Ricky Black, a native of Ackerman who started his high school coaching career at Kosciusko High School, has been named the football Coach of the Year by the National High School Coaches Association. He was selected from eight finalists for the award at a banquet in Sioux Falls, South Dakota last week.
In 37 years as a high school football coach in Mississippi, he has compiled a 371-74 record.
Black was a 1967 graduate of Ackerman High School, where he was an all Choctaw Conference quarterback in football. He also played baseball and basketball, was president of the student council and was voted Mr. AHS (Ackerman High School) as a senior.
Black began his illustrious coaching career at Kosciusko as an assistant coach for three years, 1972-74. He was promoted to head coach in 1975.
The Whippets were 49-6 during Black's five yeas as head coach, including 32-1 the last three years after Kosciusko changed from a Veer offense to the Wishbone. In the days before the Mississippi High School Activities Association had state championship tournaments in football, the 1977 team finished 12-0. That included a 21-3victory over St. Aloysius in a matchup of the state's only two unbeaten teams in the Mississippi Bowl in Jackson. In 1979, Kosciusko was again undefeated with a 10-0 record.
After leaving Kosciusko, Black was the Tupelo coach for 11 years (1980-90), with an 89-31 record and seven trips to the playoffs. The Golden Wave was MHSAA 5A runnes-rup in 1990.
He left high school coaching to join Jackie Sherrill's staff at Mississippi State for six years.
Black has spent the last 21 years at Jackson Prep where his teams have won 10 Mississippi Association of Independent Schools championships. The 2017 Patriots won a record sixth straight title, finishing 13-0 and outscoring opponents 582-109. Prep will enter the 2018 season with an 18-game winning streak.
Black is currently tied for second all time in victories among Mississippi high school coaches, 23 wins behind Centreville Academy coach Bill Hurst.
