Jackson State's Lewis Tillman among latest class of Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame inductees
Former teammates were reunited at the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame announcement on Wednesday. Former Chicago Bears teammates John Mangum and Lewis Tillman were two of the eight members of the Class of 2023.
The Alabama and Jackson State standouts were joined by Ole Miss linebacker Jeff Herrod, Mississippi State pitcher Paul Maholm, Millsaps baseball coach Jim Page, Ole Miss marksman Tony Rosetti, Ole Miss basketball player and coach Carol Ross, and Southern Miss defensive back Patrick Surtain.
The latest hall of fame class will be inducted next summer.
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Members of the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2023
Jeff Herrod: The Ole Miss linebacker was the second all-time leading tackler in SEC history when he left Ole Miss. Herrod was selected in the ninth round of the 1988 NFL Draft by the Indianapolis Colts. He finished with 1,347 tackles for the Colts.
Paul Maholm: The Mississippi State pitcher is fourth all-time in strikeouts and innings pitched along with the fifth-most wins in program history. Maholm was the eighth overall selection in the 2003 MLB draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates. He spent ten years in the MLB with the Pirates, Cubs, Braves and Dodgers.
John Mangum: The Magee native was in the NFL for nine years with the Chicago Bears after an outstanding career at Alabama. The defensive back was named to the Crimson Tide Team of the Decade for the 1980s.
Jim Page: The 34-year Millsaps College coach still holds the program record with a .487 batting average. Page has a record of 815-554-3 record along with winning nine conference titles, eight NCAA regionals and one NCAA Division III College World Series appearance.
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Toney Rosetti: The Biloxi native is the first marksman inducted into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame. Rosetti won the 1971 Skeet Championship in Phoenix and he was a member of the Pan-American Games gold medal-winning team. He also was a member of the 1972 US Olympics team that competed in Munich, Germany.
Carol Ross: The Ole Miss basketball legend helped lead the Lady Rebels to two National AIAW regional tournaments and was a member of the first SEC All-Tournament Team in 1980. Ross went on to coach Florida for 12 seasons and won SEC Coach of the Year twice with the Gators. She went on to coach Ole Miss for four years and won WNBA Coach of the Year in 2012 with the Los Angeles Sparks.
Patrick Surtain: The Southern Miss standout was a four-year letterman for the Golden Eagles and was Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year in 1997. Surtain was a second-round pick by the Miami Dolphins in the 1998 draft. He was a three-time Pro Bowl selection in his 11-year career and was named NFL Defensive Back of the Year in 2002 with six interceptions.
Lewis Tillman: The Hazlehurst native went on to win SWAC Player of the Year and a first-team All-Conference selection with Jackson State in 1987. Tillman broke Walter Payton's single-season rushing record with 1,474 yards as a junior. He won a Super Bowl with the New York Giants in 1991.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame announces Class of 2023
