Frank N. Branch—1949 Wildcat Football

   Frank N. Branch was the first quarterback under Coach Dobie Holden.  He played at 124 pounds and led the '49 team to a state championship.  The 1948 team was 6-4.

   The 1949 Wildcats lost their first game of the year and then reeled off 10 straight victories including a 21-20 win over Lamar, Texas in the Memorial Bowl.  The Wildcats finished fourth in the nation that year.

   Branch was chosen Mississippi Junior College Player of the Year and selected all-state quarterback.  Hew was awarded a football scholarship to Mississippi State College in 1950 where he was the starting quarterback for the Bulldogs for two years.

   He was accorded national attention as the smallest major college player in the nation at 124 pounds.  Three times he was chosen "Player of the Week" in the Southeastern Conference after leading his team to victories over Tennessee, LSU, and Georgia.

   Frank was tabbed with the nickname "Twig" at State and he still carries that title today.  He was inducted into the MSU Sports Hall of Fame in 1981.

   Branch spent three years in active duty in the U.S. Navy and 23 years in the Reserves.  He coached at Bogalusa High for two years and six years at Picayune.

   He has been in private business for the past 27 years.