Reese to be inducted into NJCAA Hall of Fame

PERKINSTON — Brittney Reese continues to accumulate accolades even after hanging up her spikes last year.

The former Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College basketball star will be inducted into the NJCAA Foundation Hall of Fame in June.

"It's a huge honor," she said. "It's like being in the Hall of Fame at Ole Miss and at Perk, on that caliber. I'm excited to go up there and receive the award. It's a testament to my hard work, and I'm really excited about it."

Reese, who is now the girls track and cross-country coach at her alma mater, Gulfport High School, is far and away Gulf Coast's most decorated performer on the national and international stage. After playing two seasons of basketball at Perkinston, she went on to become SEC, NCAA, United States, World and Olympic champion a staggering 27 times in track and field.

At MGCCC, she led the women's basketball team to two postseason berths. She was named Mississippi Association of Junior and Community Colleges All-State and National Junior College Athletic Association All-Region 23, and was on the NJCAA All-American Honorable Mention list. She also played in the MACJC All-Star Game.

Reese won gold at the 2012 London Olympics and won silver medals in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 and Tokyo in 2021. She was inducted into the MGCCC Athletic Hall of Fame in 2011.

The NJCAA Hall of Fame seeks to honor individuals who have paved the way for opportunities at the two-year level – athletically and professionally, and those who have been pioneers throughout the history of the association. Inductees to the Hall of Fame include administrators, coaches, student-athletes, and meritorious contributors and influencers.

She joins Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer Nolan Richardson, Baseball Hall of Famer Kirby Puckett, former U.S. Men's National Soccer Team coach Bruce Arena and current Florida State men's basketball coach Leonard Hamilton in the 2023 Class.

"It's an amazing class," Reese said. "Seeing the success of all the other inductees, I was really shocked when I saw Nolan Richardson. It's pretty big. I'm excited about it and blessed and honored to be in their presence.

"There's a lot of talented people who have come through the NJCAA. The average person would have never known what the NJCAA has done." 

The induction ceremony will take place at the NJCAA Foundation Awards Banquet on June 8, to be held in Charlotte, N.C.

Past NJCAA Hall of Fame Inductees

2021

Larry Brown, Football, Dodge City

George E. Killian, former NJCAA executive director

Dick "Night Train" Lane, Football, Western Nebraska

Bob McAdoo, Basketball, Vincennes

John Mitchell, Football, Eastern Arizona

Lea Plarski, NJCAA Administrator

Sheryl Swoopes, Basketball, South Plains

2022

Betty Jo Graber, Basketball, Weatherford

Spencer Haywood, Basketball, Trinidad State

Lorene Ramsey, Basketball/Softball, Illinois Central

Jim Thome, Baseball, Illinois Central

Jessica McDonald, Soccer, Phoenix

For more information on MGCCC's 11 intercollegiate athletic teams, follow @MGCCCBulldogs on Twitter and MGCCCBulldogs on Facebook, and go to mgcccbulldogs.com.