Josh Wells, Class of 2013

Josh Wells was a inducted into the Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges in the Class of 2013.

The Pascagoula native didn’t start playing football until his junior year at Carver High School. Despite his lack of experience on the gridiron, Wells, helped lead his team to conference championships as a junior and senior.

Wells broke barriers in 1967 by becoming the first African-American to earn an athletic scholarship at Gulf Coast and play at the college level in Mississippi.  A few days later, Carver High teammates Glen Larkin and Morris Richardson followed Wells in making the 1967 team’s final cut.

On the field, Wells was a 192-pound offensive lineman as a freshman. What he lacked in size he made up for in pure strength and helped lead Gulf Coast to a state title in 1967 along with earning a letter and All-State recognition.

A year later, Wells switched to defense and helped the Bulldogs to a 9-1 record and another appearance in the state title game.  He was also an Honorable Mention All-American and a First Team All-State honoree as a sophomore.

Wells went on to play football at Southeastern Louisiana University where he was named All-Conference his junior and senior years.