Bio

Merrill “Red” True

Harrison-Stone-Jackson Agricultural High School (1930-1934) / Baseball, Boxing, Track, Tennis
Harrison-Stone-Jackson Junior College (1934-1936) / Baseball, Boxing, Track, Tennis

Merrill “Red” True, nicknamed for his red locks, is one of the student-athletes who built the college’s championship athletic legacy in the early 20th century. He helped earn South Division titles for the college, was a member of three different state championship teams (baseball, track, tennis) and was a founding member of the Bulldog boxing program.

How did he have time to accomplish so much and still graduate? True is one of those unique student-athletes who started playing college sports at Perk while still in high school at the AHS. As a high school freshman in 1931, Drew made the Bulldog baseball team as a substitute second baseman. He was a starter when Bulldog pitcher Pat Morris was on the mound.

Coming into the last series of the season, the Bulldogs needed a sweep over East Central to claim the Mississippi Association of Junior Colleges South Division title and a spot in the state playoffs. By the third inning, the Bulldogs were already down a run and had no hits. Red got the bats going with a one-out single into left field. Two batters later, True was driven in, and the Bulldogs never trailed again. The 1931 team went on to win the South Division and Mississippi Association of Junior Colleges championships. True was a starting infielder in 1934 and 1935, and the Bulldogs went on to win the South Division both years.

Red’s second junior college state championship came in 1932 on the hardcourts. He teamed with William “Fish Bait” Miller to win the state doubles tennis title.

In 1933, Red, along with a handful of other students, volunteered to start a new boxing team at the college. True, like most of the other guys, didn’t have any experience in the “sweet science” of boxing. But after three months of practice, True laced up his gloves as a middleweight and stepped into the boxing ring set up by the college inside of the old gym. The Daily Herald covered the fight.

“After one minute and 40 seconds, Dennis (Gillespie) had taken so much punishment from Merrill True that Coach Carter tossed in the towel. Gillespie opened up with a sharp jab to True’s face but that was his last good punch. True outclassed him and showed promise. “

Perhaps Gillespie would have reconsidered the fight if he had known Red’s workout regimen every day. It began at 2 a.m. in the college’s boiler room. For four hours, True shoveled piles of raw black coal into one of the college’s boilers. It was backbreaking work that True said kept him in shape all year and, more importantly, helped pay for college.

Red won his third and final state championship in track. The same speed and quickness that serviced him on the baseball diamond and between the ropes helped him excel in pole vaulting. Track competitions were decided by overall team points. True constantly scored in the top three in pole vaulting to boost the team’s points. The Bulldog track team came into the 1935 MAJC championship undefeated and continued their winning ways, outscoring their nearest opponent by almost 200 points.

Although it doesn’t seem possible, Red also had time for one of his true passions, the theater, while at Perk. He was voted best junior college actor in 1935 for his portrayal of a death row inmate in the play “Valiant.” His performance was so well received the college performed the play again the following year, just to see True in the role one more time.