2022FallWarriorWEB

Brent Bailey EC F ootball A lum E xcelled as C enter , L ong S napper

also an All-District selection. Lucovich said of Bailey, “Not only was Brent excellent as a deep snapper for us at Carthage, he could also play other positions when needed. And the neat thing about him was even after he graduated, he would come back to spring practices and work with our younger kids to teach them the position. He was a good student and a good athlete. If you needed something done you could always count on him.” Upon learning that ECCC was interested in having him come play football and realizing that he was going to be the recipient of both academic and athletics scholarships, Bailey said he could not wait to commit. “Coach Kil- patrick had had success at other schools so I

Brent Bailey grew up playing all kinds of sports, but football was his first love. After prepping at Carthage High School, he was recruited to East Central Community College by then head coach A.J. Kilpatrick and after two seasons in Decatur would join the Bull- dogs of Mississippi State University. In recognition of his efforts on the grid- iron, he will join an outstanding group of in- dividuals when he is inducted into the ECCC Athletic Hall of Fame during Homecoming activities on Thursday, October 20. Bailey, a Carthage native and member of the ECCC Class of 1991, said, “I am thrilled and humbled by the selection to the ECCC Athletic Hall of

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I am thrilled and humbled by the selection ... M y time at ECCC is a set of memories that will always be special to me .

Fame. My time at ECCC is a set of memories that will always be special to me. From the

looked forward to learning and playing for him. ‘Chalk talk’ required much of our time to learn plays before executing them,” he said. “Practices were long and hard. That man didn’t believe too much in water breaks. The competition was tough among teammates and other JUCO squads. Bring- ing together and building a team that virtually turns over each year with new players coming on, second year players rolling off, and transfers coming and going is no easy task. Coach Kilpatrick never demanded perfection, but certainly expected each team member to play his role and to do it to the best of their ability. Bailey was recruited primarily as a long snapper. Howev- er, when the sophomore starting center went down with an injury, he was able to step into the role as a freshman and held the position the entirety of his time at ECCC. “I appreciate Coach Kilpatrick and the assistant coaches for having faith in me at the center and long snapper posi- tions. No successful offensive play, punt, field goal, or extra point can begin without a snap of the football.” Although the Warriors did not have a lot of wins during his two seasons, Bailey said they were a talented and com- petitive squad and enjoyed playing together. He reminisced of long road trips by bus to Northeast, Gulf Coast, and Southwest. He said those trips gave everyone time to get to know each other away from the daily grind of classwork and other activities. He said, “One of the most memorable trips was to South- west for a night game that included a bench-clearing brawl just before halftime. It was pandemonium and even our athletic trainer got kicked out of the game!” Although he says he has tried to block the memories of “two-a-day” practices from his mind, Bailey admitted those couple of weeks gave players time to bond, learn about each

friendships made to really being out on your own to being a football Warrior, the ECCC experience was a key part of the foundation that has made me who I am. “As you know, football is a team sport and it is difficult to succeed individually without a strong cast around you. This recognition is more about perseverance, execution, cohesion, and trust among teammates than an individual honor. We each do our part as a unit to move forward. I am grateful to represent ECCC and my fellow Warriors when- ever I can.” Throughout his career at Carthage High School, Bailey played center on the offensive line and was long snapper for punts, field goals, and extra points. During his junior and senior years, he played more and more on the defensive side of the ball, sometimes at linebacker and sometimes at defensive end. But playing center and long snapper were his favorite. “All offensive plays begin with the snap of the ball,” he said. “A clean, timely exchange of the ball – whether it is from center to quarterback, snapper to punter, or snap- per to holder – puts everything in motion. Mess up on the exchange and everyone’s timing is thrown off.” Bailey played for then head coach Pete Lucovich at Car- thage, who is also a member of the ECCC Athletic Hall of Fame. He said playing at Carthage was fun and challenging. “Coach Lucovich and assistants, Coach (Billy Mack) Wilbanks and Coach (Johnny) Barfield, were good teachers of the game and made participation fun. Coach Lucovich stressed execution of your assignment. As a primarily run- ning team, execution of assignments along the offensive line was key to achieving positive gains and keeping the ball moving.” Bailey was selected Best Offensive Lineman and team “Most Valuable Player” during his senior season and was “

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