Ole Miss Hall of Fame welcomes Heidel, Scott

Published 12:00 am Thursday, September 2, 2004

[9/2/04]A pair of former Ole Miss greats from Warren County are scheduled to be enshrined in the Rebels Hall of Fame before Saturday’s season-opening football game against Memphis.

Jimmy Heidel, executive director of the Chamber and its Economic Development Foundation, and former Warren Central basketball standout Alisa Scott will join three others in the Hall of Fame.

Heidel played three years for the Rebel football team under legendary head coach Johnny Vaught from 1963-65. He played both quarterback and safety, and led the team to three consecutive bowl games.

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The 1963 Rebels outscored their opponents 207-33. They lost to Alabama in the Sugar Bowl, their only setback of the year.

“I’ve earned a lot of awards in my lifetime, but this is the greatest honor that I’ve received,” Heidel said in a press release to Ole Miss officials. “I’m extremely honored to be thought of by all the people at Ole Miss.”

In addition to football, Heidel was a standout track athlete from 1964-66.

After graduating from Ole Miss in 1966, Heidel was drafted by the American Football League’s New York Jets and the National Football League’s St. Louis Cardinals.

Heidel signed with the Cardinals for the 1966 season. In 1967, Heidel was selected by the New Orleans Saints in the expansion draft and started with the Saints as a strong safety.

“I really had a tremendous experience at Ole Miss,” Heidel said. “The coaches all wanted us to be successful athletes and they were also concerned about us as people and students.”

In 1994 and 2000, the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame honored Heidel with the Distinguished American Award for his contributions to amateur football.

While Heidel made his mark in outdoor sports, Scott excelled indoors.

Scott led Ole Miss to four straight NCAA Tournament appearances from 1984-87, and led the team to a 102-22 record and two elite eight appearances.

Scott ranks sixth on the school’s all-time scoring list with 1,488 points. She led the Lady Rebels in 1986-87 with 14.3 points and 6.9 rebounds per game.

“I was totally shocked when I got the call,” Scott said. “This is such an amazing honor and I feel overwhelmed to be part of such an elite group.”

Scott, who played for Van Chancellor, joined her former coach when the WNBA formed as an assistant with the Houston Comets.

Scott, who scored 2,850 points in high school, was a member of the greatesy team in Warren Central girls basketball history.

The team went 39-0 before falling to Harrison Central in the 1982 Class 5A state championship game.

“Being a hall-of-famer is never something I dreamed about,” Scott said. “My teammates and I all played the game because we loved it so much.”