Ambus, Brown-Marshall continue track and field legacy

by | Jul 21, 2022 | Feature, Foundation


Hinds Community College will honor four former athletes and one retired coach in the annual Sports Hall of Fame induction ceremony at 4:30 p.m. Oct. 24 at Cain-Cochran Hall on the Raymond Campus.

The 2024 inductees are Kelli East Dyess of Madison, Nic Henderson of New Orleans, Michael Myers of Oak Point, Texas, Dot Easterwood Murphy of Raymond and Mark Smith of Madison. Admission is free to the induction ceremony and the public is invited. For information, contact Sydney Love at 601.857.3350 or Sydney.Love@hindscc.edu.

KELLI EAST DYESS

Women’s Soccer and Softball, 1998-2000

Kelli Dyess came to Raymond in 1998 and made her mark as a dual-sport athlete for the women’s soccer and softball programs.

Dyess played midfielder for the Hinds Women’s soccer team that won back-to-back state championships in 1999 and 2000. She also played shortstop for the Hinds Softball team in 1999 and 2000. Additionally, she was chosen for All-State and All-Region 23 in both of her years at Hinds. She was named the Most Valuable Offensive Player and was a National Junior College Athletic Association All-American in 1998. During the 1999 season, she was voted “Wittiest” by her Women’s Soccer teammates.

Dyess currently serves as the Behavior Coordinator and Specialist at Madison County Schools. With over 16 years of experience in the classroom and in the behavioral field, she holds an Associate of Arts from Hinds Community College, a Bachelor of Science in psychology and a Master of Science in Marriage and Family Therapy with an emphasis in behavior research from the University of Southern Mississippi. She is also an expert educator with a Specialist Degree in educational leadership. Prior to her current role with Madison County Schools, Dyess served as a mental health therapist trained in psychotherapy, which includes diagnosing and treating mental and emotional disorders in the school-based setting.

She has also served as a university supervisor at Mississippi State University. She most recently served as a keynote speaker at the Mississippi Association of Elementary School Administrators conference fulfilling her passion in sharing her knowledge in instructional and behavioral leadership. She specializes in collaborating with teachers, administrators, parents, and students by combining her expertise and experience in behavioral interventions with best practices to serve those with complex behavior difficulties.

NIC HENDERSON

Men’s Soccer, 2000-2002

Nic Henderson came to Hinds in 2000 and made an impact for the Men’s Soccer program.Henderson was a member of two State Championship soccer teams at Hinds and helped lead the team to an overall record of 31-8-2 over the course of his community college career.

After his two years at Hinds, he transferred to the University of North Carolina at Pembroke. He played as a defender for the Braves for two seasons and helped lead the Braves to two consecutive winning seasons. After his collegiate eligibility was up, he traveled to Germany to play for SKV-Rutesheim in the German 5th Division.

After one season of playing overseas, he returned to Mississippi and accepted the job as the Head Boy’s and Girl’s Soccer Coach at Jackson Academy in August 2005. In his time at JA, he led the girls’ team to the State Championship in 2010 and lead the boys’ team to the State Championship in consecutive years 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010.

While working at Jackson Academy, Henderson also worked as a youth soccer coach for Jackson Futbol Club. In this capacity, he won Mississippi Youth Soccer State Championships in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2011 and 2012 coaching boys and girls teams ranging in ages from 10-15 years old. His favorite moment as a coach was seeing his son score his first goal.

In May 2015, Henderson stepped down from his role at Jackson Academy to pursue a career in Real Estate. He has since moved with his beloved wife Carrie, and their son Clark, to New Orleans where he works as an Onboarding Strategist for NoteSchool.

MICHAEL MYERS

Football, 1994-1995

Vicksburg native Michael Myers came to Hinds Community College in 1994 and started his collegiate career on the defensive line.

After graduating from Vicksburg High School, Myers was a member of the 1994 and 1995 football teams at Hinds. As a freshman, he posted 46 tackles (14 TFL), 25 QB hurries, three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and a record of 20 sacks. The next year, he collected 63 tackles (16 TFL), eight sacks, 27 quarterback hurries, five forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries. Additionally, he was a two-time National Junior College Athletic Association All-American.

After his time with Hinds was completed, Myers transferred to the University of Alabama to play for the Crimson Tide. His collegiate career was marked by numerous achievements, showcasing his remarkable skills of commitment and excellence. He was a First Team All-American and an All-SEC player in 1996.

Myers enjoyed a 10-year NFL Career with the Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos, Cleveland Browns and the Cincinnati Bengals. He played 138 games in the NFL, registering 321 tackles, 15.5 sacks and an interception. Despite his achievements at the highest level, Myers has never forgotten his roots and the fundamentals that he received at Hinds Community College. At the conclusion of his playing career in 2012, he came back to Hinds and served as a Graduate Assistant, while he pursued his master’s degree.

He is currently working on real estate investments while also enjoying watching his two children achieve their goals as collegiate student-athletes.

DOT EASTERWOOD MURPHY

Assistant Football Coach, 1984-2004, 2009-2012

Dot Murphy came to Hinds in 1984 where she made history by becoming the first female football coach in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA), working for the Hinds Athletic Department for 33 years. The National Football League (NFL) did a documentary on Coach Murphy for being the first female football coach at the collegiate level. The film was released in fall 1996 and received an EMMY for the Best Documentary.

During her high school career, she played basketball for the Starkville High School Yellowjackets, winning two state championships and an overall championship. She was a two-time All-State winner, named the Team Captain for the Mississippi All-Star Basketball game and was awarded the most outstanding offensive player in the game. Murphy scored 2,772 points in three years at SHS and averaged 33 points per game.

At the Mississippi University for Women, she was the first player to eclipse 1,000 career points and averaged better than 22 points per game for her four-year career.
Murphy earned a spot on the United States’ World University Games team in 1972 and 1973, culminating in the first-ever women’s entry in 1973 in Moscow. With The W coach Jill Upton at the helm, the U.S. team won a silver medal.

Her hometown of Starkville proclaimed Dot Easterwood Day on Sept. 21, 1973, and she also was the youngest person at the time to receive the Mississippi Outstanding Citizen Award in 1973. Murphy earned All-American honors in 1974. She later attended Mississippi State University where she met her future husband, Gene Murphy.

Murphy was an assistant coach for the University of Tennessee-Martin women’s basketball team in 1975-1976. Later that year, Itawamba Community College hired her as their Head Women’s Basketball Coach. Murphy was head coach at the W from 1977 to 1982.

Murphy was hired by Hinds as the wide receivers football coach in August 1984. She was a member of the football coaching staff that played for 10 State and Regional
Championships, winning six. Additionally, she coached many NJCAA All-Americans and NFL players over her career and
helped lead Hinds to nine NJCAA bowl games.

She and retired Athletic Director Gene Murphy have three children and seven grandchildren.

Mark Smith

Footbal 1994

Mark Smith came to Hinds in 1994 and was an immediate impact football player for the Hinds football program.

After graduating from Vicksburg High School, Smith played one season for Navarro Community College, where he was the no. 1 defensive player in the nation, before transferring to Hinds where he played his sophomore season. He was a part of a defensive unit that was certain to always be remembered as one of the best to ever play in Mississippi community college football.

He helped to lead the Hinds defense to the No. 1 ranked rushing defense and the No. 2 ranked overall defense in the nation. During the 1994 season, Hinds lost the first game to Itawamba and then came back to win the rest of the regular season and went on to beat Itawamba in the State and Region Championship at the conclusion of the season. Smith was a Junior College All-American at Hinds and one of the top linebackers in the country.

After Hinds, Smith signed with Auburn University and played on the defensive line for the Tigers for two seasons. Smith was drafted in the seventh round of the 1997 NFL Draft. He was selected by the Arizona Cardinals, first playing for the All-Rookie Team. He played with the Cardinals for four seasons.

After his time with the Cardinals came to an end, he finished his six-year NFL career with the Cleveland Browns. Over the course of his career in the NFL, he tallied 191 total tackles, 20 sacks and two forced fumbles.
Smith is currently retired and is residing in Madison.

 

Above: Breanna Brown-Marshall

Hinds Community College track and field athletes Jerricka Ambus, of Brandon, and Breanna Brown-Marshall, of Birmingham, Ala., have continued the program’s long-standing tradition of success during their two seasons of competition.

In 2021, Brown-Marshall took home a national championship in the women’s high jump with a winning height of 1.78 meters during the national outdoor meet. Ambus followed suit with a national championship of her own by winning the women’s 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.25 seconds at the 2022 national indoor meet.

The two wrapped up their time at Hinds in May with the NJCAA outdoor meet in Hutchinson, Kansas. Ambus walked away with another national title in the women’s 100-meter hurdles with a time of 13.25 seconds. Brown-Marshall also was the national runner-up in the women’s high jump with a height of 1.77 meters.

Ambus determined that Hinds was the right choice to continue her athletic career because of the success of the track program and the location. “Hinds is close to home, a small college and has an athletic program that produces national champions and Olympians,” Ambus said.

With regards to why she and Brown-Marshall have been successful, Ambus’ answer was simple: she believes that Hinds has helped them reach their potential. “On the track, I am now the best I have ever been. I am faster and stronger than I was before coming to Hinds. Hinds has also helped me reach the ultimate collegiate achievement of being a national champion.” 

Above: Jerricka Ambus

Like Ambus, Brown-Marshall knew the success of the Hinds track program would help her meet her goals and challenge her in all of her endeavors. “Hinds has helped me be successful on and off the track by giving me a sense of leadership and never giving up when things get rough but rising to the challenge and putting forth my best effort in everything I do,” said Brown-Marshall.

She also noticed the family-like atmosphere at Hinds, especially when she met with Hinds track and field head coach Reginald Dillon and Assistant Coach Willie Calvin. “I chose Hinds to continue my athletic career because of the sense of family I got when I first arrived,” Brown-Marshall said. “Meeting Coach Dillon and Coach Calvin really helped me progress in my events.”

Dillon believes that both Ambus and Brown-Marshall have helped make the women’s program relevant during their time in Raymond. “Both of them are the first female National Champions that I’ve had the pleasure to coach,” he said. “Jerricka and Breanna were both a joy to coach, and I believe that they have truly helped put the Hinds women’s track and field team back on the map.”

Ambus signed a scholarship with the University of Mississippi in November 2021. She plans to major in sports administration while competing in the hurdles. Brown-Marshall is still weighing her college choices, but she plans to enroll at a Division 1 school to help further her academic and athletic career in fall 2022.

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