JACKSON — Former Mississippi State greats Jeff Malone and Rafael Palmeiro were part of a six-member induction class announced Monday that will be inducted to the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame on July 27-28.
The class also includes former University of Mississippi great Eddie Crawford, who was a standout for the Rebels in football, basketball, and baseball from 1954 to 1956. He was an All-Southeastern Conference center fielder in 1956.
In addition, former Southern Mississippi pitcher Courtney Blades-Rogers, who will be 34 at the time of her induction, will be the youngest inductee in the history of the MSHOF.
Sam Hall, a Hattiesburg native and former player and golf coach at USM, also will be inducted.
Ennis Proctor, the longtime executive director at the Mississippi High School Activities Association, also will be honored.
Malone is the all-time basketball scoring leader in MSU history with 2,142 points. He went on the play 13 seasons in the NBA, where he scored 17,231 points. The two-time NAB All-Star was selected as a SEC Legend in 2002.
Palmeiro is the only three-time All-American in MSU history. He went on to play 20 seasons in Major League Baseball. He is only the fourth player in MLB history with more than 3,000 hits and 1,835 RBIs.
Crawford joined the Ole Miss athletics department in 1962 as head basketball coach, freshman football assistant coach, and varsity scout. He was head basketball coach from 1963-68, posting a 46-97 record. He coached the offensive backfield and receivers before taking on full-time recruiting responsibilities in 1977. Following the 1979 season, Crawford joined the Loyalty Foundation staff.
Blades-Rogers was a key participant in the rapid success of the Southern Miss softball program. In the first two years of the Golden Eagles resurgence to the diamond, she was the focal point on the mound, helping Southern Miss go 115-22. Blades-Rogers accounted for 95 of those wins. Among her many accolades, Blades-Rogers earned both Conference USA Player and Pitcher of the Year honors. She was the Region 7 Most Outstanding Player and received the Honda Award as the National Softball Player of the Year in 2000.
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