The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss Chancellor Leads Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame Inductees
Aug. 7, 1999
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) -- Golf standout Eddie Merrins and Robert Khayat, a pro football player and two-sport All Southeastern Conference athlete before becoming chancellor of his alma mater, are among six people to be inducted into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame next year.
The hall?s Class of 2000, which will increase the hall?s membership to 195, was introduced Thursday at the Mississippi Sports Museum and Hall of Fame. Induction ceremonies are next March 10.
In addition to Khayat, the University of Mississippi chancellor, and Merrins, who is already the member of four other Hall of Fames, the 2000 Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame inductees are former Southern Mississippi football coach Bobby Collins, former NFL All-Pro defensive end Jack Gregory, the late Butch Lambert, and basketball standout Purvis Short.
-? Collins, a Laurel native, was a quarterback and punter at Mississippi State from 1951-54 and later coached the Southern Miss football team to national prominence. The Golden Eagles were 48-30-2 from 1975-81.
-? Gregory was a three sport standout at Okolona High and then played tight end and defensive end at the University of Chattanooga and Delta State University (1962-65). During a 13-year pro career with the Cleveland Browns and New York Giants, he was an all-pro performer.
?- Khayat, a Moss Point native, played football (1957-59) and baseball at Ole Miss. He then played in the NFL with the Washington Redskins from 1960-64, earning All-Pro honors as a kicker in 1961. At the same time, he pursued his law degree, entering private practice in 1967. Before becoming Ole Miss chancellor in 1995, Khayat served as law professor, vice chancellor and interim athletic director at the school.
-? Lambert was an outstanding Southeastern Conference football official who also was the state?s tax commissioner. Lambert was injured playing for the Ole Miss football team in the late 1940s, but served as a manager for both the football and basketball teams. He also was a coach at Southwest and Itawamba junior colleges. As a referee, he officiated in 12 bowl games.
?- Merrins started playing golf at age 11 in his hometown of Meridian and won his first golf title, a junior championship at the club two years later. He was a three-time All-American and two-time SEC champion at LSU from 1950-54. After numerous amateur titles, Merrins turned pro in 1957, went on to play on the PGA Tour, teach and eventually coached UCLA to a national championship in 1987.
-? After a standout high school career in Hattiesburg, Short went on to star at Jackson State and in the NBA. At Jackson State, Purvis had a career scoring average of 23.8 points per game, including a school-record 29.5 ppg as a senior. He was the fifth player selected in the 1978 NBA draft and went on to play 12 pro seasons.