Eight new members have been inducted into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame, including standout players and coaches across multiple sports.
The inductees who saw their names further etched into the state’s history books were Scott Berry, Steve Freeman, Mike Justice, Dexter McCluster, Derrick Nix, Steve Rives, Robbie Webb, and Mo Williams. The class of 2025 was honored during a weekend-long event that started Friday at the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame & Museum in Jackson before ending with a Saturday night banquet at the Clyde Muse Center in Pearl.
Scott Berry, a longtime baseball coach at Southern Miss, was the Golden Eagles’ skipper for 14 seasons from 2010-23 after serving as an assistant under Corky Palmer from 2001-09. Upon Palmer passing the reigns of the program to Berry, the successor led the black and gold to nine NCAA Tournament appearances, five Conference USA championships, a Sun Belt Conference title, and two super regional appearances. Berry also served as the head coach of Meridian Community College from 1997-2000.
Steve Freeman, a standout defensive back at Mississippi State from 1971-74, was selected in the fifth round of the 1975 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots. A 12-year professional playing career that also included time with the Buffalo Bills and Minnesota Vikings saw Freeman intercept 23 passes and score three defensive touchdowns. Upon hanging up the cleats, Freeman decided to stay on the field as a referee – a position he still holds today as a game official for the NFL.
Dexter McCluster made an impact on Ole Miss football as soon as he stepped on campus in Oxford in 2008. In 40 career games for the Rebels, the running back and wide receiver totaled 3,658 yards with 22 touchdowns. In 2011, he became the first player in SEC history to have over 1,000 rushing yards and 500 receiving yards in the same season. He went on to enjoy an eight-year NFL career after being drafted in the second round by the Kansas City Chiefs. Most of his time in the NFL was used as a punt returner – leading the league in punt return yards and being named an All-Pro in 2013.
The second of four coaches included in the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame’s class of 2025 is high school legend Mike Justice. Justice won four state championships at Louisville High School and Madison Central High School on the way to compiling a career record of 297-98 over 35 years.
Derrick Nix, who now serves as the offensive coordinator at Auburn, played his collegiate days as a running back at Southern Miss before turning in his cleats for a clipboard. He spent six seasons on staff at his alma mater before coaching at Ole Miss for 16 seasons. Last summer, Hugh Freeze recruited Nix to join him on The Plains as many believe Nix is on the verge of landing a Division I head-coaching job.
Moving from the gridiron to the hardwood, famed coach Steve Rives is the first of a pair of basketball coaches who were inducted. Rives notched over 700 wins across stints at both the high school and collegiate levels, winning multiple league championships at Delta State.
The second of the two basketball coaches was mostly celebrated for his days as a player; however, as his coaching career continues to trend in the right direction, the plaque in his honor at the museum will more than likely need updating. Mo Williams was an NBA All-Star in 2009 and an NBA champion in 2016. After playing at Murrah High School in Jackson, Williams went on to take the floor for two seasons at Auburn before enjoying a 13-year career in the NBA that included an average stat line of 13.2 points per game. He now heads into his fourth season as head coach at Jackson State, where the Tigers were one win away from the NCAA Tournament a season ago.
Rounding out the class is Robbie Webb, the lone golfer in the group. Webb, who played at Southern Miss from 1958-61, went on to become a golf pro at the Canton Country Club and Deerfield. He passed away in 2012 after spending a career mentoring young golfers.
