CLEVELAND - The Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Cellular South, Inc., announced on Monday, May 10 that the 7th annual Cellular South Ferriss Trophy presentation ceremony will be held on the campus of Delta State University on Monday, May 24 at the Bologna Performing Arts Center. A reception will begin at 5:30 p.m. with the award's ceremony scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
"Coach Ferriss is a Mississippi treasure and our presence in his hometown is a show of respect for him," MS Sports Hall of Fame executive director Michael Rubenstein stated.
The three finalists and their head coaches will also be in attendance with the winner announced at the event. All proceeds benefit the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum in Jackson.
Tickets for the event are $75 for adults with special $25 tickets set aside for students 18 and under. To purchase tickets, please contact the MS Sports Hall of Fame at (601) 982-8264 or 1-800-280-3263. All ticket purchases are tax deductible.
The Cellular South Ferriss Trophy is named after Dave “Boo” Ferriss of Shaw; a 1964 inductee in the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame. He was a three-time All-SEC player at Mississippi State, who won 46 games in his first two seasons as a pitcher with the Boston Red Sox including Game 4 of the 1946 World Series versus St. Louis. Ferriss went on to serve as head coach at Delta State University for 28 years and the baseball field at the Cleveland school bears his name. In 2002, he was inducted into the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame.
FERRISS AWARD HISTORY
The inaugural Cellular South Ferriss Trophy presentation took place in 2004. The current sponsorship agreement between the Museum and Cellular South extends through the 2014 presentation.
The Cellular South Ferriss Trophy in college baseball, the Cellular South Conerly Trophy in college football and the Cellular South Howell Trophy in men's college basketball constitute the three elements of the Cellular South Outstanding Player Awards Series. All three events have been televised live throughout the state by Mississippi Public Broadcasting.
PAST WINNERS:
2004 Stephen Head (IF/P) Ole Miss
2005 Brian Pettway (OF) Ole Miss
2006 Thomas Berkery(IF) MSU
2007 Ed Easley (MSU)
2008 Scott Bittle (P) Ole Miss
2009 Craig Westcott (IF/P) Belhaven
ABOUT THE TROPHY
Sculpted by Dr. Kim Sessums from Brookhaven, the Cellular South Ferriss Trophy is a lost-wax bronze casting of an original clay sculpture by Dr. Sessums. The original Cellular South Ferriss Trophy is on permanent display at the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum. An exact replica of the trophy is presented to the winner each year at the announcement dinner.
