By SAM STAFF/Sports Writer

CLINTON — The Mississippi Association of Coaches will honor the newest class of inductees for 2025 of the MAC Coaches Hall of Fame Friday night.
Upon the induction of the Class of 2025, the MAC Hall of Fame membership will increase to 276 total (261 lifetime and 15 honorary members). The MAC Coaches Hall of Fame was created in 1973.

The new class will be inducted at the 52nd annual MAC Coaches Hall of Fame Induction ceremonies at 6:00 PM at the Sheraton Refuge Hotel & Conference Center off Airport Road in Flowood.

The newest class of inductees include Doug Blakeney, Charlie Jacobs, Shelia Hickman, Henry Johnson, Allen Lunceford and Louis Nash.

Blakeney is a longtime championship coach who coached several sports at New Hope, St. John, Gautier, Pascagoula, Moss Point, Ocean Springs, and Biloxi.

Born in Yazoo City, Blakeney grew up on a farm in Sylvarena and attended Sylvarena Elementary where he was a MVP baseball and basketball player and had perfect attendance. He lettered in baseball, football, and track at Raleigh High where he was voted Most Friendliest, Most Courteous, and Vice President of the Senior Class.

He participated in baseball, track and football at Jones Junior College from 1968 to 1970. He achieved his college degrees at Mississippi State, William Carey College, and Southern Miss. He began his 43-year coaching career at New Hope where he started the junior high boys track program while he was practice teaching.

He coached baseball, girls’ basketball, and football at St. John from 1973 to 1974 where his baseball team won the District, South State, and was state runner-up in the Class B baseball championships. From 1974 to 1978, he coached boys track & field, football, and baseball at Gautier and Pascagoula where he guided an undefeated middle school football team and captured city championships in track & field.

Coaching at Moss Point from 1979 to 1981, Doug coached baseball and football and his baseball team won the Coast Zone Big Eight title, the South State Big Eight crown, and finished as state runner-up in 1980.

Upon arrival at Ocean Springs in 1981, he created a powerhouse track & field and cross country program for the Greyhounds. Doug’s girls’ cross country teams captured 20 district titles, had state runner-up finishes 8 times, and claimed 12 state championships. He coached 5 girl’s individual state champions, 70 all-state performers, and 137 all-district runners for girls’ cross country. His boys’ cross country squads won 16 district crowns, finished as state runner-up 8 times, and won 2 state championships in 1996 and 1998. Doug coached 3 individual state champions, 38 all-state performers and 114 all-district runners. Coach Blakeney’s Ocean Springs girls track & field teams claimed four district titles, one South State crown, and 5 Gulf Coast Conference championships.

He guided individual state champions for the 100 meter hurdles, 300 meter hurdles, 1600 meter run, 3200 meter run, high jump, discus, and shot put. Doug’s boys track & field teams had 2 district titles and individual state champions in the 200 meter dash, 400 meter dash, 800 meter run, 1600 meter run, 3200 meter run and shot put. Overall, Coach Blakeney led Ocean Springs cross country and track teams from 1981 to 2011 to 5 conference titles, 42 district crowns, 16 state runner-up finishes, and 14 state championships.

Doug’s coaching accolades are numerous including being named district coach of the year, three MAC Coach of the Year Awards, and the National Federation of High Schools Girls Cross Country Coach of the Year in 2000.

He has served as color commentator and analyst for the MHSAA Cross Country championships and was instrumental working and officiating invitational, district, and regional meets at Long Beach, Moss Point, and George County.

In 2015, he returned to Biloxi High as head girls track & field coach and guided another state champion in shot put.

He has a long list of community recognitions including having the Ocean Springs physical education department being recognized as the top high school by the Governor’s Council in 1995. Along with his MAC Hall of Fame membership, Coach Blakeney was inducted into the Ocean Springs Sports Hall of Fame in 2020.

Jacobs was a championship girls’ basketball coach at Hamilton, Lafayette, Hancock North Central, Puckett, & Kossuth high schools. He guided Hancok North Central to back-to-back Class A state titles in 1979 and `1980.
Johnson was a 26-year MAC championship football coach and athletic director at Clarksdale and West Bolivar.
Lunceford was a longtime championship softball, golf and 9th grade girls’
basketball coach at Clinton.
Nash was a 42-year MAC member who has been a national recognized championship tennis coach at R. H. Watkins High in Laurel, Greenville St. Joseph and Oxford High.