MAAA Hall Of Fame

The MAAA Hall of Fame was established in 2017 to recognize and honor the outstanding careers of our deserving athletic administrators in the state of Mississippi.

Woody Barnett

2021

Woody Barnett’s passion for young people contributed to his success as a teacher, coach and administrator. More importantly, it has contributed to the success of many young men and women who were taught to develop character as well as their scholastic and athletic abilities.

Barnett is in his eighth year of retirement from the Pearl Public School District where he served for 36 years. During his tenure, all at Pearl, he served as a teacher, coach and for his last sixteen years as the athletic director.

During his tenure as athletic director, Pearl High School won a total of 48 state championships! As a coach, his teams won an amazing 43 state championships in track and field and cross country! He coached 145 state champions and in 1987 coached the All-American and national scholastic record holder, George Kersh.

Barnett has won numerous state, regional, and national coaching and AD honors. In 2004 he was named the National Boy’s Cross Country Coach of the Year by the National Federation of Coaches Association, and in 2012 he was named the National High School Coaches Association Boys Track & Field Coach of the Year.

In 2006 Barnett was inducted into the Pearl School District Alumni Association’s Hall of Fame. A crowning achievement was being inducted into the Mississippi Association of Coaches Hall of Fame in 2008.

Barnett has served in several positions in numerous professional organizations that include the Mississippi Association of Coaches, the Mississippi High School Activities Association, and the Mississippi Athletic Administrators Association.

In 2015 he chaired the first MHSAA Track and Field Summit that led to major changes for high school track and field in Mississippi. After retirement he started Pirate Timing, a cross country and track timing business. In 2016 he was named the first ever executive director of the Mississippi Athletic Administrators Association, a position he held for four years.

He and his wife of 43 years, Kathy, have two sons, Chris 39 and Kevin 35. They are also blessed grandparents to 3 grandchildren, Hutson 5, Harper Hasting 3 and Maylee 1.

Karen Green

2021

Karen graduated from MSCW in 1973, with a BS degree. While at the “W”, she played on the JV volleyball team and the Varsity basketball team from 1969 to 1972. In 1971, the “W” won the National Championship and in 1972, they made the Final four of the National Championship Tournament.

She attended graduate school at the University of Mississippi in 74-75. During that year, she was Assistant Volleyball and Basketball Coach (which was housed in the Physical Education Department).

During her coaching career, she has coached at Pascagoula High School, University of Mississippi, Mt. Pleasant Christian Academy and Potts Camp Junior and High Schools.

While at Potts Camp, she was the Athletic Director from 1995 – 2012. She was Marshall County District Athletic Director from November 2012 to December 2016. Total years Coaching and Athletic Director – 27 ½. During her tenure as Athletic Director, the following programs were established: Softball (both slow and fast pitch), cross country, track and field, and football.

Coaching Records – Combined Cross Country and Track and Field:

State Championship – 10
State Runner-ups – 8
North Half Championship – 8
Regional Championship – 14
District Championship – 26

Professional Honors:

Teacher of the Year – Potts Camp High – 1997-1998
Cross Country Coach of the Year – MAC – May 1998
Track and Field Coach of the Year – MAC – May 2001
NIAAA South Sectional Track and Field Coach of the Year – Feb. 2002
NIAAA Certified Athletic Director – 2004
NIAAA Certified Test Administrator – 2007
NIAAA State Award of Merit – 2009
NIAAA LTI Instructor – December 2010
NIAAA – Credentials Committee – 6 years
NIAAA – State Coordinator for Certification and LTI – 10 years
MHSAA Athletic Director of the Year – January 2010
MAAA – 2nd VP – 2004, 1st VP – 2005, President – 2006, 2007
MAAA – Conference Planning Committee – 10+ years

Lonnie Tillman

2021

Lonnie Tillman is a native of south Mississippi his hometown being Wiggins. After lettering in football and track and field at Stone County High School he attended Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College where he was a Junior College All-American offensive guard.

Majoring in athletic administration and coaching he attended the University of Southern Mississippi.

Since 1983, upon graduation from USM, Coach Tillman has been involved with high school athletics in our state.

At Harrison Central High School, he was an assistant football and boys track coach while serving as head coach for girls track & field.

From 1995 to 2011, Coach Tillman served as Athletic Director for Pass Christian and Harrison County School Districts. While working as an athletic director he taught LTC 501 and LTC 502 courses for the MAAA leadership training seminars.

After 28 years in public school Coach Tillman accepted a position with the Mississippi High School Activities Association where he is works as the Associate Director for MHSAA.

Career Highlights

Mississippi Athletic Administrator Association member since 1999
Masters in Educations from William Carey University 1995
MAAA Conference Planning Committee 1998-present
Joined National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators association 1999
Received the Certified Athletic Administrator distinction from NIAAA 1999
National Football Foundation Hall of Fame Gulf Coast Chapter President 1999-2001
National Football Foundation Hall of Fame Gulf Coast Chapter Secretary 2002-2011
Leadership Gulf Coast/Mississippi Gulf Coast Chamber of Commerce 2002-2003
Meet Director for South Mississippi 2A/4A track & field meet 2000-2005
NIAAA National Conference Moderator 2003
NIAAA Distinguished Service Award 2016
NIAAA State Award of Merit
First president of MAAA
Mississippi Association of Athletic Administrators AD of the Year 2004
MHSAA Legislative Council 2004-2008
NIAAA National Conference Presenter 2005
NIAAA Board of Directors 2004-2006
Mississippi representative at NIAAA Delegate Assembly 2006-2016
MHSAA Executive Committee President 2008-2010
MHSAA District VIII Executive Committee President 2008-2009
MHSAA District VIII Executive Committee (1995-2000) (2005-2010)
NIAAA Awards Committee 2012-2016
MHSAA Associate Director 2011-present

Lynn Moore

2021

R. Lynn Moore grew up in Summerland, Ms. He graduated from Taylorsville High School and then went on to graduate from William Carey University.

He has served within the educational community for 50 years, 35 of which were as a head football coach and Athletic Director throughout Mississippi and Louisianna. During this time he had numerous players go on to play D1 football as well as few being drafted to professional teams. He coached the Louisville Wildcats to a State Championship in 1993.

Coach Moore has been very active within the MAC and MHSAA throughout his career and remains so to this day. His reputation for building programs and improving facilities is just one part of his legacy.

Coach Moore contends that all of the successes mentioned above would not be possible without the relationships he built and maintains with his former athletes, faculty, assistant coaches and administrators.

His proudest accomplishment though is being married to his wife, Diane, for 51 years. Currently, Coach Moore is serving as the Itawamba County School District Director of Operations/Athletics.

Career Highlights

1978 Member of the MHSAA Legislative Counsel
1990 Instrumental in promoting the recognition of Powerlifting as a MHSAA sanctioned sport
1991 President of MHSAA District One
1992 Assistant coach in the Jackson Touchdown Club All-Star football game
1994 Assistant coach in the MS/AL All-Star football game
1999 Instrumental in promoting the creation of the MAC Football Coaches ALL-STATE TEAM
2000 Head Coach for the North in the Bernard Blackwell All-Star football game
2002 MAC Athletic Director of the Year
2017 Instrumental in promoting the recognition of Archery as a MHSAA sanctioned sport
2017 Inducted into the North East Mississippi Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame

Robert Turnage

2020

Robert Turnage spent 38 years in public education, the last seven as Superintendent of Philadelphia Public School District. Coach Turnage began his career in education in Utica in 1964, where he coached junior high athletics and high school football. He also taught social studies and biology. After two years at Utica, he moved on to Wingfield High School in Jackson, then on to Meridian High School where he spent the next 28 years. Mr. Turnage served as assistant coach, head coach, assistant principal and Principal. From 1973 through 1987, his responsibilities also included serving as athletic director for the Meridian Public Schools District. A graduate of Water Valley High School, Mr. Turnage received his A.A. degree from Northwest Community College, B.S. degree from the University of Mississippi and Specialist degree from Livingston University.

Career Highlights

Past Member of MHSAA Executive Committee
Past President of MHSAA District V
Past Chairman of Big 8 Conference
Mississippi Athletic Director of the Year (1979)
Past member Board of Directors, Millsaps College Principals’ Institute
Recognition of Meridian High School during his time as principal by Redbook magazine as America’s Best High School for the state of Mississippi.
Past President of Mississippi Athletic Directors Association

Jerry Alexander

2020

From 2009 through 2019, Coach Jerry D. Alexander served as the Chairman of District IV Middle Schools.

He was the head football coach and athletic director for the Moss Point School District from 1991 to his retirement in 2008.

His first teaching and coaching job was at Murphy High School in Mobile. He taught history and coached football and basketball. From there, he coached football and basketball at Gautier Middle School.

Mr. Alexander went to Moss Point in 1975 as a driver education and history teacher and an assistant football and track coach.

Mr. Alexander attended Seneca High School in Seneca, South Carolina. He received a B.S. from Delta State University, a M.S. in Education and Traffic Education from the University of South Alabama and a Master of Education-Administration from the University of Southern Mississippi.

Professional Honors:

Clarion-Ledger Football Coach of the Year, 1991
Distinguished Alumnus Award, Delta State University Alumni Association, Gulf Coast Chapter, 1992
Frank “Twigg” Branch Coach of the Year Award, National Football Foundation Hall of Fame, Gulf Coast Chapter, 1992, 1996, 1997, 2001
Mississippi Association of Coaches Coaching Staff of the Year, 1997
Mississippi Press Male Coach of the Year, 1996, 1997
Mississippi Sports Writers Association Coach of the Year, 1991
NAACP Award of Excellence to Moss Point Coaching Staff, 1997, 2000
Region IV Coach of the Year, 1996, 1997, 2000
Sun-Herald Coach of the Year, 1996, 2000
Featured in Coast Magazine, 1998, 2001
Mississippi Association of Coaches Hall of Fame, 2005
Mississippi Association of Coaches Athletic Director of the Year, 2008
Delta State Coaches Hall of Fame, 2010
Moss Point Football Stadium was named Jerry D. Alexander Stadium, 2016
Mississippi 5A South State Champions, 1983, 1991, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2001
Mississippi 5A State Champions, 1983, 1991, 1996, 1997, 2000