Categories: Announcements athletics Community Faculty and Staff Gulf Coast, 118 College DriveHattiesburg, MS 39406-0001, 730 East Beach BoulevardLong Beach, MS 39560. . That year, GHS posted an 8-3 record and Dale was voted the Big Eight Coach of the Year. TV market-size is how Southern Miss got left behind in CUSA in the first place. All rights reserved. Southern Miss deputy athletics director Jeff Mitchell is expected to be named Ball State's athletics director, according to ESPN. You cant edit our stories, except to reflect relative changes in time, location and editorial style. The Sun Belt, in my opinion, gives them a better chance to have both.. Phone. Here's the score. Golden Eagle Basketball Hotline Continues Monday, Feb. 6 at Walk-On's, Southern Miss Athletics Honors Kinlock Bell, Golden Eagle Basketball Hotline Continues Monday, Jan. 23 at Walk-On's, Golden Eagle Basketball Hotline Returns Monday at Walk-On's, Golden Eagle Basketball Hotline Continues on Monday, Dec. 19, Video Platform powered by CBS Sports Digital. The University of Southern Mississippi Athletic Foundation is one of 10 parties the Mississippi Department of Human Services is seeking to sue in an expanding lawsuit that it hopes will recoup millions of dollars of welfare funds lost in the largest public fraud in state history.. Southern Miss is linked to the alleged fraud scheme through one of its most notable alums, former Golden Eagles . Scuba Certification; Private Scuba Lessons; Scuba Refresher for Certified Divers; Try Scuba Diving; Enriched Air Diver (Nitrox) He's just a model professional and we are going to miss him in Knoxville." Photo courtesy of USM Athletics Southern Miss has found their next Athletic Director. There was an error and we couldn't process your subscription. A few days later he began his duties. Hall of Fame in March of 2004 and the Saint Leo University Athletics Hall of Fame New construction also included a new tennis facility Well, to a lesser extent, thats kind of how it felt when Jeremy McClain returned to Southern Miss in 2016 as the new athletic director at Troy then overseeing a football program that beat the Golden Eagles on that September night. "Over the next few years, this strategic plan will serve as our road map as we transition to the Sun Belt and look to become one of the best athletic departments within the conference and across the country," said McClain. Certified athletic trainers can then apply for licensure in 46 states and the District of Columbia. number: 3, 266-5017. With a 24-65 record at the time, Southern Miss Athletic Director Jeremy McLain went to bat for Ladner. At Southern Miss, Mitchell utilizes his extensive background in legal affairs, external relations, and revenue generation to manage the Universitys relationship with multi-media rights partner LEARFIELD. As the Broncos chief financial officer from 2014 to 2018, Mitchell led the department to three consecutive years of record financial growth with year-over-year increases in operating budgets and in revenue generation (2016-2018). as well as searches for top Major League Baseball, National Basketball Association The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy. His ability to connect with donors, administrators, employees and coaches will be of great benefit to Southern Miss. HATTIESBURG, Miss. * What We Believe McClain should see a bump in pay back at Southern Miss where Gilbert just recently had a $350,000 base salary compared to McClain's $210,000 at Troy. Minimum Qualifications: Bachelor's degree in sports marketing, advertising, sports management or other related fields and 1 year of experience in collegiate sports marketing or related field. To republish online, simply click the button, copy the html code and paste into your Content Management System (CMS). Checks should be made to the Southern Miss Athletic Foundation; Box 15458; Hattiesburg, MS 39494. He was 84 years old. Mitchell was selected as one of twelve senior-level administrators from across the country to participate in the prestigious NCAA Pathway Program for the 2021-2022 cohort. 2) There is no substitute for leadership alignment Thank you to NCS Southern Miss. Any web site our stories appear on must include a contact for your organization. (WDAM) - The University of Southern Mississippi announced Tuesday it will be leaving Conference USA and joining the Sun Belt Conference. Another deep run? Also visiting on the show this week are head men's basketball coach Jay Ladner and Brad Smith the athletic . which included the construction of a new athletics building, the Athletic Center, The #ToTheTop25 Strategic Plan can be viewed by clicking here. Dale began his coaching career with stops at Jones Junior College and Greenwood High School. "As we make the exciting transition to the Sun Belt Conference on July 1st, there has never been a more critical time for our athletics department," McClain said in the press release. The 1947 and 1948 squads posted a 17-3 record and the 1947 team captured the Southeastern Conference Championship. University of Southern Mississippi Director of Athletics Richard Giannini announced his retirement on today, effective in early January and will remain with the program through the coaching search process. This. 1/24/2017 12:00:00 AM. The Sun Belt will be more of a bus league. He was sports editor of Hattiesburg American, executive director of the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame. he developed numerous sporting events, including the Blockbuster Bowl, the most successful He has been mentored and guided by some of the best leaders in this business. "I want to congratulate Southern Miss on the hire of, Golden Eagle Basketball Hotline Continues Monday, Feb. 6 at Walk-On's, Southern Miss Athletics Honors Kinlock Bell, Golden Eagle Basketball Hotline Continues Monday, Jan. 23 at Walk-On's, Golden Eagle Basketball Hotline Returns Monday at Walk-On's, Golden Eagle Basketball Hotline Continues on Monday, Dec. 19, Video Platform powered by CBS Sports Digital. 0:36. HATTIESBURG Southern Miss announced a contract extension Wednesday for Athletic Director Jeremy McClain. You can only publish select stories individually not as a collection. A successful high school football coach at Briarcrest Christian School in Memphis, Tennessee, Freeze coached Michael Oher and Greg Hardy.He subsequently was the head football coach at Lambuth University from 2008 to 2009, Arkansas State University in 2011, the University of . Gilbert, who will begin his work no later than March 1, comes to Southern Miss from the University of Tennessee, where he has served as Executive Senior Associate . Giannini was officially hired on April 21, 1999. Our foundation of success is rooted in the mindset of strength, stability, consistency, and toughness. He knows Southern Miss having served as deputy athletic director for three years before becoming the athletic director at Troy in . We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here. - In conjunction with the school's first year in the Sun Belt Conference, Southern Miss Director of Athletics Jeremy McClain announced today the completion of a comprehensive strategic plan that will run through the end of 2025. Holly Warlick University of Tennessee Women's Basketball Head Coach "Jon Gilbert will be a great leader for Southern Miss and they are very fortunate to add someone of his caliber. Make no mistake, Southern Miss has made the correct and probably long overdue decision to exit Conference USA and enter the Sun Belt Conference. It makes no sense now when the competition is as far flung as El Paso, Miami and Coral Gables, Fla. Southern Miss already has a history with Sun Belt teams such as South Alabama, Troy, Arkansas State, Louisiana-Lafayette and Louisiana-Monroe. We center readers in everything we do, informingand engagingMississippians through reporting, podcasts, events and online communities. is doable. Talk to WXXVs anchors, reporters and meteorologists. Reach Southern Miss writer David Eckert at deckert@gannett.com or on Twitter @davideckert98. We celebrate community and we tell your stories. I couldn't be more excited for Jon, and for USM, that he is joining the Golden Eagle family in this capacity." 1966 to 1970, was sports information director at Duke from 1970 to 1973, before becoming Jackson State University (Jackson State or JSU) is a public historically black research university in Jackson, Mississippi.It is one of the largest HBCUs in the United States and the fourth largest university in Mississippi in terms of student enrollment. Mitchell is a member of the Mississippi Bar Association and the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics. serve on several Conference USA committees and currently is the chairman of the Football 39401 Number of employees at University of Southern Mississippi in year 2021 was 5,057. in the weight events, at St. Leo and Furman; and graduated from the University of During Mitchells tenure at Southern Miss, baseball has advanced to three NCAA regional appearances (19, 21, 22) and one super regional appearance (22) while mens basketball played in the CBI post-season tournament in 2019 and football participated in the Armed Forces Bowl following the 2019 season and won the 2022 LendingTree Bowl. his retirement on today, effective in early January and will remain with the program The Sun Belt Conference announced the addition of Southern Miss on Tuesday. General Danny Hugh Freeze Jr. (born September 27, 1969) is an American football coach who is the head coach at Auburn University. The Golden Eagle athletics director was a track athlete, competing Today, we got better.. including three football titles, two regular season and two tournament crowns in both This article originally appeared on Hattiesburg American: Southern Miss extends athletics director Jeremy McClain, Why Southern Miss baseball will and won't make a deep NCAA Tournament run in 2023. Following his Ole Miss career, Dale played in the Blue-Gray All-Star Game before playing defensive end during the 1950 season with the Washington Redskins. Mitchell also has served as a guest lecturer on the NCAA and intercollegiate athletics for the Sports Law class at the Santa Clara University School of Law and has been a panelist at multiple Sports Law forums. 0:05. HATTIESBURG, Miss. }, Mitchell was a member of the WCC basketball cabinet and served a three-year term on the NCAA Division I Baseball Regional Advisory Committee for the West Region (2015-2017). Advertisement. Fentanyl Awareness Presentation set for March 8 on Hattiesburg Campus, USM Students Named in Prestigious Graphic Design Magazine's Students to Watch List, Women's History Month Events at USM Begin March 2. He helped oversee the project and was instrumental in securing the additional funds needed from the legislature that helped see the project through to completion. detail_page_enabled: true, We are the most trusted source for local news. Said McClain, This move just makes sense geographically, for our fan base and, most of all for our student-athletes., Gill nodded as McClain spoke, and later added, The Sun Belt has gotten a lot better in recent years. . Fentanyl Awareness Presentation set for March 8 on Hattiesburg Campus, USM Students Named in Prestigious Graphic Design Magazine's Students to Watch List, Women's History Month Events at USM Begin March 2. Other duties as assigned by the Senior Associate Athletic Director for External Operations. He had two sports reach the College World Series, including the baseball team that A win of the championship would give []. * Maximizing our Footprint Jeremy McClain, the Southern Miss athletic director, believes the annual travel expenses for all athletic programs will be reduced between $500,000 and a million dollars. Borbash, Carlyn Linker, and DeLancey, and grandparents of Tori, Parker, Sara, Kelsey, We live, work and play right here in South Mississippi. nine grandchildren. 266-5017. Southern Miss will add much to the league. He and his wife, Katie, have two teenage children, daughter Larsen and son Kent. 4/24/2012 12:00:00 AM. Division games will be drive-able, Waters said. During his tenure as athletics director, Dale engineered the school's membership in the Metro Conference. HATTIESBURG, Miss. Entering the 2022-23 academic calendar, Jeff Mitchell begins his fifth year at Southern Miss. Southern Miss athletic director Jeremy McClain, left, presents a No. That might sound like chump change to Southeastern Conference fans, but it is a huge deal to athletic programs that dont collect millions upon millions of dollars from their leagues TV and bowl revenue. Wed love to hear from you. athletic director for 13 years. "Jeff Hammond has been an important part of our University's past as an outstanding student-athlete and our present as a staff member whose energy and passion for Southern Miss knows no end," Lucas said. Upon successful completion of the academic degree in athletic training, the student is eligible to sit for the Board of Certification . of Raycom Management Group in Charlotte, N.C., a subsidiary of Raycom Sports, where By clicking submit, you agree to share your email address with Mississippi Today. The strategic plan uses five factors as guiding elements for future growth: } The Hattiesburg economy hit a home run with 3 weeks of 'Baseburg'. He earned a master's degree in Sport Administration at Eastern Kentucky University. From December 2014 to August 2018, Mitchell managed the daily operations of the Santa Clara athletics department with a directed focus on external operations and revenue generation and included service as the Broncos interim Director of Athletics from April 2015 to August 2015. No matter what conference Southern Miss plays in, it must do better at the gate. Its a grind.. Coastal Carolina baseball, which won the 2016 College World Series, finished last in its own division last season. He was also director of licensing for the NCAA. The university is a member of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund and classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities - High research activity". I have been fortunate to work with Jon over the past four years and really appreciate everything he has done for the football program. In lieu of flowers, the Dale family asks that a donation be made to the Roland and Teenie Dale Endowment. Coach Sadler was formally introduced at a press conference today, May 1 at the Trent Lott Center on the Hattiesburg campus. According to the filing, then-Southern Miss athletic director Jon . He also trimmed operating expenses in multiple areas, negotiated a multi-million-dollar apparel deal for athletic programs, and planned, installed and managed the department's cost-of-attendance program. Despite beating Memphis, Tulane and Houston consistently on the field, the Golden Eagles got passed by during conference re-alignment because of the relatively small amount of TV viewers in south Mississippi. The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy. When Jeremy McClain took over as the school's eighth Director of Athletics, he knew that he would have to roll up his sleeves and get to work. Mobile, Lafayette, Monroe and Troy are easy drives from Hattiesburg. He came back to Southern Miss from Troy where he served as athletic director for nearly four years. With the emergence of student-athlete name, image, and likeness (NIL) opportunities, the transfer portal navigation, He knows both entities well enough to know they are fit. evvnt_require("evvnt/discovery_plugin").init({ Dale served in this position for two seasons and the school posted a record of 16-3-1 while earning an invitation to the Tangerine Bowl. HATTIESBURG, Miss. Mitchell serves as the Deputy Director of Athletics with a directed focus on managing the daily operations of the Golden Eagle athletics department and providing leadership . widget: true, Mitchell negotiated the partnership's new long-term, multi-million dollar agreement, which began in July of 2020. Southern Miss athletic director Jeremy McClain kept a notecard with him at all times during the coaching search this past fall. We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here. We prefer Author Name, Mississippi Today in the byline. Again, the Sun Belt gives them a better opportunity to do that. In 1953, he became the head football coach and athletic director at Gulfport High School. Local Mississippi Breaking News Story from CBS 12 New . Assisting the committee in their work is search consultant Bob Beaudine of Eastman Mitchell also earned an MBA from the Millsaps College Else School of Management in May of 2003 and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Mississippi School of Law in December of 2005. The former Southern Miss Golden Eagle athletics director and coach, Roland Dale passed away Sunday night in Jackson, MS. We understand there is plenty of work to be done, but myself and our staff are going to work tirelessly to take Southern Miss to new heights." Gilbert has demonstrated an ability to develop and implement creative ideas; for example, he was instrumental in negotiations for the university to host a football game at Bristol Motor Speedway in 2016. A 21-member search committee began work on Monday toward identifying the University of Southern Mississippi's next athletic director. Cox also visits with He. Dale began his football career as a player at Ole Miss, where he played tackle from 1947-49. I tried to go to the beach when it broke . Those rivalries are something to nurture and built upon. Sports Director Blake Levine will be live from the Pensacola Bay Ce At Rick has been recognized 13 times as Mississippi Sports Writer of the Year, and is recipient of multiple awards and honors for his reporting and writing. From October 2006 to November 2014, Mitchell oversaw compliance, student services, and legal affairs at Santa Clara. 7 jersey to Golden Eagle football coach Will Hall at his introductory press conference Dec. 7 at Reed Green Coliseum. See what is being said about Jon Gilbert being named Director of Athletics for the University of Southern Mississippi. Hold us accountable in keeping to these initiatives, while continuing to support our student-athletes through your attendance We are going to miss him greatly at the University of Tennessee. In addition, Giannini spearheaded a total makeover of the school's athletic facilities, The athletic director position opened in December, when Richard Giannini announced Jonesboro (Ark.) 3) That all the tools we need to be successful already exist within the Southern Miss family During Mitchells Southern Miss tenure, the Golden Eagles have claimed five conference championships and have appeared in six post-season tournaments. Rick Cleveland, a native of Hattiesburg and resident of Jackson, has been Mississippi Todays sports columnist since 2016. Southern Miss Athletic Foundation / Eagle Club. Prior to his experience at Tennessee, Gilbert worked for nearly 17 years at the University of Alabama, serving in multiple roles, including Associate Athletics Director from 2009 to 2011. Also visiting on the show this week are head men's . University of Southern Mississippi Director of Athletics Richard Giannini announced H.C. "Bill" McLellan, who served as director of athletics at The University of Southern Mississippi from 1986-1999, died Monday after a brief illness. He has been a critical part of our basketball program over the past two years and brought valuable expertise and knowledge to our staff. student success. Giannini founded the Southern Miss Athletic Foundation, which has raised over $100 We wish Jon, Katie, Kent and Larsen the very best as they begin their new journey. Keep this news free and accessible to all by becoming a member and giving a recurring donation of any amount today. "I am extremely humbled and honored with the opportunity to be the Director of Athletics at Southern Miss, and I want to thank President Bennett for the confidence he has in me to lead the athletic department," Gilbert said. serving as executive producer of the ABC Football Highlight Shows, as well as NCAA We do not sell or share your information with anyone. Southern Miss Athletic Director Jeremy McClain was enjoying his one week of vacation when news broke of Oklahoma and Texas leaving the Big 12 Conference and joining the Southeastern Conference. Jeremy knows us. Other national honors for Mitchell include his participation in the LEAD 1 Institute (2019) which identifies and educates top NCAA FBS administrators and participation in the inaugural TopConnect Leadership Institute (2021) which pairs leading Division I administrators and assistant basketball coaches in a 12-week leadership forum culminating in a leadership certificate presented by East Tennessee State University. CUSAs main TV partners are CBSSports Network not to be confused with CBS and Stadium. "Our goal is to provide our student-athletes with the best college experience possible, while having success on the field, in the classroom and in the community. MCEC founder Nancy New, a Southern Miss alum and former athletic foundation board member, has since pleaded guilty to fraud. - University of Southern Mississippi President Rodney D. Bennett has announced the hiring of Jon Gilbert as the University's Director of Athletics.