Hey guys, I was working on an article and ended up not having quite enough for a full piece on dual sport athletes to wear the black and gold. But I did find some really great articles in the depths of the internet I thought some of you would appreciate as we wait for Saturday.
I've included some snippets of those articles here and the link to the full pieces at the end of them. Feel free to add in any guys I didn't mention here. Lots of great ones!
Larry Boyd – Basketball, Baseball, Football
From M-Club Hall of Fame (1990) - Boyd's career at Southern Miss began as a basketball player during the 1979-80 season. In his first year with the basketball team he saw action in 21 games and even started one. Although he averaged just 2.4 points in his rookie season it was obvious that with a little experience and maturity that he would be ready to make big contributions.
The following year (1980-81) Boyd would become a valuable reserve on a team that would finish the year with a 20-7 record and earn the school's first ever berth in the national Invitational Tournament. That season the 6-3, 186 pound guard would be utilized for his ball handling and defensive skills as a backup to starters Edgar Eason, Curtis Green and Donald Stinchcomb.
Boyd would begin to see some starting assignments on the 1981-82 team. He played in 19 games that season and started eight. He averaged 5.7 points a game and was third on the team in assists with 58.
In 1982-83 Boyd would serve as co-captain of the team along with Green and help guide the Golden Eagles into their first season in the Metro Conference. Boyd would start all but one game that season, average a career high 9.1 points a game and led the team in assists with 101. He also was the best free throw shooter on the team, making 81.1 percent that year. One of the highlights of the season was capturing the IPTAY tournament at Clemson with wins over Furman and the host Clemson Tigers.
Boyd would play the 1981 season with the Golden Eagle baseball team as one of the starting pitchers for Coach Pete Taylor. Although he joined the team late because of his basketball responsibilities, he still managed to post a 3-2 record and one of the lowest earned run averages on the team at 3.09. The righthander pitched 23.3 innings that season and struck out 18, while allowing just eight earned runs.
Because he had never been red-shirted, Boyd had a year of eligibility left to play football and the 1983 Golden Eagle team needed a punter. So Boyd, who had been spotted kicking in the intramural leagues, walked on to kick. He would handle all the punting duties for the team that year, kicking 60 times for a 40.5 yard average. During that season Boyd was very consistent and helped keep Southern Miss opponents pinned back deep in their own territory all the time.
(Click here to read the full piece.)
DeMar Dotson – Basketball, Football
From Buccaneers.com (2015) - "I came to the realization that playing in the NBA probably wasn't going to happen. I can remember I was in the weight room lifting one day with the basketball team and one of the strength coaches came and made a little comment like, 'Maybe you should go out and give football a shot.' It was more of a joke. It wasn't something that we took seriously at the time. It wasn't something I took seriously until we went through the conference tournament in basketball my senior year and I knew that my time was winding down.
I knew that I wasn't going to play in the NBA. At best I would probably go overseas and get a shot to go play somewhere over there. I started thinking that I didn't have anything to lose in going out there and playing football. I wasn't thinking at the time that I would make it to the NFL, it was just the opportunity to go out there and give it a shot. Once our basketball team lost in the conference tournament, I went to the head football coach and talked to him and told him what I wanted to do.
We talked for a while and talked, talked, talked. He said, 'Spring training starts tomorrow. You can come out if you want.' I came out that next day and started."
(Click here to read the full piece.)
DeQuincy Scott – Football, Baseball
From Hattiesburg American (2014) - The LaPlace, La., native was a feared member of the 'Nasty Bunch' defense the Golden Eagles featured throughout much of the 1990s and early 2000s. Scott landed on the Conference USA All-Freshman Team in 1997, the All-CUSA Second Team as a junior and First Team all-league in 2000.
Scott finished his Southern Miss career with 209 tackles, 27 for loss, and 11 ½ sacks. He spent six years in the NFL with the San Diego Chargers and Tennessee Titans, and will be inducted into the Southern Miss M-Club Hall of Fame on Friday due in large part to his exploits on the football field.
But baseball was Scott's passion.
The 36-year-old Ridgeland resident was a three-year letterman on the Southern Miss baseball team as a first baseman and designated hitter.
"I gave my best at whatever I was doing," he said. "I wasn't the most talented, but anybody will tell you, when I did something I put everything into it. But that was my love, baseball. I enjoyed playing football. It was fun. But baseball was my passion."
Lovingly dubbed 'The Mouth of the South' by former Southern Miss football coach Jeff Bower, Scott also brought his infectious energy to first Hill Denson then Corky Palmer's Golden Eagle baseball teams.
"I wanted to be the person people could feed off of," he said. "You can see when someone enjoys what they do. But you want the people around you to feed off of you and want to be the best."
(Click here to read the full piece.)
southernmiss.rivals.com
