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BAILEY

like himself, he said, “A small percent- age of high school athletes go on to JUCO and fewer to Division I. And a much smaller percentage who become professional athletes. I utilized ECCC to continue playing the game I love and build a solid foundation for my educa- tion. I took a chance by going to MSU with hopes to continue my playing career–and work towards my degree. It was not always easy. There were times when I struggled on the field and in the classroom. But I hung in there, eventu- ally getting the starting role, getting a full scholarship and completing my degree in engineering. Transferring to a much bigger school after two years is not always easy and you can become intimidated by the size and scale of the program. But keep focused, stay engaged, and put in the work.” Bailey holds a degree in Agricultural and Biological Engineering from Missis- sippi State University and has served as the Central District Public Service Commissioner for the State of Missis- sippi since 2020. “Working with Brent Bailey has been one of the highlights of my profession- al career,” said Susan Watkins, director of operations with the Mississippi Pub- lic Service Commission. “He is a man of character and a true public servant. His tenure as Public Service Commissioner has shown that he lives his beliefs about helping people and he works long hours every day to fulfill his com- mitment to his fellow Mississippians. While I did not know him when he played football at ECCC, I know that he must have shown the same level of hard work and determination that he shows as an elected official. His inclu- sion in the Athletic Hall of Fame is a great honor and all of us in our office are proud of him.” Bailey was the recipient of the MSU College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Alumni Achievement Award. He holds membership on the Board of Directors for the Organization of MISO States and the Southeast Climate and Energy Network, and is a member of numer- ous other committees and partnerships associated with his work. He and his wife, Rhonda Irby Bailey, a Morton native who also attended ECCC, reside in Madison County near Canton. His parents, Barry Bailey and Mitsy Jones Bailey, are both graduates of ECCC, where Barry played football under Coach Ken Pouncey.

Sherrill was also the special teams/ kicking coach and worked directly with those players through the practice kicking periods at the beginning and end of each practice. Bailey said, “I always thought I was a pretty good deep snapper, but Coach Sherrill pointed out a couple of things that I needed to improve upon if I hoped to be a long snapper at the Division I level. I went to work doing just that. “While working to become the first- unit long snapper, I also played center for the scout team. The scout team mimics the offense of the team that we would be playing that coming weekend. Going head-to-head against the No. 1 and No. 2 defensive units on a daily basis I believe helped me to gain the respect of my teammates early on.” Bailey received Special Teams Player of the Week honors on at least one oc- casion; however, he said when you are a long snapper and no one knows your name at the end of a long season, then you have done your job well. “When you name gets called out over the radio as the long snapper, it is usually because something did not go well!” During his time as a player and one season as a student assistant coach, the Bulldogs also played in three bowl games, once in the Liberty Bowl and twice in the Peach Bowl. Bailey was also a part of the Bulldog roster when Sherrill gained national attention for performing his most famous inspirational act. “One of the best-known non-game memories was the bull castration on the practice field just a couple of days before our 28-10 win against Texas in Austin,” Bailey said. “It had to be one of the greatest motivational actions in college sports history.” For 14 years after his graduation from MSU, he continued to assist with summer football camps and lead the long snapper instruction sessions during the special team work days. He worked camps through the tenures of Sherrill, Coach Sylvester Croom, and early into the Coach Dan Mullen years. Bailey said he has a deep respect for the community college system and the opportunities it afforded him and oth- ers to continue to hone their athletic skills and gain valuable experience while pursuing higher education. When asked his advice for athletes

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other, and gain trust. “We ate together, practiced together, lifted weights together, and studied plays together. I remember it being ex- tremely hot and water breaks seemed to be frowned upon. Since there was no such thing as social media, iPhones and TikTok, thank goodness, we spent down time moving among dorm rooms and trying to run cable through the HVAC vents between practices.” Bailey said for him, academics and campus life were just as large a part of life at ECCC as was athletics and he valued the instruction and support provided by instructors, support staff, and administrators. Outside of football season, Bailey said time was spent with intramural sports, supporting fellow athletes at Warrior basketball and base- ball games, and enjoying the talents of the Collegians and EC Players. He was also a member of Mu Alpha Theta, Alpha Alpha Epsilon, was selected Most Handsome, and was named to Who’s Who in American Community Colleges. After playing two years at East Central, Bailey said he began thinking about what was next. He said he always knew that he wanted to finish his de- gree at Mississippi State University, but MSU did not specifically recruit and staff at MSU during that year, Bailey thought he would have as good a shot as anyone to earn a spot on the team, especially as a long snapper. He decided to make the transition to MSU during the winter break to walk-on and go through Spring practice with the new coaching staff and before the next group of signees and walk-ons came to campus in the summer. He said, “I wanted to continue to pursue a degree in engineering and extend my playing career and MSU was the best route for me.” When asked about playing for legendary MSU coach Jackie Sherrill, Bailey said, “Coach Sherrill came to MSU with a rich winning history and was known to have coached some of the game’s greatest players at Pitt and Texas A&M. He was also known for pushing the boundaries. He knew when it was time to get fired up and when he needed to display calmness.” Aside from being the head coach, sign long snappers at the time. With a change in the coaching

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