SENATOBIA - Northwest Mississippi Community College will enshrine five additional members to the 2023 Northwest Sports Hall of Fame class on Thursday, October 19, as part of the college's Homecoming ceremonies.

This year's inductees are senior inductee and former football standout Hiram "Doc" Sanders (1964, 1966), football star Andre Thompson (1989-90), baseball student-athlete Chris McMinn (1993-94), former multi-sport athlete Tosheba Jones (1995-97) and men's basketball star LaTaryl Williams (1996-98).

Additionally, Northwest will recognize its Alumnus of the Year Sterling Withers (1966-69) during the ceremony, as well as the Golden Circle Recognition for the Class of 1973. The event will take place at the David M. Haraway Center on the Senatobia campus at 4 P.M., preceded by a reception at 3 P.M.


HIRAM "DOC" SANDERS, FOOTBALL (1964, 1966)
For Hiram "Doc" Sanders, football was more than a game...it was a path of opportunity.

Growing up the youngest of ten children in rural Mississippi, it was football that gave him the opportunity to enter what was then Northwest Junior College in 1964. He arrived with a scholarship to play football and run track. After choosing to redshirt his sophomore year and enter the workforce, Sanders returned to Northwest for his sophomore season in 1966, in what proved to be a momentous year with many positive changes.

In 1966, Northwest welcomed black student-athletes to the football team, one of many positive markers during a successful season. Under the direction of first-year head coach Billy Joe Cox, the Rangers finished 7-2-1 and went 3-0-1 in the MACJC North Division. The year ended with several Northwest players being selected for the Mississippi All-Star Game, with Cox coaching a North All-Star team that contained several Rangers, including Sanders. 

Following his time at Northwest, Sanders earned a scholarship to continue his athletic and academic career at Murray State University, where he led the team in tackles during the 1967 season. In 1969, he graduated from Murray State with a double major in Social Studies and Health & Physical Education, and began his coaching career at Henry County High School in Paris, Tenn., where he remained for five years.

In 1974, Sanders married Sarah Bichon from Paducah, Ky., and they moved to Mayfield, Ky., where they had three children and began raising a family. At Mayfield High School, he began a six-year stint coaching football and teaching a range of academic classes. As a defensive coach, he helped lead the team to a pair of state championships within a six-year period. To this day, Mayfield remains a regional football powerhouse in Kentucky.

In 1980, Sanders was named the head coach of Marshall County High School in Benton, Ky., where he remained for 10 seasons. During that time, he shifted the school's athletic focus from basketball to competitive football, winning 60 games, including five seasons with seven or more victories. His 1986 team garnered an 8-2 record and the program's first district title. With accomplishments in that direction, Doc became an administrator and was later named to the role of athletic director, where he remained until he retired in 2001. During that span, Marshall County won numerous district and regional championships, and made considerable expansions across all sports.  

During his "first" retirement, Sanders devoted his energies to his cattle farm near Benton. He also invested more time toward the development of his hunting club on the family land near Marks, Miss. 

Sanders' passion for athletics and leadership returned in 2004, when he was recruited by colleagues "across state lines" to return to Henry County as assistant principal and athletic director. After several years there, he retired again in 2009, only to be lured back to the football field as an assistant coach from 2010-15, accumulating two state championships.  

Today, Sanders enjoys managing his two farms near Benton, Ky. and Paris, Tenn., as well as his hunting club near Marks. His favorite annual experiences arrive every fall, where he enjoys the high spirits of football at all levels, particularly high school and college. Sanders says he enjoys attending all the football games he possibly can and other hobbies in his spare time include reading all things history, as well as farm and weather-related publications and programming.

Sanders has 10 grandchildren who are involved in various sports and activities, including dance team, golf, swimming, basketball, baseball and of course, football. He enjoys visiting with them and other extended family members across Mississippi, Tennessee and Kentucky.

ANDRE THOMPSON, FOOTBALL (1989-90)
There were countless legends to step on the gridiron during coach Bobby Franklin's tenure at Northwest, and Andre Thompson was certainly one of them.

A native of Oxford, Thompson was the second child of Willie James Thompson and Christine Dixon Fox and had four other siblings. He arrived at Northwest in the fall of 1989, helping the Rangers to a 12-1 record during his freshman season, which also included an MACJC championship and a 31-27 victory in the Shrine Bowl against Kilgore College.

During Thompson's sophomore season, Northwest compiled an 8-3 record but finished a perfect 6-0 in the MACJC North Division, capturing the division title. That same year, he earned First Team All-MACJC and NJCAA All-Region 23 accolades. To this day, Thompson still remains third in the Rangers' career quarterback sacks, as he totaled 30 during his two seasons at Northwest.

Following the 1990 season, he signed with Oklahoma State University, becoming the first Ranger to join the football program at OSU. 

In 1991, Thompson started 11 games for the Cowboys, before returning home to finish out his collegiate studies at Ole Miss. After Ole Miss, he began working for Emerson Electric, where he remained for 10 years. Thompson later moved to Caterpillar and worked there for 15 years, before arriving at his current job in the receiving and warehouse department at Olin Winchester.

In his spare time, Thompson enjoys playing softball, fishing, ATV riding and grilling. He is a member of Oxford Masonic Lodge #16 and participates in a masonic family community picnic, school supply drive and adopting a family at Christmas. He is also a member of East St. Peter Missionary Baptist Church in Abbeville, Miss.


CHRIS MCMINN, BASEBALL (1993-94)
There are a few names that come to mind when referring to Mississippi high school baseball coaching legends. Chris McMinn is one of those names.

A Class of 1992 alumnus of South Panola High School and the son of current Northwest Sports Hall of Famer Ronald McMinn, Chris McMinn played two seasons of baseball at Northwest from 1993-94, playing for Hall of Fame coaches Jim Miles and Donny Castle. During his sophomore season at Northwest, McMinn earned All-Region accolades, later attending Delta State University, where he graduated in 1997.

It was his time at Northwest that set McMinn up for the success he would have in the high school coaching ranks. He accepted his first job out of college at Horn Lake High School, where he served as an assistant baseball and boys' basketball coach for three years. In the fall of 2000, McMinn came back to Tate County as the head girls' basketball coach at Senatobia High School, where he also coached softball and assisted with baseball.

During his stint at SHS, McMinn led the Lady Warriors to a district championship and two runner-up finishes, while also guiding the softball program to three district titles.

McMinn's first stint at Magnolia Heights began in 2003, where he served as the assistant baseball coach until 2004, when DeSoto Central hired him as the head girls' basketball coach and head volleyball coach. A new school at the time, DeSoto Central finished as the runner-up in the state volleyball tournament and finished second in the district in girls' basketball, while also capturing third in the North Half Tournament and advancing to the semifinals of the state championship in Jackson.

McMinn returned to Magnolia Heights in 2005 as the school's head baseball coach, and the rest is history. In his first season, the Chiefs finished 29-3 and won the district title, sparking a dynasty that consisted of runner-up finishes in 2006, 2007 and 2010 and MAIS state titles in 2009, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022 and 2023.

In all, McMinn has guided the Chiefs' baseball program to 13 North State Championships and 14 district championships since 2006. He was also named Coach of the Year by the Clarion-Ledger in 2013 and has received MAIS Coach of the Year accolades 11 times since 2009.

For the 2022 season, McMinn was also named Regional and National Coach of the Year by the American Baseball Coaches Association. In 2021, McMinn was inducted into the South Panola Sports Hall of Fame and in August 2023, he was also enshrined into the MAIS Coaches Hall of Fame.


TOSHEBA JONES, WOMEN'S BASKETBALL/SOFTBALL (1995-97)
Tosheba Jones did not have to go far to begin her college career.

A Senatobia native, Jones arrived at Northwest in the fall of 1995 and helped Northwest to one of its most successful seasons in women's basketball. Under the leadership of Hall of Famer Don Edwards, Jones and the Lady Rangers turned a 4-4 start into a 19-5 overall record, earning the 1996 MACJC Championship. The state title win marked the first time that the Lady Rangers earned back-to-back conference championships since 1983-84.

Jones and the Lady Rangers also won the Region 23 title that season, advancing to the NJCAA National Tournament in Tyler, Texas, where they finished sixth in the nation. 

Northwest finished with an identical 19-5 overall mark during Jones' sophomore season, the 1996-97 campaign. As one of seven sophomores on the team, Jones was named Honorable Mention All-MACJC following the season.

While at Northwest, Jones also played softball for the Rangers, a sport that was still in the early stages of competition at the Mississippi JUCO level.

After leaving Northwest, Jones has been a part of the Senatobia Municipal School District for the last 23 years as a teacher and the head girls' basketball coach. During the 2019-20 season, Jones guided the SHS girls' basketball team to the MHSAA Class 3A State Championship, which was held at The Pavilion at Ole Miss.

Jones is a member of Delta Sigma Theta sorority and has been married to Kenya Jones for 11 years. Jones has two children, Alvarez Powell (23) and Kennedi Jones (9).


LATARYL WILLIAMS, MEN'S BASKETBALL (1996-98)
The 1990s were a largely successful decade for the Northwest men's basketball program, and current Northwest women's basketball head coach LaTaryl Williams had a lot to do with that.

A native of Oxford, Williams arrived at Northwest in the fall of 1996, playing for Northwest Sports Hall of Famer Marc Dukes. During his two seasons with the Rangers, Williams helped Northwest to a combined 57-11 overall record and an appearance in the 1998 NJCAA Final Four, while earning All-MACJC, All-Region 23 and All-NJCAA Tournament accolades.

From Northwest, Williams joined Ole Miss and helped the Rebels and head coach Rod Barnes to the 1999 NCAA Tournament and the 2000 National Invitational Tournament. While at Ole Miss, Williams scored 386 career points and amassed 156 career rebounds. From his junior to senior seasons, he nearly tripled his scoring average from 3.1 to 9.0 points per game.

After earning his Bachelor's degree from Ole Miss, Williams signed his first professional basketball contract with the Memphis Houn'Dawgs of the American Basketball Association. Following a successful rookie year with the franchise, Williams continued his professional career overseas for the next 10 years throughout Europe and South America. 

In 2008, Williams signed to play with the historic Leicester Riders in England. While there, he ran a basketball academy for youth ages 14-18 at Burleigh Community College for four years.

In 2012, Williams moved back to the United State after accepting an assistant coaching position for the women's basketball program at Holmes Community College. During his stint in Goodman, he helped lead the Lady Bulldogs to four straight postseason appearances, including the semifinals of the 2018 NJCAA Region 23 Tournament and a MACJC North Division title. 

While coaching at Holmes, Williams continued to pursue his education, earning his Master's degree in coaching and administration from the University of Northern Colorado. 

Following the 2017-18 season, Williams accepted the head coaching position for the women's basketball program at East Central Community College. He spent four seasons in Decatur, totaling 43 wins and an 18-6 overall record in 2018-19, the most wins by a first-year head coach in program history. His 2018-19 team also cracked the NJCAA Top 25 rankings and the Lady Warriors would earn three trips to the NJCAA Region 23 Tournament.

In 2022, Williams was appointed as the head coach for the Northwest women's basketball program. He is now entering his second year leading the Lady Rangers' program.

Williams married his wife Danetra during the offseason and the couple has three children: Khaliq, Lianna and Jaliyah.