Four inducted into MSU Sports Hall of Fame

Four new members were inducted into the Mississippi State University Sports Hall of Fame during pre-game ceremonies of the Auburn football game Oct. 10.

The new honorees include former baseball coach Ron Polk, football player Wayne Harris, track athlete and coach Don Hunt, and track standout Falilatu Ogunkoya.

During Polk's tenure as head baseball coach, the Bulldogs' level of success on and off the field rivaled any other program in the country. Polk's teams compiled a 888-422 overall record in 22 seasons of action (1976-1997). His teams never had a losing record.

Under Polk's tutelage, the Bulldogs claimed three Southeastern Conference titles, 15 NCAA Tournament appearances, and five NCAA College World Series competitions. His coaching efforts earned him SEC Coach of the Year honors on four occasions, and in 1985 he was named the American Baseball Coaches Association Coach of the Year after the Bulldogs finished the campaign with a 50-15 record and a CWS appearance.

Polk currently is serving as an assistant athletic director for special projects. He also continues to work with USA Baseball, assuming the head coaching duties this past summer and leading the team to the silver medal in the Intercontinental Cup Games in Nicaragua.

A four-year letter-winner (1979-82), offensive lineman Wayne Harris became the 24th player in school history to earn all-America plaudits, gaining recognition from both The Sporting News and Mizlou in 1981. He was named first-team all-SEC from 1980-82, and collected the Jacobs Award his junior and senior seasons, given to the league's most outstanding blocker.

A native of Water Valley, Miss, Harris played three seasons for the New Jersey Generals of the United States Football League. He has returned to Water Valley and currently serves as the president of Union Planters Bank, a position which he has held for the past 11 years.

Don Hunt was a seven-time letter-winner in cross-country and track, claimed SEC championships in cross-country and indoor and outdoor track, and was named all-conference seven times. His time of 4:04 in the mile in 1968 was a conference record until 1973 and continues to be the top mark in the state of Mississippi.

In 1972, Hunt returned to the university to serve as the head track coach, a position he held until 1979. The Laurel, Miss., native led the Bulldogs to second-place finishes in both indoor and outdoor track in 1975 and a third-place indoor mark in 1976. During his tenure, he mentored 32 athletes to all-league status, including eight all-Americans and three Olympians.

He currently resides in Ocala, Fla., where he is vice president for student services at Central Florida Community College.

A world-class track athlete who still competes in meets around the globe, Falilatu Ogunkoya was a five-time all-America selection (1987-89) in three events and claimed the SEC 400-meter championship in 1989 and 1990. She continues to possess six indoor and outdoor individual records and two relay marks in the Mississippi State record book.

A native of Nigeria, Ogunkoya made history at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, Ga., becoming the first Lady Bulldog track athlete and first Nigerian woman to earn an individual track medal. She won a bronze medal in the 400 meters and was a member of the silver medal-winning 4x400 relay squad.