Led by repeat first-team recipient Dedric Ruffin of the track and field team, Mississippi State landed four student-athletes on the 1999 Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholars team.

As honored by Black Issues in Higher Education, the university also placed track and field senior Fred Collier on the publication's second team, while Bulldog junior George White (football) and Lady Bulldog junior Barbara Thomas (women's basketball) were selected third and fourth team, respectively.

Ruffin is a three-time member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll with a 3.68 cumulative grade-point average in insurance. The Meridian native currently ranks second on MSU's all-time superlative listing in the 110-meter hurdles. He was a finalist for the 1998-99 H. Boyd McWhorter SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award.

All first-time selections as Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholars, Collier, White, and Thomas also are two-time members of the SEC Academic Honor Roll.

Established seven years ago by Black Issues in Higher Education, the Sports Scholars Awards honor students of color who exemplify the standards set by tennis great Arthur Ashe Jr. Additional criteria include: competing at any level above club play in an intercollegiate sport; maintaining a cumulative grade-point average of 3.20 or higher; and demonstrating a record of service to the campus or community.