Age against youth is the theme as Tampa Bay and Kansas City prepare to square off in the Super Bowl on February 7, in Tampa Bay. The elder statesman Tom Brady might have shaken the shadow of Patriots coach Bill Belichick with his Sunday performance in leading Tampa Bay to their second Super Bowl appearance and first since 2003. Brady, who now owns six Super Bowl rings in New England with Belichick, will now suit up in his 10thSuper Bowl, but the first without his previous mentor. His fans have labeled him the G.O.A.T., and we can’t argue with that label. The Buccaneers will also be the first Super Bowl team in NFL history to play in their own stadium. The defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs and probably the next NFL G.O.A.T. in Patrick Mahomes steamed rolled the Buffalo Bills to earn their third Super Bowl appearance.
College Basketball
Ole Miss downed in-state rival Mississippi State, 64-46, in Starkville last week then downed Texas A&M at home. The Rebels (8-6, 3-4) play at Arkansas on Wednesday of this week and then travel to Georgia on Saturday. MSU lost both their SEC games as SEC leader Alabama edged them on Saturday. State (9-7, 4-4) will head to Tennessee early in the week and then host Iowa State of the Big 12 on Saturday. Southern Mississippi (7-8, 3-5) lost a couple of close games to UTSA this past weekend and will entertain La. Tech on Thursday and Saturday.
State Farm College Baseball Showcase
Six of the top-ranked college baseball programs will head to Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, on the weekend of February 19-21. No. 6 Ole Miss and No. 7 Mississippi State will be two of the teams as they join No. 8 Arkansas of the SEC, along with No. 3 TCU, No. 9 Texas and No. 10 Texas Tech of the Big 12 Conference. MSU will open their home schedule on February 23 hosting JSU while the Rebels host Arkansas State on that same date. It was also announced this week that the Governor’s Cup, usually played in April at Trustmark Park, between the Rebels and the Bulldogs has been cancelled for this year. State will host Ole Miss on April 16-18 in SEC play.
Alabama Football
Former Hattiesburg High football star Robert Gillespie is expected to be named running backs coach at Alabama this coming week. Gillespie is a former Florida running back and team captain for the 2001 Orange Bowl team. He has spent the last three years at North Carolina under Mack Brown. The 41-year-old has made coaching stops at Tennessee, South Carolina, Oklahoma State and West Virginia during his coaching career.
High School Coaches Achieve Milestones
Gina Skelton was honored this past weekend by Wayne County High School for her historic 900th career-coaching win that was achieved back on January 5. The 41-year coaching veteran has made coaching stops in Pickens (AL), Carthage, Forest, Quitman and Wayne County. Vicksburg’s Saint Aloysius basketball coach Mike Coleman netted his 600th career-coaching win last Saturday as the Lady Flashes edged Washington School, 34-31. Coleman, in his 34th year, has made coaching stops at Clinton, Vicksburg and Quitman and won a state championship in 2015 at Raymond High School.
Hammerin’ Hank
The one-time Major League Baseball home run king Hank Aaron died last Friday at the age of 86. He was the first to break Babe Ruth's sacred home run record of 714 on April 8, 1974. The Mobile native played 23 years in the MLB and made 25 All-Star teams. I met Aaron in Laurel at a baseball clinic that was sponsored by his former Atlanta Braves teammate and Laurel native Rod Gilbreath. Aaron was a soft-spoken guy who really needed no introduction that day. His message to the clinic participants was, "There are no shortcuts in life."
Dale is a Waynesboro resident who has been writing sports since 1973.
