Three legendary names in the history of Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College athletics are part of a new chapter in the state’s sports history. George Sekul, Bob Weathers, and Kenneth "Curly" Farris along with other honorees will be inducted into the first-ever Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges (MACJC) Sports Hall of Fame induction ceremony April 24 at Copiah-Lincoln Community College in Wesson.

Dr. Howell Garner, president of Co-Lin, vice-chair of the MACJC, and coordinator of the new hall of fame, expressed the importance of establishing the organization. "The Mississippi Community and Junior College Sports Hall of Fame was conceived in the interest of recognizing coaches and athletes who have coached and/or played in one or more of Mississippi’s public community colleges," Garner said. "Acknowledging the fact that there have been many outstanding athletes who have contributed greatly to the successful sports programs throughout the two-year college system, the MACJC wishes to begin a program of recognition whereby individuals may be recognized and honored for their contributions to the tremendous success of community college sports in Mississippi."

For tickets to the April 24 event, contact Dr. Howell Garner at 601-643-8300, or e-mail him at howell.garner@colin.edu.

Steven George Sekul

Sekul, a Biloxi native, played football and baseball for Perkinston Junior College (PJC), 1955–1957. In 1956, he was named First Team Mississippi Junior College All-State and Honorable Mention Junior College All-American. From 1957-1961, he played, coached, and earned a master’s degree at Mississippi Southern College. In summer 1961, he joined PJC as an assistant football coach and head track coach, and by 1966, he had added head football coach to his duties. In 31 years as head track coach, the college won five South Division and five state championships, with some team members taking national laurels. His 26 years as head football coach yielded two National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) championships (1971,1984), seven MACJC South Division championships, eight state championships and one co-state championship. The twice-named MACJC Coach of the Year guided the Bulldogs to three second-place state championships and four bowl-game victories. Sekul retired in December 1991, with a career record of 204-77-5. His other accolades include the city of Biloxi’s Sports Hall of Fame (1966), The University of Southern Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame (1968), and four-time winner of the MAJC/NJCAA Region XXIII Coach of the Year award. In 1996, he was inducted into the NJCAA Hall of Fame. In 1999, he was one of the inaugural inductees of the MGCCC Athletic Hall of Fame, and in 2000 was named to the MGCCC Alumni Hall of Fame, becoming the second person to be inducted into both halls of fame. In 2002, he was inducted into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame.

Kenneth "Curly" Farris

Farris, a native of Michie, Tenn., and grew up in Corinth, Miss. He lettered in football and baseball at Hinds Junior College, 1947-1949, and continued to participate in both sports at Mississippi Southern College in Hattiesburg. In 1962, he joined Mississippi Gulf Coast Junior College (MJCJC) as line coach in football. He helped lead the college to four state football championship teams and to the 1971 NJCAA football championship.

In spring 1963, Farris began the resurrection of baseball at MGCJC, which had been eliminated at the Perkinston Campus three years before. His Bulldogs delivered 27 consecutive winning seasons, capturing 20 Mississippi Association of Junior Colleges (MAJC) South Division championships and 13 MAJC state championships. The 1972 and 1975 teams were runner-ups in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Eastern District Tournament; his 1979 team took the NJCAA Region VII title.

Farris’ accolades include the 1976 NJCAA Athletics Director’s Award Region VII; the 1978 American Association of College Baseball Coaches "Award for Quarter Century of Leadership and Devotion to College Baseball"; coaching in the 1983 United States Olympic Committee’s National Sports Festival in Colorado Springs, Col.; four-time winner of the MAJC Coach of the Year award; three-time winner of the Mississippi Association of Coaches Coach of the Year award; and member of the 1986 MAC Hall of Fame. He retired in July 1989 and was succeeded by his son, Cooper Farris. In 1990, he was named to the NJCAA Hall of Fame, and in 1999, he became one of the inaugural inductees of the MGCCC Athletic Hall of Fame.

Robert Wayne "Bobby" Weathers

Weathers, a native of Hattiesburg, Miss., earned his master’s degree from The University of Southern Mississippi in 1959 and then coached one year at Picayune before joining Perkinston Junior College as head basketball coach.

Weathers’ career included an 877-329 record, 14 Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges (MACJC) South Division basketball championships, and nine MACJC state basketball championships. The 1990, 1991 and 1993 teams each won the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Region XXIII title. His1991 team finished fourth in the nation, and his 1993 team finished fifth in the nation. He was named MACJC Coach of the Year three times and inducted into The University of Southern Mississippi Hall of Fame in 1993. In 1994, he was inducted into the NJCAA Hall of Fame. In 1999, he was inducted into the Mississippi Association of Coaches Hall of Fame and was one of the inaugural inductees of the MGCCC Alumni Association Athletic Hall of Fame.

Weathers retired as head coach in June 2002. His employment of 41 years, 11 months and 10 days set a service record at Gulf Coast.