Ole Miss Inducts Five Into Athletics Hall Of Fame

OXFORD, Miss. The Ole Miss M-Club Athletics Hall of Fame will expanded to 167 members Saturday when five more names were added to that prestigious group. 

Cynthia Autry of Okolona, Cecil Burford of Senatobia, Everett Lindsay of Chisago City, Minn., Savante’ Stringfellow of Flowood and Curtis Weathers of Memphis, Tenn., are members of the Class of 2007, and were inducted during weekend ceremonies in the Butler Auditorium of the Triplett Alumni Center on campus.

The latest inductees, along with 2007 M-Club Service Award recipient Eleanor Shaw of Oxford were also recognized during halftime of the Ole Miss-Missouri game at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium/Hollingsworth Field.

Autry, a native of Houston, Miss., came to Ole Miss and made a name for herself on the hard-court as she helped Lady Rebel basketball reach new heights from 1986 until her graduation in 1989. As a four-year letter-winner, Autry, who earned All-SEC first team honors twice (1988, 89) and was a second team All-SEC selection by the media in 1988, made the number 33 a fan favorite in her time with the Rebels. She played a big role in helping the Lady Rebels advance to two Elite Eight and two Sweet 16 appearances in the NCAA Tournament.

Autry finished her career with 1,490 points and ranks sixth all-time in points scored in a career. That feat was bolstered by her hot shooting as she shot above 50 percent from the floor for her career, including hitting 57 percent of her shots as a sophomore.

“It’s a great honor to be a part of this class,” Autry said. “I really didn’t know what to say. It’s a great honor and you work really hard as an athlete and it’s a great accomplishment. You have to be surrounded by great teammates to ever be able to accomplish the things necessary to be selected for an honor like this.”

Cecil Burford made his mark on the baseball field as a standout pitcher for the Rebels. A two-time letterman from Como, Miss., in 1956 and 1957, Burford helped elevate the Rebel baseball program to new heights, including a College World Series appearance in 1956.

In that run to Omaha, Burford claimed Most Outstanding Pitcher honors in the 1956 NCAA District III Finals as he helped the Rebels defeat Tennessee Tech and Duke. In that 1956 season, Burford also hit another mark that few pitchers have been able to repeat as he no-hit Vanderbilt in a 7-0 win. He is one of only five pitchers to toss a no-hitter in Rebel baseball history.

In his two years in a Rebel uniform, Burford helped the Rebels to a 40-18 record as Ole Miss burst onto the national scene.

“It was indeed very humbling and overwhelming to receive the telephone call that I had been selected for induction into the M-Club Athletic Hall of Fame,” Burford said. “I was truly at a loss for words. It is a tremendous honor to be selected for induction. I feel very honored and humbled to be included in such a select group of outstanding men and women.”

Everett Lindsay, who came to Ole Miss from Raleigh, N.C., earned four letters for the Rebels from 1989-1992 as he helped anchor the offensive line under then head coach Billy Brewer. Lindsay, a two-time All-SEC and All-America selection in 1991 and 1992, was named to the Ole Miss Team of the Century. During his career, he helped lead the Rebels back to the post-season as Ole Miss would play in the Liberty Bowl twice and make an appearance in the Gator Bowl in 1990 against Michigan on New Year’s Day.

Following his senior season, Lindsay was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the fifth round of the NFL Draft, sparking a career in professional football that lasted through the 2003 season. Lindsay was with the Vikings for two stints (1993-1998; 2001-03) and also posted stops in Baltimore (1998) and Cleveland (1999).

“It’s a great honor to be one of the five individuals selected for induction to the M-Club Athletic Hall of Fame this season,” said Lindsay. “I’m a little speechless and in awe. I don’t really know that I could ever put into words what a feeling it is to know I have been selected for this honor.”

Savante’ Stringfellow set the pace for the Ole Miss track and field program during his four-year career with unprecedented success for the Red and Blue. A six-time All-America selection, Stringfellow, whose hometown was Jackson, did it all for the Rebels and head coach Joe Walker as he garnered national and international attention for the Ole Miss track and field program.

The school record holder in the long jump, Stringfellow leaped into the NCAA record books as he claimed three NCAA titles in the event. That success propelled him to a spot on the 2000 U.S. Olympic Team and a silver medal in the long jump at the World Championships.

“I’ve accomplished quite a few things in my athletic career, but to be honored by Ole Miss in this way means a lot to me,” Stringfellow said. “Ole Miss gave me my first shot out of high school. They took a chance on me. I’ve won medals before and never gotten emotional, but I got very emotional when I was called and told I was selected for induction into this year’s Hall of Fame class. This means the most to me of all my athletic accomplishments.”

Memphis native Curtis Weathers rounds out the class of 2007 after a stand-out career with the Rebels as a tight end and split end on the Ole Miss football team. Weathers, who lettered four years and was a two-time All-SEC selection, served as a team captain in his senior season and was a part of helping the Rebels to some landmark wins in his four-year career.

Weathers helped the Rebels to wins over SEC foes Alabama and Georgia in 1976 before playing a role in a game that will forever stand out in the hearts of Rebel fans. In 1977, Weathers took the field in Jackson as Ole Miss upset Notre Dame, providing the only blemish on the resume of the eventual national champion.

In his time on campus, Weathers was an active part of campus life, including serving as the president of the Black Student Union.

"I am truly humbled and awed by this entire event,” Weathers said. “I never would have dreamed that the time I spent at the University of Mississippi would have a lifetime worth of impact in the manner in which it has throughout my life at this point. The University just keeps on giving in ways that just amazes me. It just goes to show that the relationships you build in college last forever. I'm truly honored.  By the way, I met my wife at Ole Miss and we have three wonderful children.  Thanks Ole Miss!”

Born in North Carolina in 1918, M-Club Service Award recipient Eleanor Shaw won the state high school singles title in 1935 for McComb.  She attended Belhaven College and Perkinston Jr. College (now Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College) before graduating from Ole Miss in 1939.   Shaw attended graduate school at North Carolina for one year. 

After college, she teamed with Dorothy Vest in doubles and the late Slew Hester in mixed doubles for several Mississippi championships.  At the age of 29, she was ranked No. 7 in the South.  She continued to play late into life, earning a ranking of No. 6 in the 60s division, and winning numerous Southern Senior titles in the 70s and 75s division. 

Shaw was elected to the Mississippi Tennis Hall of Fame in 1995.  She has four children, including son John Shaw who played baseball at Ole Miss, and eight grandchildren.

The University of Mississippi Athletics

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