By: old man

old man — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 02:13:47 +0000

i am sure there were more than just those 2

By: Dwayne Todd

Dwayne Todd — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 16:14:19 +0000

Does anyone in this blog know how I might get in touch with Mark Bryant, the Jackson County Mississippi Sports writer, who posted in this blog? I was his roommate for a year in college and would like to reconnect.

By: ZEEK

ZEEK — Sun, 03 Jul 2011 18:11:52 +0000

MDM– You should cut and paste that and send it in to MS Press and Sun Herald to at least get it in Sound Off, if not a Sports front page article. Nice work, well said.

By: Jerry

Jerry — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 17:47:31 +0000

South Elementary had a team in 1975 that went undefeated and UNSCORED on. Cant top that!

By: Jerry

Jerry — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 17:43:08 +0000

The most dominant athlete in Pascagoula’s History was Craig Martin. The person who dominated his sport the most was Ricky Rayborn.

By: Calvin Williams

Calvin Williams — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 18:21:36 +0000

What about kid the called Fruity or Spud went to Eastlawn Elem ran schoolin football and basketball Coach Sonny Tanner says he is the best player to play elem ball back in day.Thats Paul Tanners dad who coach him and he is coach best ever also went to P.J. and did same thing.Pretiss Williams his younger brother.Post his name and see what responses you get.

By: MDM

MDM — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 21:46:31 +0000

This is a long over-due response/statement of “appreciation and thanks” for my former HS coach and long-time friend Coach Johnny Olsen. Since our local school district and “newspaper” has yet to express a word of appreciation or to acknowledge his accomplishments, I will do so at this time…..However, before I do so, I must respond to an earlier comment on this post that questioned some “players not recieving credit that they deserved” during Olsen’s reign because of a thing called “politics”. Are you kidding me? I have to respond to such a statement, especially when we are dealing with HS baseball players. One recieves the “credit, when one earns the “credit”. As a former player and assistant coach under Olsen, I saw firsthand many who wanted the credit, wanted the playing time, wanted the “right” to play more than they were, wanted the spotlight and headlines, but were not willing to put in the time, effort, and commitment thru dedicated hard work with the program. They were former youth league “greats” that experienced a level of personal success at a young age and when they reached the HS level, believed they could continue to get by with what “got them there”. In other words, they didn’t work to get better and they couldn’t understand why they weren’t playing as much as they thought. Realistically and truth be known, they were not as talented as those playing ahead of them. As a coach, if I had a dime for every parent conference I’ve had thru the years about hearing how great “Little Bobby” was when he was 10 yrs. old, I’d be a rich man! Coach Olsen evaluated talent (and non-talent) during week long tryout sessions of 100 or more kids and selected , along with input from his assistants, a team of 30-35 players. He developed that talent thru structured and organized practice, often better planned and prepared than most college programs. Coach Olsen knew talent and 99% of the time the best overall talent was on the field to represent PHS….562 wins-275 losses with only 1 losing season and close to 100 collegiate signees! One doesn’t have that type of success by being “political”! You have that type of success thru hard work and knowledge of the game, with some luck along the way….Coach Olsen is a competitor-One of the most intense, competitive people I have ever been around. Unfortunately, when you are working with HS age kids, very few players could or wanted to raise their “competitive level” up to the level and standard that Olsen brought to the game, but he expected you to work hard and get better each and every day, and he worked to get the best out of you. His teams were always fundamentally sound, well-disciplined, and well-coached. When other schools faced a Johnny Olsen coached team, they knew what they were about to face. Olsen’s success didn’t come without it’s price of hardwork, dedication, and perseverance and for 27 years he devoted his time, energy, and knowledge of the game that goes far beyond the wins and losses. In a day and age where success is determined by immediate results, Olsen taught his players to constantly set realistic goals and strive to reach those goals because success doesn’t come easy in life on or off the playing field. There’s nothing “POLITICAL” about that philosophy!! You got better and played your worth under Olsen because of dedicated hard work, not by playing the “blame game” called politics! One constant that I witnessed was when players, and parents of those players, had come and gone, the one thing that remained secure in the PHS baseball program was the leadership of Johnny Olsen. Many don’t realize that Olsen came along as head coach at a time when the PHS baseball program was struggling to keep a head coach(4 coaches in a 6 yr. span from 1979-1983). In 1984, the Pascagoula School District Administration chose one of their own, a PHS alumni, 23 yr. old Johnny Olsen to lead and direct one of the top programs in the state. In his first year he led PHS to a 23-5 record, a South State title, and an overall #1 ranking in the state by the Jackson Clarion-Ledger newspaper. He was also named the state’s “Coach of the Year” by the same newspaper. This “State Bound” team didn’t get a chance to play for the state title due to a court order that cancelled ths state playoffs…..But it was a first of many successful teams that Olsen would put on the field in the coming years….12 District Titles, 3 South State Titles, 1 State Runner-Up, 1 State Title, 56-44 playoff record, and 7 Top 10 rankings….Again I say, this doesn’t happen by “playing favorites” or where “politics” are involved. Coach Olsen knew how to coach and develop talent with the best of them. This is a coach who initiated the annual summer baseball camp teaching youngsters the skills necessary for the game of baseball and in doing so influenced and in the process helped thousands of kids during that time. Olsen has had more of an impact on the youth in the Pascagoula School District than any administrator, school board member, or superintendent will ever think about having. So, it is quite obvious that Olsen’s success goes far beyond the wins and losses, even though that is impressive in itself. The success that he has brought to the PHS School District can’t be measured. Unfortunately, school leaders has yet to realize, appreciate, and acknowlede this fact…..but, then again, that might be “politics” because Olsen has yet recieve the “credit in which he deserves”…..Thanks JO for your dedication through the years!

By: Jessie Lou

Jessie Lou — Thu, 27 May 2010 13:03:00 +0000

Baseball is political from t-ball on up in Pascagoula.

By: The politician

The politician — Thu, 27 May 2010 08:23:22 +0000

People that worked hard and was screwed because of Olson and never received credit they deserved was Jj Chisholm and Billy Moseley. Like a bunch of people who never wanted to try out for high school and ride the pines to watch nephews and cousins of Olson to play. Baseballl is about as political as it gets.

By: karl kuhn

karl kuhn — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 16:49:56 +0000

Here’s a site with some PHS records.http://www.leaguelineup.com/goulanews/files/Pascagoula%20Panthers.doc Karl

Comments on: Dubious Stories, Damn Lies and Fading Heroes–Jackson County HOF Thread

By: old man

By: Dwayne Todd

By: ZEEK

By: Jerry

By: Jerry

By: Calvin Williams

By: MDM

By: Jessie Lou

By: The politician

By: karl kuhn