1994

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After three losmg seasons. Ree~c Bridg– man has announced his resignation as head football coach at East Centra l Com– munity College Bridgman announced his resignation, ef– fective June 30, 1995, on Nov. 8 The Warriors were 2-8 this past season. closing out with victortes at Southwest and East Mississippi. Also tendering their resignations were assistant coaches Tommy Spillman and Neshoba Central graduate Kelvin Lyon Bridgman said the resignations were ·'forced. "They put a clause into our contracts this year that said we had to show improve– ment," Bridgman said in an interview with The Meridian Star. "There wasn't much improvement, but there was some." EC was 2-8 after going 1·9 in 1992 and 1-8-1 in 1993. The Bridgman Era ended with four wins, 25 losses, and one tie. Included in that was a school-record 14-game win-less streak and a loss at Coahoma in 1993 that snapped Coahoma's NJCAA record 82- game wmless streak. EC president Dr. Eddie M. Smith said the resignations were not forced . "They were mutually agreed upon,"

around this time. much like .Jay Bowen did with mens basketball and~Jamie Clt~rk did with bas(')mll. God kno1vs, those programs were awful too nut so long ago But ltke Mtsstsstppt StatP and Ole Miss trying to wm the SIasqns ol two "111s or less. The only wtnnmg ls<.'ason was 11 7 o.1 mark in W87. EC's lt\'t'-countv district isn't ne:u h' as talented this fall.as it l)as h('l'll 1111' p.1st three year's. Only l'ight oy llw 21 st'hnol• Choctaw Cl'ntral , Louisvtlle l\a111h \\;u\.r Newton C'ounly .1\cade :1)1. Fon•st "idn tu pol, Morton, ancll..'lkt· qualtlted lor llw playoffs. Only liHii!'i\'ill• and Sebastopol ad vanced to th(• sc<·ond 1 ound \\tth that 111 nund whoever the new coach ts hacl het ll•r h;r\(' $orne good out-of– state connections nnrl 11 1th 10 players from Tuscaloosa C'ountv m•w ;1blc to count as in– dislt·iet, it wuuldu'l hmt it one of the new l'

changmg resull.s really won't accomplish anything, now will it? • ecce represented on all-state team: The Warriors had five players chosen to the first or second-team all-state squad. Tight end Frederick Tate of North For– rest was a first-team South DivisiOn selec– tion on offense, while lineman Stacey Whitehead of New Bern, N.C., was a first– team pick on defense Linebacker Brad Moody of Neshoba Cen– tral was a second-team selection on defense. l"uJlback James McGee of Canon, Ga .. and placekicker Peyton Weems of l.ouisville were also second-team choices. The Warriors had no players chosen to Ihe All Region 23 team. 1\

SPORTS . rT\ ~B '(L1 ~ 8 with Marty Stamper Smith said in that same interview. "It was understood that we needed to see improve– ment in the record of the team." In successful programs, everyone is on the same page. Obviously, that isn't the case here. Of EC's 16 head coaches from 1928-9-1, on– ly two left with fewer wtns than Bridgman Frank Cross, a science teacher who got the coaching chores for the 1945 season, went Q-6 after the program had been dormant for two years due to World War II. Billy Lind– sley was 3-7-1 m his only season < 1954 l EC is currently taking applications for its 17th head coach. The deadline is Nov 30. The new coach is scheduled to be nam– ed in the Jan. 10 board meeting. Perhaps Smith will be able to come up with someone who can turn the program

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