[4/5/03]Tears of joy, tears of sadness, and tears of laughter punctuated the ceremonies Friday night at the Vicksburg Convention Center as the Class of 2003 entered the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame.

Warner Alford, James Ray Carpenter, Bill Foster, Mildrette Netter Graves, Sue Gunter, Kent Hull, Jackie Slater and Bob Stevens were inducted into the hall in front of a crowd estimated at 800.

“When you’re honored by your home folks, it is truly extraordinary,” said Gunter, a Walnut Grove native and women’s basketball coach at LSU for the last 20 years.

Carpenter, a Runnelstown native who went on to become president of the PGA and a golf coach at Southern Miss, did his best to thank all of the home folks.

In an acceptance speech that lasted nearly 20 minutes, Carpenter seemingly thanked half the audience while making light of his accomplishments.

“I’m impressed with the information in the film and this booklet. I wish my mother could have read it. She enjoyed reading good fiction,” Carpenter said to audience laughter. “When giving a speech, they say it helps if you’re nervous. Right now, I think I’m over-prepared.”

Carpenter’s speech was so long that other honorees jokingly referred to it in their own speeches.

“I had a lot I was going to say tonight, but James Ray bought so much of my time,” Hull said with a laugh.

Hull, the former Mississippi State and Buffalo Bills offensive lineman, helped the Bills to four straight Super Bowls in the early 1990s. Since retiring in 1996, he has been inducted into the Mississippi State Athletic Hall of Fame and the Bills’ Ring of Honor, but he said the MSHOF honor trumped all of those.

Slater, a Pro Football Hall of Famer, did not attend the event. Another honoree, Foster, passed away in 1978 and was inducted posthumously.

Alcorn State basketball coach Dave Whitney spoke on behalf of Foster, a former Negro Leagues baseball star and baseball coach at Alcorn. Foster was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1996.

“A man long overdue for the honors he has received at Cooperstown and tonight, because he richly deserves them,” Whitney said, a tinge of sadness in his voice as he recalled his friend. “I’m just happy the state of Mississippi saw fit to put Bill in its sports hall of fame.”

Graves, a former Alcorn track star and coach won a gold medal in the 4×100 relay at the 1968 Olympics.

Stevens, a longtime high school football coach, was selected for the hall for his coaching ability, as well as his prowess on the gridiron at USM and Copiah-Lincoln Community College, and on the handball court.

The Central Mississippi Chapter of the National Football Foundation and Hall of Fame, as well as the Jackson Touchdown Club, handed out several other annual awards Friday night.

Mississippi State basketball star LaToya Thomas, a four-time All-American, was tapped as the Mississippi Amateur Athlete of the Year. New Orleans Saints running back Deuce McAllister, a former Ole Miss star, was picked as the state’s Pro Athlete of the Year by the Jackson Touchdown Club.

Jimmy Heidel, the executive director of the Vicksburg-Warren County Chamber of Commerce and the Warren County Port Commission, received the Distinguished American Award from the National Football Foundation and Hall of Fame.

Warren Central’s Greg Scurria was honored as the state’s top scholar athlete. Scurria, who scored a 35 on his ACT, and has a 4.42 grade-point average, received a pair of $500 scholarships. Vicksburg High’s Justin Henry, and St. Aloysius’ Adam Beaugh were also honored as scholar-athletes. Each received a $500 scholarship.