The Pascagoula Athletic Foundation, a group that actively supports all Panther sports, has announced the Class of 2025 for the Pascagoula Athletic Hall of Fame (PAHOF}. Originated in 2015, the PAHOF will honor this, the sixth class to be inducted, with a gala affair on June 14 at the Hilton Garden Inn in Pascagoula.

Tickets to the event to honor the inductees in June will be made available through the Pascagoula Athletic Foundation P.O. Box 272 Pascagoula, MS 39568 or Event Brite.
“Our Pascagoula Athletic Hall of Fame has received regional notoriety since its inception ten years ago,” said Stacy Inlow, Pascagoula Athletic Foundation President. “The Athletic Foundation has always been proud to sponsor this most meaningful endeavor. The excellence and diversity of this, our sixth class, speaks to the depth and rich history of athletes who have come through Pascagoula High School and Carver High School over the years.”

PAF HALL OF FAME CLASS OF 2025 INDUCTEE BIOS

PRE 1950’s
Margaret Moore Wolfe (PHS 1940) — A three-letterman both girls basketball and track at Pascagoula High School (PHS); she was the leading scorer and most outstanding player on the basketball squad throughout her career; in the 1939- 1940 school year she was chosen as the Outstanding Athlete at PHS, the first female to ever win the award; was also a cheerleader at PHS; had a long, distinguished career in Civil Service as she resided in Pascagoula for most of her life; she passed away in 2019 at the age of 96.

1950-1959
Gene Dubuisson (PHS 1952) — A three-year letterman in football at PHS from 1949-1951; also lettered two-years in basketball at center; in 1951helped lead PHS to a 7-3-1 record in football and was selected All-Big 8 at center; received a football scholarship to the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) where he was a three-year letterman in football from 1953-1955; playing center on both offense and linebacker on defense, he compiled two interceptions on defense; helped lead the Rebels to a 26-5-1 record, two Southeastern Conference (SEC) titles in 1954 and 1955, one Sugar Bowl appearance against Navy and to a Cotton Bowl win over nationally ranked Texas Christian University (TCU); was selected All­ Southeastern Conference in 1955; he was inducted into the Ole Miss Athletic Hall of Fame; he passed away in 2010.

1960-1969
James Mike Nelson (PHS 1961) — A three-year letterman in football at PHS from 1958-1960; helped lead one of the greatest PHS teams in school history to an outstanding 9-1 record in 1960; as team captain played guard on offense and linebacker on defense; was selected All Big 8 at guard in 1960 as he spearheaded a tenacious Panther defense that only allowed 66 points; was chosen to play in the Mississippi High School All-Star game; received a football scholarship to Ole Miss where he lettered for three years at offensive guard and linebacker from 1963-1965; helped lead Ole Miss to the 1963 SEC title and to appearances in the Sugar Bowl, Bluebonnet Bowl and a Liberty Bowl win over Auburn; in 1965 against nationally ranked Louisiana State University (LSU} intercepted a pass and returned it for a touchdown as the Rebels defeated LSU 23-0; after graduating from Ole Miss, entered the coaching field and later as head coach at Stone High in Wiggins from 1971-1976 and compiled an excellent 46-15-1 record in leading the Tomcats to two Gulf Coast Conference titles; later became an assistance coach at Mississippi Gulf Coast Junior College at Perkinston and helped lead the 1984 Bulldogs to the NCJAA National.Championship; in 1985 became head coach at Pearl River Junior College and led to Wildcats to a 34-25-1 record until an unfortunate motorcycle accident forced him to retire from coaching; he passed
away in 2018.

Billy Knight, Sr. (Carver) — Graduation from Rowan High School in Hattiesburg, Mississippi where he was a three-year letterman in football and starting quarterback; received a scholarship to Mississippi Valley State University (MVSU} where he played football and baseball from 1959-1963 and graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mathematics; employed at Carver High from 1964- 1968 where he served as head basketball coach, assistant football coach and head of the Mathematics Department; was name Carver High Teacher of the Year in 1967; was inducted into the MVSU Sports Hall of Fame in 1980 and into the Southwest Conference (SWAC} Sports Hall of Fame in 1997; has been honored numerous times over the years for his outstanding contributions to the Pas-Point community; currently serving as the 29th Mayor of Moss Point, Mississippi; married to Lois Knight and they are parents of one son, two granddaughters and two great-grandchildren.

Larry Rodgers (Carver 1970} — A three-year football letterman at quarterback for Carver from 1967-1969; was team captain in 1969 as he threw for 26 touchdown passes, selected as All-Conference quarterback and awarded Most Valuable Player in Carver’s bowl game victory; received a scholarship to Tennessee State University but transferred to Alcorn State University where he played quarterback for four seasons and participated in the 1970 National Black College Championship game; was offered a tryout by the Pittsburgh Steelers but declined due to health issues from an earlier football injury; later worked at Jones Truck Line and later for Red Ball Motor Freight where he retired after 22 years; married to Chris Rodgers and they are parents of one daughter and two grandchildren.

1970-1979
Gerald (Book) Thomas (Carver & PHS 1971} — The first athlete inducted into the PAF Hall of Fame who played at both Carver and PHS; at Carver was a three-year letterman in baseball, basketball, football and track from 1967-1969; in football compiled over 2,000 yards rushing and also was the kick off and placement kicker; at PHS in 1970 was an outstanding running back, having one game with over 200- yards rushing and two games with over 100-yards rushing; received numerous scholarship offers but chose to attend Perkinston Junior College where he helped lead the Bulldogs to the 1971 National Junior College Championship; in 1972 was selected Mississippi Junior College All-State and to play in the Mississippi Junior College All-Star game; later worked 39 years as a lineman at Henkel & McCoy Power Line Construction Company; married to Darlene King Thomas and they are proud parents of three sons, 12 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

Don Law (PHS 1973) — A three-year letterman in baseball and football at PHS from 1970-1973 and also lettered in track as a sprinter; in baseball helped lead PHS to two district titles in 1972 and 1973; in football played both receiver on offense and defensive back on defense; in 1971against Moss Point caught a game winning touchdown pass in the final minutes to give PHS a 6-0 victory; selected All Big-8 in football his senior year and received a scholarship to the University of Southern Mississippi (USM); at USM was a four-year letterman playing defensive back from 1973-1976.

Stacy Carmichael (PHS 1977) — A two-year letterman in football and three-year letterman in baseball at PHS; in baseball helped lead PHS to two district titles in 1976 and 1977 plus the Big 8 baseball championship in 1977; was an outstanding defensive lineman/punter on the 12-0 1976 PHS Big 8 State Championship squad and was selected All Big 8, Burger King All Coast and National High School Football Hall of Fame Scholar Athlete; holds PHS football record for most sacks (5) in one game against Hattiesburg in 1976; named 1976 PHS Donald Gibson Award winner; received a baseball scholarship to Mississippi College (MC) where he was a four­ year letterman; was selected team Most Valuable Player and All-Gulf South Conference in 1978 and 1981 plus Academic All-American in 1978; later played semi-pro baseball and was selected Mississippi Semi-Pro All-State from 1977- 1979; participated in the National Baseball Congress World Series in 1978 and 1979.

1980-1989
Dale Brown (PHS 1988) — A two-year letterman in basketball at PHS; in 1988 helped lead PHS to a 30-7 record, the district title and to the South State Championship; was selected All-District and All-State as he averaged 19.5 ppg, 5 rebounds and 4 assists; received a scholarship to Mississippi Gulf Coast Junior College (MGCJC) where he played from 1988-1990 and was selected Mississippi Junior College All-State All-Region 23; received a scholarship to the University of Kentucky (UK); helped lead UK to the 1992 and 1993 SEC championships and to the 1993 Final Four; in 1992 played in what is considered the greatest college basketball game ever, UK vs. Duke in the East Region Elite Eight Final; was selected as 1992 SEC Newcomer of the Year and twice was selected as SEC Defensive Player of the Year; played in 1993 for the Sacramento Kings of the NBA and for four years in European Professional Basketball; has coached at both the high school and college levels.

Antonio Harvey (PHS 1988} — A three-year letterman in basketball at PHS; helped lead PHS to a 30-7 record, the district title and to the South State Championship as he averaged over 13.0 ppg; received a scholarship to Southern Illinois University where he played one season then transferred to Conners State College and to the University of Georgia for one season each; transferred to Pfeiffer University where he played from 1991-1993 and averaged 16.0 ppg, had 155 blocked shots in 1992-1993 and totaled 295 career blocked shots; was chosen to the CIAC All-Tournament Team in both 1992 and 1993; in 1993 was selected CIAC All-American, CIAC Player of the Year and District Player of the Year; signed as a free agent with the Los Angeles Lakers of the NBA in 1993 and became the first undrafted rookie to start a game in Laker history; played a total of nine seasons in the NBA with the Lakers, Vancouver Grizzlies, Los Angeles Clippers, Seattle Supersonics, Portland Trailblazers and Atlanta Hawks; competed in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest and finished fourth; later played in Greece, Spain, Poland and Italy; in 2004 was named general manager and head coach of the American Basketball Association’s Portland Reign; later became a member of Portland Trailblazer’s radio broadcast team; his brother Richard Harvey was inducted into the 2016 PAF Hall of Fame Class.

Elbert Rogers (PHS 1988) — A three-year letterman in basketball at PHS; helped lead PHS to a 30-7 record and the district title and to the South State Championship as he averaged 16 ppg; was selected All-District, All-State, McDonald’s All-American, Street & Smith Honorable Mention All-American and NHS/ACA All-American; chosen to play in the Mississippi North-South All-Star Game; received a scholarship to the University of Alabama-Birmingham {UAB) where he was a four-year letterman; averaged 12.0 ppg and 4.7 rebounds his sophomore year and was honored as the 6th Man of the Year in the Sun Belt Conference; in his junior season he averaged 17.0 ppg and 6.5 rebounds, earning him 2nd Team All-Sun Belt Conference honors; in his senior year was the leading scorer and rebounder in the Great Midwest Conference with 20.9 ppg and 6.8 rebounds and was selected to the pt Team All-Conference squad; his career totals at UAB were third on the all-time scoring list, third in all-time rebounds and holding the record for consecutive double-figure scoring games; was recognized as #9 on the UAB All-Time Legends list for his contributions to the UAB program; later enjoyed a successful professional career that spanned 10 years, playing overseas in Spain, China, Argentina and the Puerto Rican Summer League and retiring in 2002 with an impressive professional average of 18.4 ppg and 9.2 rebounds per game.

1990-1999
Melinda Mitchell (PHS) — A graduate of Wood Junior College with an Associate Degree in Science and from Mississippi State University with both a Bachelor of Science Degree and Master Degree in Education; taught Physical Education and coached girls basketball and track at Gautier Junior High and PHS for over 25 years; served as a cheerleader coach/sponsor at PHS for over 20 years; was honored as District 4 Coach of the Year in 1982 and 1983; was named PHS Teacher of the Year in 2010; the PHS field house at War Memorial Stadium bears her name along with fellow HOF inductee Dr. Ken Seay; the Panther Pride Award is named after her; was married to former PHS coach Randy Mitchell for over 29 years as they were parents of two children, Kaylie and Cal, both former PHS athletes; she passed away December 13, 2014.