tackles (14 TFL), 25 QB hurries, three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and a record of 20 sacks. The next year, he collected 63 tackles (16 TFL), eight sacks, 27 quarterback hurries, five forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries. Additionally, he was a two-time National Junior College Athletic Association All-American.
Myers transferred to the University of Alabama to play for the Crimson Tide. He then enjoyed a 10-year NFL Career with the Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos, Cleveland Browns and the Cincinnati Bengals. He played 138 games in the NFL, registering 321 tackles, 15.5 sacks and an interception.
At the conclusion of his playing career in 2012, he came back to Hinds and served as a Graduate Assistant, while he pursued his master’s degree. He is currently working on real estate investments.
DOT EASTERWOOD MURPHY
Assistant Football Coach, 1984-2004, 2009-2012
Dot Murphy came to Hinds in 1984 where she made history by becoming the first female football coach in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA), working for the Hinds Athletic Department for 33 years. The National Football League (NFL) did a documentary on Coach Murphy for being the first female football coach at the collegiate level. The film was released in fall 1996 and received an EMMY for the Best Documentary.
During her high school career, she played basketball for the Starkville High School Yellowjackets, winning two state championships and an overall championship. She was a two-time All-State winner. Murphy scored 2,772 points in three years at SHS and averaged 33 points per game.
At the Mississippi University for Women, she was the first player to eclipse 1,000 career points and averaged better than 22 points per game for her four-year career.
Murphy earned a spot on the United States’ World University Games team in 1972 and 1973, culminating in the first-ever women’s entry in 1973 in Moscow. With The W coach Jill Upton at the helm, the U.S. team won a silver medal.
Her hometown of Starkville proclaimed Dot Easterwood Day on Sept. 21, 1973, and she also was the youngest person at the time to receive the Mississippi Outstanding Citizen Award in 1973. Murphy earned All-American honors in 1974. She later attended Mississippi State University where she met her future husband, Gene Murphy.
Murphy was an assistant coach for the University of Tennessee-Martin women’s basketball team in 1975-1976. Later that year, Itawamba Community College hired her as their Head Women’s Basketball Coach. Murphy was head coach at the W from 1977 to 1982.
Murphy was hired by Hinds as the wide receivers football coach in August 1984. She was a member of the football coaching staff that played for 10 State and Regional Championships, winning six. Additionally, she coached many NJCAA All-Americans and NFL players over her career and helped lead Hinds to nine NJCAA bowl games.
MARK SMITH
Football 1994
Mark Smith came to Hinds in 1994 after graduating from Vicksburg High School. Smith played one season for Navarro Community College, where he was the No. 1 defensive player in the nation, before transferring to Hinds where he played his sophomore season as part of a defensive unit.
He helped to lead the Hinds defense to the No. 1 ranked rushing defense and the No. 2 ranked overall defense in the nation. During the 1994 season, Hinds lost the first game to Itawamba and then came back to win the rest of the regular season and went on to beat Itawamba in the State and Region Championship at the conclusion of the season. Smith was a Junior College All-American at Hinds and one of the top linebackers in the country.
After Hinds, Smith signed with Auburn University and played on the defensive line for the Tigers for two seasons. Smith was drafted in the seventh round of the 1997 NFL Draft. He was selected by the Arizona Cardinals, first playing for the All-Rookie Team. He played with the Cardinals for four seasons.
He finished his six-year NFL career with the Cleveland Browns. Over He finished his six-year NFL career with the Cleveland Browns. Over the course of his career in the NFL, he tallied 191 total tackles, 20 sacks and two forced fumbles.