Mack Cochran - Wildcat football (1960-62)
Cochran quarterbacked the 1961 state and national champion Wildcats, a team that outscored its opponents 446-47. He
quarterbacked the East team to a 20-8 victory over the West in the Junior College All-Star football game in Albuquerque, New
Mexico. He passed for two touchdowns and an extra point and was named the game’s most valuable player.
"We had some tremendous players at Pearl River back at that time," said Cochran. Indeed, two of his teammates, center Alvin
Doyle and halfback J.E. Loicano, also played in the All-Star game."Three of them went on to play pro ball," added Cochran.
As a freshman, Cochran threw 12 touchdown passes as a backup. The Wildcats were 9-1, state co-champions with Northwest,
even though they beat the Rangers in the regular season, and beat San Angelo, Texas 50-20 in the Hospitality Bowl.
As a sophomore, the 5-foot-9 Cochran tallied 24 touchdowns, completing 89 of 151 passes. He would have thrown for more,
but in most games that year, the Wildcats got so far ahead by halftime, Coach Dobie Holden would play his reserves.
NAME: Mack Cochran
HOMETOWN: Carriere
RESIDENCE: Clara
FAMILY: Single, two children
EDUCATION: graduated Hattiesburg High School, 1960; graduated from PRCC, 1962; attended University of Houston,
1963-65.
OCCUPATION: Worked for Amoco Oil, 3 years; car dealership, 20 years; currently works at a nursery in Clara.
Billy Jarrell - Wildcat football (1949-50)
Billy Jarrell, like most athletes who played for the legendary coach Holden, had this to say about his former head football coach.
"I owe my whole life to Dobie Holden," said Jarrell. "He was a master coach and a master psychologist. He affected my life in so
many ways."
Jarrell, a Picayune native, played two seasons for Holden (1949-50). The Wildcats were 16-4-1 during that time, including a
state championship and Memorial Bowl appearance in 1949. Not bad for a 145-pound halfback-defensive back, who helped
Picayune High School win a state championship in 1948.
"I played halfback and defensive back at first. Then about three or four games into my freshman season, Coach Holden says, ‘I’m going to try you at quarterback,’ of which I knew absolutely nothing. I told him ‘Whatever you say coach.’
"That started a complete change in my life because my career would have ended my sophomore year if I had stayed as a
defensive back. It took a while to make the adjustment, but once it did ... We spent five or six days a week together in the
teaching phase of things."
During his time at PRCC, the Wildcats beat Jones, Gulf Coast, East Central and Co-lin twice. His sophomore team scored 20
or more points in eight of 10 games, 30 or more in four of those.
NAME: Billy Jarrell
HOMETOWN: Picayune
RESIDENCE: Lafayette, La.
FAMILY: Wife, Glenda L. Tynes (married 55 years); 3 children, 5 grandchildren.
EDUCATION: Graduated from Picayune High School, 1949; graduated from PRCC, 1950; graduated from University of
Southern Mississippi, 1953.
OCCUPATION: Coached high school football 14 years through 1968; entered life and health insurance business.
Cornelius Griffin - Wildcat football (1995-97)
Mike Humphreys spent 12 seasons as an assistant football coach, several of them as the defensive coordinator, at Pearl River
Community College.
In all that time, he never had a defensive tackle as talented as Cornelius Griffin, who was an all-state player at PRCC and is
playing in his 10th season in the National Football League, currently for the Washington Redskins.
"He came in here standing about 6-foot-4, weighing about 260 pounds," recalls Humphreys. "You could see he was a player;
great work ethic, did everything you asked of him, yes sir, no sir, kind of guy. He was the best defensive tackle I ever coached."
At Alabama, he started 23 of 25 games and was named to the All-Southeastern Conference first team.
NAME: Cornelius Griffin
HOMETOWN: Brundidge, Ala.
FAMILY: One of seven children of Martha and the late Willie Griffin.
EDUCATION: graduated Pike County High School (Ala.), 1995; graduated from PRCC, 1997; graduated from University of
Alabama, 2000.
OCCUPATION: Drafted in 2nd round of NFL draft by New York Giants in 2000 NFL Draft. Currently plays defensive tackle
for the Washington Redskins. 10th NFL season.
J.C. Stewart Jr. - Wildcat football (1948-49)
Frank Branch, the first quarterback to ever play for Holden at PRCC back in 1948, remembers the late James Clifton (J.C.)
Stewart Jr. as a mentally and physically tough football player who often played through injuries.
"J.C. played offense and defense as an end," said Branch. "He was what they call a tight end today, great pass receiver. I
remember he caught the winning pass when we beat Lamar 21-20 in 1949 in the Memorial Bowl in Jackson."
Stewart, who died of cancer in 1990, played football and basketball at Pearl River from 1948-49. He not only was selected an
all-state end in 1949, Holden’s first state championship team, but he was also selected most athletic at PRCC.
"I can’t think of anybody more deserving," said Branch. "He had a big heart and was a heck of a competitor. I remember the
Co-Lin game our sophomore season. They tied the game up late 14-14. He caught the winning touchdown pass and we won
20-14.
NAME: James Clifton (J.C.) Stewart Jr.
HOMETOWN: Picayune
FAMILY: Wife, Betty Lu; one son.
EDUCATION: graduated Picayune High School, 1948; graduated from PRCC, 1949; graduated from Southeastern Louisiana,
1952.
OCCUPATION: Began coaching career in Columbia High for one year; Picayune High School for two years; Plaquemine (La.)
High School for nine years; Baker (La.) High School as assistant coach, heads basketball coach, head football coach and athletic
director. Retired in 1986.
Dwayne Hanberry - Wildcat basketball (1983-86)
Dwayne Hanberry came to PRCC from Oak Grove High in 1983 as 6-foot-4, 150 pound basketball player without much
experience. By the time he left for Oglethorpe (Ga.) University in 1986, he stood 6-8, weighed 210 pounds, and was an all-state
player for the Wildcats.
"I was a late bloomer," understates Hanberry, who currently lives in Suwanee, Ga., and serves as the commissioner of the
Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference, a Division III league that includes 12 schools from three states.
"When we did jumping drills, coach (Lawrence) Smithmeir used to tell me he couldn’t slide a piece of paper under my feet when
I jumped."
As Hanberry grew in height, he gained 70 pounds, got stronger and improved his game. By the time he was a sophomore, he
had worked his way into the starting lineup, averaging 12 points and 8.5 rebounds a game, shooting 49 percent from the field
and getting named to the All-State team.
He will be part of the first father-son team to be inducted into the PRCC Sports Hall of Fame. His late dad, David (Goose)
Hanberry, was inducted in 1994 as a standout basketball player from 1963-65.
NAME: Dwayne Hanberry
HOMETOWN: Oak Grove
RESIDENCE: Suwanee, Ga.
FAMILY: Wife, Charis; 2 children
EDUCATION: graduated Oak Grove High School, 1983; graduated from PRCC, 1986; graduated from Oglethorpe (Ga.)
Universitry, 1988.
OCCUPATION: Casual Male Big and Tall, manager, 8 years; interim commissioner and then commissioner, Southern
Collegiate Athletic Conference since 2007 (office in Suwanee, Ga.).
Jay Artigues - Wildcat baseball (1987-89)
Jay Artigues had two stops at PRCC, as a player and as a coach. His accomplishments in either capacity were outstanding.
During his playing time (1988-89), he copped All-MACJC and All-Region XXIII first-team honors his sophomore season. He
batted .414 and .416 his freshman and sophomore seasons, respectively, which are two of the highest batting averages in school
history.
As PRCC’s head coach (2002-05), his record was 168-51. In his first season, Artigues led the Wildcats to a then
school-record 42 wins and a berth in the 2002 JuCo World Series in Millington, Tenn. In his final season, he led the Wildcats,
who began the season ranked No. 7 in Division II, to a 46-12 record and a No. 1 ranking in the final JuCo National
regular-season poll.
It’s no wonder Artigues means it when he says, "I spent two of the best years of my life as a player. And coaching at your alma
mater is a very special thing. Pearl River has always been close to me and my family."
"This is a special honor for me and my family," said Artigues. "I built friendships there that I will always remember."
NAME: Jay Artigues
HOMETOWN: Bay St. Louis
FAMILY: Wife, Rachel; 2 children
EDUCATION: graduated from St. Stanislaus, 1987, graduated from PRCC, 1989; graduated from Belhaven College, 1991.
OCCUPATION: Head coach, Bossier City Community College, 3 years (107-57); Pearl River Community College, 4 years
(168-51); Southeastern Louisiana University, 3 years