Hugh McLaurin Pepper III (January 18, 1930 – February 4, 2018) was a collegiate All-American football player,

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

player, and high school football coach. Born in

Vaughan, Mississippi Vaughan (also Vaughans or Vaughn) is an unincorporated area, unincorporated community in Yazoo County, Mississippi. The settlement is east of Yazoo City, Mississippi, Yazoo City. History Vaughan was founded in 1830 and named for Henry Vaughan, ...

, he is a member of the

University of Southern Mississippi The University of Southern Mississippi (Southern Miss or USM) is a public research university with its main campus located in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award bachelor's, ma ...

Hall of Fame and was a charter member of the school's Legends Club, as well as the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame. He was twice honored by the

Mississippi State Legislature The Mississippi Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Mississippi. The bicameral Legislature is composed of the lower Mississippi House of Representatives, with 122 members, and the upper Mississippi State Senate, with 52 ...

—once for his playing career at USM and once for his achievements as a high school football coach in

Ocean Springs Ocean Springs is a city in Jackson County, Mississippi, United States, approximately east of Biloxi and west of Gautier. It is part of the Pascagoula, Mississippi Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 17,225 at the 2000 U.S. Census ...

College career

Before turning to professional baseball, Pepper was an All-American halfback at Mississippi Southern. He starred in a 1953 Mississippi Southern win over 5th-ranked

University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, or Bama) is a public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of Alabama is the oldest and largest of the publi ...

led by

Bart Starr Bryan Bartlett Starr (January 9, 1934 – May 26, 2019) was an American professional football quarterback and head coach for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at the University of ...

. Pepper had a 66-yard touchdown run combined with a 45-yard touchdown reception in the upset. He complimented his offensive performance with an interception on defense to help lift then Mississippi Southern to its first win against Alabama. Pepper was an explosive threat on the football field with an 8.2 career yards per carry average, still the school record. He also has two touchdowns on kick returns in only 6 attempts.

Professional career

Pepper was selected sixth in the 1954 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers. He instead signed a bonus contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Under the rules in place at that time, the Pirates were required to keep Pepper on their

roster. From 1954 to 1957, Pepper pitched in 44 games for the Pirates. His first win was in a game played on August 26, 1954. He only won one other major league game. Pepper played in his last major league game on June 6, 1957. Three days later he was optioned to the

Hollywood Stars The Hollywood Stars were a Minor League Baseball team that played in the Pacific Coast League during the early- and mid-20th century. They were the arch-rivals of the other Los Angeles-based PCL team, the Los Angeles Angels. Hollywood Stars (192 ...

of the Pacific Coast League in order to make room for Dick Hall. Pepper continued to play professional baseball in the

minor leagues Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in No ...

until 1963.

Coaching career

After his playing days were over, Pepper spent nearly three decades as a high school football coach and athletic director at Ocean Springs High School, where he had 25 winning seasons, won 12 Gulf Coast Conference championships and had 6 undefeated teams. At a ceremony in 1998, the high school honored Pepper by naming the Greyhound Stadium field 'Hugh Pepper Field'. As Head Coach, Pepper led the Greyhounds to a 191-81-3 record over 28 seasons. In 1991, the year he retired, Pepper was honored by the National Football Foundation as its "Distinguished American."

Personal life

Pepper and his wife, Janice, had four children and were married for 63 years. Pepper died at his home in Ocean Springs, Mississippi on February 4, 2018, at the age of 88.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pepper, Hugh McLaurin 1930 births 2018 deaths Baseball players from Mississippi Columbus Jets players Dallas Rangers players Hawaii Islanders players Hollywood Stars players Greenville Spinners players Major League Baseball pitchers People from Ocean Springs, Mississippi People from Yazoo County, Mississippi Pittsburgh Pirates players Players of American football from Mississippi Rochester Red Wings players Salt Lake City Bees players Southern Miss Golden Eagles baseball players Southern Miss Golden Eagles football players