The Conerly Trophy
The Conerly Trophy is named after the late Charlie Conerly who is the only football inductee in the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame who combines all of the following accomplishments: native Mississippian who was an All-American at a Mississippi university; NFL rookie of the year; NFL All-Pro; quarterbacked a team to a world championship.
The Trophy
Sculpted by the late Bruce Brady, a nationally-acclaimed sculptor from Brookhaven, MS; the Conerly Trophy is a lost-wax bronze casting of an original clay sculpture by Mr. Brady; 19" high x 11" long x 7.5" wide; weighs 18.5 lbs.; original Conerly Trophy is on permanent display at the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum; an exact replica of the trophy is presented to the winner each year at the announcement dinner.
History
2005 will mark the tenth presentation of the award (1996). Cellular South has served as title sponsor for eight of those years (1998). There was no title sponsor in 1996 and 1997. The current sponsorship agreement between the Museum and Cellular South extends through the 2005 presentation.
The nine prior award presentations have been held in four cities: Jackson, Clarksdale, Tunica and Biloxi.
The Howell Trophy
The Cellular South Howell Trophy is named after Bailey Howell, a 1977 inductee in the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame who was a two-time All-American at Mississippi State and a six-time NBA All-Star who played on Boston Celtic World Championship teams in 1968 and 1969. He is the only male Mississippian in the National Basketball Hall of Fame and he still holds eleven game, season and career records at Mississippi State.
The Trophy
Sculpted by Dr. Kim Sessums from Brookhaven, MS; the Cellular South Howell Trophy Trophy is a lost-wax bronze casting of an original clay sculpture by Dr. Sessums. The original Cellular South Howell Trophy is on permanent display at the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum; an exact replica of the trophy is presented to the winner each year at the announcement dinner.
History
The inaugural Cellular South Howell Trophy presentation took place in 2005. The current sponsorship agreement between the Museum and Cellular South extends through the 2009 presentation.
The Ferriss Trophy
The Cellular South Ferriss Trophy is named after Dave "Boo" Ferriss of Shaw, MS; a 1964 inductee in the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame; Ferriss was a three-time All-SEC player at Mississippi State who won 46 games in his first two seasons as a pitcher with the Boston Red Sox including Game 4 of the 1946 World Series versus St. Louis; he was the head coach at Delta State University for 28 years and the baseball field at the Cleveland, MS school bears his name; he was inducted into the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame in 2002.
The Trophy
Sculpted by Dr. Kim Sessums from Brookhaven, MS; the Cellular South Ferriss Trophy is a lost-wax bronze casting of an original clay sculpture by Dr. Sessums. The original Cellular South Ferriss Trophy is on permanent display at the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum; an exact replica of the trophy is presented to the winner each year at the announcement dinner.
History
The inaugural Cellular South Ferriss Trophy presentation took place in 2004. The current sponsorship agreement between the Museum and Cellular South extends through the 2010 presentation.
The Cellular South Ferriss Trophy in college baseball, the Cellular South Conerly Trophy in college football and the Cellular South Howell Trophy in men’s college basketball constitute the three elements of the Cellular South Outstanding Player Awards Series. All three events are televised live throughout the state by Mississippi Public Broadcasting.
The Gillom Trophy
The Cellular South Gillom Trophy is named after Peggie Gillom, a 1998 inductee in the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame who was a record-setting player at Ole Miss who still holds 10 game, season or career records at the university. The Abbeville, MS native went on to serve as an assistant coach at the college, Olympic and professional levels as well as five years as head coach at Texas A&M. She is still actively coaching today and is a board member of the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame.
The Trophy
Sculpted by Dr. Kim Sessums from Brookhaven, MS; the Cellular South Gillom Trophy is a lost-wax bronze casting of an original clay sculpture by Dr. Sessums. The original Cellular South Gillom Trophy will be on permanent display at the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum; an exact replica of the trophy is presented to the winner each year at the announcement dinner.
History
The inaugural Cellular South Gillom Trophy presentation will take place in 2008. The current sponsorship agreement between the Museum and Cellular South extends through the 2010 presentation.
