Northeast Mississippi Community College Athletics

David Carnell’s dedication to Northeast Mississippi Community College spans nearly five decades. Carnell originally came to the college in 1972 as a member of the Northeast Mississippi Junior College football coaching staff but the former athletic director left his mark in a totally different sport when guided Northeast’s transition from slow-pitch to fast-pitch softball at the turn of the century and had the Lady Tigers in the national tournament within three years.

Carnell’s run on the gridiron at Northeast came after the long-time coach helped found the program at Biggersville High School and served as the high school’s first football coach. Carnell was an assistant football coach for 10 years -- 1972-82 before taking over the reins of the program from W.B. “Bill” Ward in 1983. Carnell won two of his first four games including victories over Holmes (15-7) and Coahoma (45-0) as the Tigers went on to finish the 1983 season as the North Division runner-ups.

After three years at the helm, Carnell gave up the head-coaching role and returned to be an assistant coach for the Tiger football team until 1996 when he dedicated his focus to softball.

Carnell resurrected the Northeast softball program in 1993 after an almost 10-year hiatus away from competition and posted a 17-16 record during the Northeast’s first year back in slow-pitch competition and started a run to the National Junior College Athletic Association’s (NJCAA)

Region 23 Tournament that would stretch through the transition to fast-pitch competition and until his retirement in 2005.

During Carnell’s years, Northeast was the only school in Mississippi to boast a 13-year run in the Region 23 Tournament – covering both slow- and fast-pitch softball – 1994-2006.

Carnell replaced Ward once again in 1996 when the veteran coach took over the role of athletic director for Northeast Mississippi Community College and held the position while coaching softball until his retirement in 2005-06.

During his time on the slow-pitch diamond, Carnell led the Northeast Lady Tiger softball team to four straight North Division runner-up finishes -- 1994-98 -- before finally breaking through as the North Division champion in 1999. Carnell led the Lady Tigers to seven straight Region 23 tournaments before the college switched to fast-pitch competition in 2001.

Carnell and the Lady Tigers did not miss a note with the switch staking a 28-12 record during their first year in fast-pitch competition, were co-North Division champions, and placed third in the state/region tournament. During the 2000-01 season, Northeast was ranked as high as fifth in the nation twice.

Carnell continued to fine-tune the Northeast fast-pitch softball team with five straight North Division championships --2001-05 -- and saw his team finish as the Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges’ state runners-up three straight years from 2003-05.

Northeast’s crowning moment came in 2003 when the Lady Tigers qualified for the National Junior College Athletic Association’s National Softball Championship after winning the Region 23 championship.

Northeast came close to a return trip to the national tournament in Carnell’s final years at the helm finishing as the Region 23 runner-up in 2004 and 2005. Carnell not only pushed his athletes on the diamond but demanded excellence in the classroom as well and was awarded as the NJCAA’s Academic Team of the year in 2000 -- Northeast’s first year of fast-pitch competition -- and was among the top academic teams in the country in 2002, 2003 and 2004.

Carnell was named the Region 23 Coach of the Year in 2003 and was honored as the MACJC Coach of the Year in 2005 and given the NJCAA’s Loyalty Award in 2005.

After retiring, Carnell returned as a part-time assistant coach to the softball program from 2006-08 before finally hanging up his cleats.

In total, Carnell recorded 301 wins against 223 losses during his time as head football and slow- and fast-pitch coach.