HOLLY SPRINGS, Miss. – Rust College announced it will induct six distinguished individuals and two historic championship teams into the 2025 Rust College Athletics Hall of Fame.
The honorees, who represent decades of athletic achievement and service to the college, will be formally recognized during halftime of the Ishmell Edwards Classic Homecoming Game. The game is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 8, in the Kinzell Lawson Gymnasium.
This year’s class honors legendary coaches, record-breaking players, foundational administrators, and two national championship teams.
2025 Individual Inductees
Naylond Hayes: Legendary men’s basketball coach who led Rust College to its first National Small College Athletic Association (NSCAA) Championship in 1977. Hayes finished his career with a 338–169 coaching record.
Larry Anderson: The all-time winningest head coach at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and a member of the New England Basketball Hall of Fame. His coaching career includes an NCAA Final Four appearance, nine NCAA Tournament berths, and six conference championships.
Mary LeSueur: A pioneer of Rust College women’s basketball and a four-year captain from 1976–1980. LeSueur, who was instrumental in building the program’s foundation, later served the college for more than two decades.
Tonja Sanders: The 1990 NCAA Division III statistical champion for assists, averaging 11.7 per game (303 total). Sanders remains Rust College’s all-time assist leader with 669 career assists (9.8 per game).
Arthur “Bo” Sellers: The winningest baseball coach in Rust College history. Sellers achieved 200 career victories, won two championships, and produced three professional players signed to the Texas Rangers, Chicago Cubs, and Cleveland Indians organizations.
Naomi Taylor: A cornerstone of the Rust College Athletics department for nearly 50 years. Taylor served as the program’s administrative foundation, managing eligibility compliance, academic oversight, reporting, travel, and game-day operations.
2025 Team Inductees
1977 Men’s Basketball Team: Coached by fellow inductee Naylond Hayes, this team secured the NSCAA National Championship, finishing the season with a 35–5 record.
Team members: Lowell Garrett, Issac Lias, John Outlaw, Jeff Moore, Johnny Johnson, Ronald Easley, Melvin Evans, Henry Storey, Clyde Peete, and Harold McGhee.
In memory: Earl Morrow and Charles Jackson.
1984 Women’s Basketball Team: Winners of the 1984 NCAA Division III National Championship. The team defeated Elizabethtown College 51–49 on a buzzer-beater in Scranton, Pennsylvania, under Coach Dr. A.J. Stovall.
Team members: Nancy Binion-Reliford, Mittie Heildeburg-Williams, Sandra Ivory, Cat Milton, Phyllis Phillips Jones, Berta Robinson Taylor, Angela Agnew, Diane Buchanan, Dianne Ayer, Sarah Young, Barbara Knox, and Brenda Christian-Pree.
Bob Bakken provides content for DeSoto County News and its social media channels. He is an award-winning broadcaster, along with being a reporter and photographer, and has done sports media relations work with junior and minor league hockey teams. Along with his reports on this website, you will find this veteran media member providing sports updates and high school football play-by-play on Rebel 95.3 FM Radio.
