BOONEVILLE, Miss. - The 16th induction class of the Northeast Mississippi Community College Sports Hall of Fame features four impactful and very respected former student-athletes.
Craig Lauderdale, Bruse Loyd, Will Robertson and Antoine Wilkerson are set for enshrinement on Thursday, October 10 at 4 p.m. in the Claude Wright Room of the Haney Union.
They will also be publicly recognized at Tiger Stadium prior to the 7 p.m. kickoff of Northeast's homecoming football matchup with division opponent East Mississippi Community College.
Lauderdale is the first men's golf representative to be selected for this prestigious accolade. All four candidates received postseason awards at Northeast in their respective sports.
Tickets for this event are sold out. A broadcast of the entire ceremony, which includes the presentation of Northeast's Alumni Hall of Fame as well, will air live on NEMCCTV.
Craig Lauderdale (Men's Golf, 1990, 2004-11)
Not many people can claim that their success led to the creation of a brand-new collegiate sports team, but Craig Lauderdale can do just that.
Lauderdale represented Northeast Mississippi Community College by himself at the 1990 National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division III golf tournament in Arizona.
He was recognized as an NJCAA All-American after finishing in 14th place overall with a four-day total of 321. It was the third best score of any entrant from the Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges (MACJC).
His award-winning season resulted in the decision by legendary Northeast athletic director W.B. "Bill" Ward to sponsor an entire team one year later. Hundreds have since followed in Lauderdale's footsteps by donning the black-and-gold on courses across America.
The men's golf program is now in its 28th season of existence. The Tigers have won one state championship and a pair of region titles while sending 15 players to nationals as individual qualifiers.
Lauderdale has been around for each of Northeast's major milestones. He is the longest tenured head coach in program history and also served as a volunteer assistant during the 2020-21 campaign when his son, Austin, and the Tigers captured the conference crown.
The elder Lauderdale got to advise Austin from on the links. He tied for eighth at the state competition in Meridian before eventually concluding his Northeast career at the national tournament just like his dad.
Lauderdale started his eight-year stretch as leader of the Tigers in 2004. He guided Northeast to back-to-back NJCAA Region 23 championships and subsequent berths to the Division III nationals from 2007-08.
His 2008 group carded an eighth place showing during their trip to Jamestown, N.Y., at the Chautauqua Golf Club. Chase Williams came in third individually to become the Tigers' inaugural first-team NJCAA All-American.
Lauderdale supervised Northeast's transition back to an NJCAA Division II affiliate in 2009. The Tigers still found prosperity with a runner-up performance in their initial appearance back at that level.
Northeast rose to as high as No. 13 in the national rankings the following year. All-conference golfers Blake Hatfield and Daniel Singh helped the Tigers finish second at both the MACJC and NJCAA Region 23 postseason events.
Hatfield had a special sophomore campaign under the watch of Lauderdale. He secured medalist honors at the MACJC Tournament on the way to earning first-team All-American distinction after ending in a tie for third at nationals.
Lauderdale originally arrived at Northeast as a men's basketball signee for another hall of fame instructor in Harvey Childers. He was part of the Tigers' undefeated regular season during the 1987-88 school year.
He is currently in his second stint as a basketball coach at his alma mater of Jumpertown High School. Lauderdale has more than 400 combined victories and six divison titles between his boys and girls teams.
Lauderdale, who has also worked with Booneville Golf and Country Club in various roles, was the 2007 NJCAA Region 23 Coach of the Year. His wife, Tara, and daughter, Maria, were both members of Northeast's women's basketball program.
Bruse Loyd (Football, 1980-82)
Bruse Loyd's football journey brought him to the campus of then-Northeast Mississippi Junior College twice over the course of three years.
Loyd's original arrival in the fall of 1980 after graduating from Alcorn Central High School coincided with what is still one of the most successful seasons in modern-day program history.
The Tigers won nine consecutive games on the way to achieving a number one national ranking for the first time ever. Northeast defeated its opponents by an average margin of victory of 17 points.
Loyd's job as an offensive lineman was to protect quarterback Mike Steenson and open up holes for All-American running back Anthony Norman. He performed his duties well as Norman set the school record for rushing touchdowns in a single season with 12.
The list of firsts that Loyd and the Tigers accomplished that year also includes the inaugural north half championship, perfect division record and home state playoff contest.
Northeast finished with a 9-2 overall mark with final ratings of seventh from the Junior College Gridwire publication and 12th by the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA).
The Tigers posted 35 or more points three times, including a season-high 45 points in a shutout win over Mississippi Delta Community College. Northeast bested rivals Itawamba Community College and Northwest Mississippi Community College by a combined score of 51-7.
Loyd transferred to Delta State University at the conclusion of his freshman campaign. However, he eventually accepted an offer to return to Northeast from legendary head coach W.B. "Bill" Ward after taking a redshirt while with the Statesmen in 1981.
The decision to rejoin the Tigers paid off for Loyd. The Corinth native ended up getting recruited by more than a dozen NCAA Division I institutions throughout his sophomore season.
Loyd chose Rice (Texas) University inside the now-defunct Southwest Conference (SWC) as his final destination on the gridiron. He was a two-year starter for the Owls that earned all-newcomer honors in 1983.
He made the Space City his permanent home after obtaining a Bachelor's degree from Rice. Loyd went to work for Xerox for five years before enrolling in the South Texas College of Law.
Loyd has been a practicing lawyer now for nearly three decades. His position has kept him involved in the sport he once played by representing athletes and staff members in both the NCAA and the NFL.
He has worked with national print and television outlets, including ABC, CBS, ESPN, USA Today, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, to ensure that his clients receive fair media coverage.
Loyd is also experienced in the areas of business, employment, fiduciary, gas, oil and whistleblower litigation. He is married to Margo and the couple has two children, Nicholas and Reese.
His philanthropic efforts include giving back to his alma mater. Loyd donated $5,000 towards the construction of the new Tiger Fieldhouse, which opened in 2013 and quadrupled the amount of locker and weight room space for Northeast's student-athletes.
Will Robertson (Baseball, 2012-13)
The Northeast Mississippi Community College baseball program received plenty of publicity in 2012 by signing highly touted local recruit Will Robertson.
Robertson had already established himself as a dual threat at the plate and on the mound for Class 1A runner-up Falkner High School. His name pops up in both the national and state record books several times.
A majority of his historic accomplishments came during a division game against Jumpertown High School in 2011. He connected on three home runs in the same inning, which is tied with seven other standouts nationally for the most ever at the prep level.
Two of those homers were grand slams, which matched the national mark as well. His nine RBIs that inning were a new state record and only one off the pace from around the country.
Robertson also registered the fourth most punch outs in a season with 216 as a senior. He had a pair of 19-strikeout performances, which is two off the state record, versus Thrasher and Wheeler high schools.
He earned all-conference honors during each of his years with the Tigers. His efforts helped Northeast capture its first Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges (MACJC) North Division title in more than two decades.
The Tigers also won 30-plus games for just the third time in program history and advanced to the MACJC Tournament following a play-in series with Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College during Robertson's sophomore campaign.
Robertson at one point led all National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division II members in RBIs. He finished the season in the top 10 countrywide in both RBIs with 55 and on-base percentage at .531.
The 5-10, 215-pound outfielder topped the Tigers with 178 plate appearances, 138 at bats, 58 hits, 47 runs scored, 17 doubles, 31 walks, a .667 slugging percentage and a .420 batting average as well.
Robertson had a 13-game streak of reaching base safely that started at the end of March and continued through April 20th. He posted 19 multi-hit contests and eight outings with at least three RBIs.
He was recognized as the MACJC Player of the Week after batting .643 with nine hits, two doubles, two home runs, eight RBIs and five walks in doubleheaders against Holmes Community College and Mississippi Delta Community College.
Robertson completed his decorated on-field career at tradition-rich Delta State University. He added to his legacy as a senior with numerous awards while guiding the Statesmen to a Gulf South Conference (GSC) championship.
He was a finalist for the prestigious C Spire Ferriss Trophy and Perfect Game USA's Josh Willingham Award, which was presented to the most valuable player (MVP) inside the NCAA's Division II.
Robertson also obtained All-American accolades from the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA), Division II Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA) and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA).
He was first in the GSC and top five nationally in doubles with 28 and RBIs at 78. Robertson had a .399 batting average that year with 91 hits, 55 runs, eight home runs plus 32 free passes between walks and hit by pitches.
Antoine Wilkerson (Men's Basketball, 1996-98)
Antoine Wilkerson was part of a very prolific one-two scoring threat for the Northeast Mississippi Community College men's basketball team in the late 1990s alongside teammate Tim Cole.
Wilkerson handled his business in the paint while Cole could shoot the three-pointer and work inside for a flashy dunk as needed. The result was both Tigers receiving All-American recognition.
He was the first of the dynamic duo to obtain All-American honors from the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA). Wilkerson is one of only five freshmen in program history to secure this prestigious distinction.
The Atlanta, Ga., native averaged a double-double that year with 21.9 points and 11.1 rebounds. Wilkerson had a 64-percent success rate from the floor and committed fewer than two turnovers per game.
Wilkerson made his collegiate debut in the Northeast Tipoff Classic. He had 18 points in the Tigers' season-opening win over Copiah-Lincoln Community College and posted his first double-digit rebounding performance the next day against Motlow State (Tenn.) Community College.
His inaugural double-double came just under two weeks later at the ICC Classic. Wilkerson accumulated 16 points and 10 boards as Northeast broke the clock for the second straight contest with a 100-89 decision over the now-defunct Mary Holmes College.
Wilkerson turned things up another notch at the beginning of the Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges (MACJC) North Division schedule. He scored 20 or more points in 13 of the Tigers' final 14 regular season matchups.
The 6-5, 200-pound forward had six 30-point outings in that stretch. Wilkerson tied a career-best twice with 36 points in Northeast victories versus Coahoma Community College and Mississippi Delta Community College.
Wilkerson played a key role during the highest scoring game ever in the Tigers' 75-year history. He had 17 points and 10 rebounds for Northeast in a 138-133 overtime thriller against Pearl River Community College in the first round of the NJCAA Region 23 Tournament.
His efforts helped the Tigers capture the 1998 MACJC North Division championship and return to Mississippi College's A.E. Wood Coliseum for regionals. Northeast went 39-17 overall with Wilkerson in the starting lineup for head coach Mike Lewis.
Wilkerson's offensive production dipped slightly as a sophomore. He accounted for 14.2 points with a season-best of 27 points in a triumph over rival Itawamba Community College in the division tournament.
However, his rebounding numbers did not waver in the least. Wilkerson matched a season-high with 17 boards during back-to-back wins by the Tigers against Coahoma and Mississippi Delta.
Wilkerson totaled more than 1,000 points in a black-and-gold uniform. His averages across 57 appearances at Northeast are 18 points, 10 rebounds, two assists, 1.7 steals, 1.3 blocks and 29.8 minutes.
His name is in the Tigers' record book three times, including for the sixth most blocks in a single season with 42. Wilkerson had 28 double-doubles and shot 63-percent from the free throw line.
Wilkerson earned a scholarship to Gardner-Webb (N.C.) University after his prosperous tenure at Northeast. He was selected to the All-South Atlantic Conference (SAC) second-team following the 1998-99 campaign.