MACJC Sports Hall of Fame to induct former Hinds standouts
03/27/08 – Hinds Community College will have two former greats, William “Bucky” McElroy and Joe Renfroe, induced into the Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges (MACJC) Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2008.
The banquet will take place on Tues. April 22 in Wolf Hall A, B and C of the Thames Center on the Wesson campus of Copiah-Lincoln Community College. Registration and a reception will start at 6 p.m., followed by the banquet at 7 p.m.
Hinds had three inductees in the inaugural class of 2007. Earl Leggett, former gridiron great at Hinds and in the NFL; Nick Revon, former basketball and track standout at Hinds; and Troy Arlis Ricks, highly successful basketball coach at Hinds and Co-Lin were all honored in the first class last year.
Information on McElroy and Renfroe is listed below:
William “Bucky” McElroy, Hinds Junior College (1948-1950), Football
William “Bucky” McElroy is a Monroe, La., native who attended Hinds Junior College during the 1948-1949 school year and the 1950 school year. McElroy was a football standout for the Eagles, as he scored 27 touchdowns in two seasons with the Eagles.
He was the only unanimous choice for All-State honors in 1948. McElroy was also selected to the junior college All-State team again in 1950 and was named honorable mention junior college All-American the same season.
McElroy moved on to the University of Southern Mississippi, where he was named All-American First Team in 1952 and 1953. In 1953, McElroy was chosen to participate in the prestigious Senior Bowl and was the first Southern Miss invitee to the Chicago All-Stars game.
McElroy continued his football career professionally and was drafted by the Chicago Bears in 1954. He finished his playing career with the Hamilton Tiger Cats of the Canadian Football League (CFL). McElroy is a member of the Hinds Community College Sports Hall of Fame, USM Sports Hall of Fame and the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame.
Joe Renfroe, Hinds Junior College (1947-1987), Football, Baseball and Golf Coach, Athletic Director
Joe Renfroe had a highly successful coaching career that spanned four decades at Hinds Junior College. Renfroe started at Hinds as an assistant football coach, serving from 1947-1954 in this capacity. During that time, Hinds won the state title in 1952 and tied for one in 1953.
He was named head football coach in 1954 and finished his remarkable run in 1970 with a record of 132-76-5. The Eagles won a national championship in his first year as head coach by winning the Junior Rose Bowl. Renfroe also won a state title in 1957 as a head coach.
Renfroe also served as Hinds’ baseball coach from 1948-1955. His teams won four state championships. As golf coach at Hinds from 1976-1987, Renfroe won six state championships. In addition to his coaching duties, Renfroe served as the athletic director at Hinds Junior College from 1969 until his death in 1987.
Renfroe is a member of the Hinds Community College Sports Hall of Fame and the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame.