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by Wesley Peterson
Jackson State University’s Director of Athletics Wheeler Brown has announced the hiring of Tony Hughes as the football program’s 19th head coach.
“Coach Hughes brings over 31 years of experience to the position, and we expect great things from him and from our football program,” Brown said.
Hughes, a Mississippi native, comes to Jackson State from Mississippi State University, where he spent seven seasons as a key member of the Bulldogs football coaching staff. Hughes is known as one of the top recruiting coordinators in the nation. In 2015, 247Sports.com tabbed him as one of America’s top 10 recruiters after Mississippi State hauled in one of the nation’s top 16 classes, according to recruiting services. In the spring of 2013, he was named assistant head coach. According to Rivals.com, the 22 National Letters of Intent MSU received on 2015 Signing Day made up the Bulldogs’ best since 2003. Fifteen of the signees hailed from Mississippi. Local recruiting will be a top priority for Hughes at Jackson State. He plans to focus on recruitment within a 150-mile radius of the university.
“We will recruit players from the state of Mississippi and the local Jackson area,” Hughes said. “I believe that there are enough players in the state. If we recruit right and evaluate right, every year we will field a great football team.”
“As soon as this press conference is over with, I’ll be on the phone making some calls to get us some football players in here.”
Working formula: honesty and respect
“I’m telling you right now that I don’t have a magic wand in my pocket. I don’t have a crystal ball. I can’t predict how many wins we will have, but I know hard work, discipline and toughness. I know that formula works. When we put those ingredients together as the basic foundation of our program – honesty, treating women with respect and not using drugs and weapons and not stealing from each other – you will see a team that you are very proud of.”
He added, “With all of us working together, we can achieve success as we move forward. I’m proud to be here today and excited to be here today.”
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In addition, Hughes has a knack for identifying players from Mississippi that go on to become NFL prospects. This is true of first-team All-American linebacker, Benardrick McKinney, who was once a two-star high school quarterback in Tunica before being drafted by the Houston Texans in 2015. While at Mississippi State, Hughes developed the Bulldogs’ safeties corps into one of the Southeastern Conference’s hardest-hitting units. Hughes is known for a hard-nosed defense. Following the 2014 Orange Bowl season, two of his safeties signed NFL free agent contracts, including his son, Jay – a testimony to his development of Mississippi’s talent at the Division I level.
In 2006, Hughes was named one of the Top 25 college football recruiters in the nation by Rivals.com. His first two years at the University of Mississippi were spent tutoring defensive backs while spending quality time with tight ends. He spent two seasons at Louisiana Technical University and spent 10 years coaching at Hinds Community College in Raymond, Miss., where he served as the defensive coordinator and secondary coach. Hughes coached eight players who later went on to the NFL.
Before working at Hinds, Hughes’ first full-time coaching position on the collegiate level was at the University of West Alabama, 1992-93. Hughes coached seven years in the Mississippi high school ranks, serving as offensive coordinator and running backs coach at Hattiesburg High School, 1988-91. He spent two seasons as the defensive secondary coach and boys track coach at South Natchez High School in 1986-87. His first high school coaching job was at Philadelphia High School in 1985.
From the Marine Corps to the gridiron
Hughes served his country in the United States Marine Corps, 1981-84, and received an honorable discharge. He began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at the University of Southern Mississippi in 1984, working with defensive backs. He played football and ran track at Forest High School, 1974-76, and played defensive back at St. Paul’s College, 1976-77, and was a defensive back for the Southern Miss Eagles, 1977-78.
He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology in 1980. He is an active member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA), serving as a member of the Mississippi FCA State Board of Directors in 1999; president of the Mississippi FCA Coaches Council in 1998; and vice president of the Mississippi FCA Coaches Council in 1997. Hughes is married to the former Marion McCaleb of Meridian, Miss., and the couple has two sons, Jamison and Jay. Jay had the prestigious honor of being the only SEC football player to represent the league at the 2015 NCAA Convention.
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