A former Kosciusko High School head football coach will be inducted into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame this weekend.
Football coaching legend Ricky Black will be among the six inductees inducted into the Hall of Fame at the Jackson Convention Complex Saturday, Aug. 3.
Black, who is currently the head coach at Jackson Prep, has compiled a record of 389-75 in his 40+ year career coaching high school football. Last season he moved into 2nd place on the state’s all time wins list.
A native of Choctaw County, Black played high school football at Ackerman before continuing his career as quarterback for the Holmes Community College Bulldogs.
After a quick stint as an assistant coach at his high school alma mater, Black arrived in Kosciusko in 1972.
Serving as an assistant under head coach Art Nester, Black coached future NFL stars Clarence Harmon and Jeffery Moore.
Black was named head coach at Kosciusko in 1975 at the age of 25.
He would keep that position for five seasons, amassing a record of 49-6 while leading the team to four conference titles, two undefeated seasons, and a victory in the 1977 Mississippi Bowl.
Black left Kosciusko in 1980 to become the head football coach and athletic director at Tupelo High School.
After Tupelo, Black spent six seasons on the staff at Mississippi State University before being named head coach at Jackson Prep in 1997.
At Jackson Prep, Black’s teams have won 13 MPSA/MAIS state championships, including seven in a row from 2012-2018.
In June 2018, he was named the National High School Coaches Association’s Coach of the Year.
Other inductees to the 2019 Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame include former Holmes CC/Houston Astros pitcher Roy Oswalt, former Mississippi State QB Rockey Felker, amateur golfer Cissye Gallagher, NFL All-Pro and Philadelphia Eagles great Wilbert Montgomery, and former Ole Miss linebacker Richard Price.
Visit the msfame.com for more information on the 2019 Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame induction weekend.
