Emory Bellard

Emory Bellard worked as a high school and college football coach for more than 40 years, including 14 seasons as the head coach at Texas A&M and Mississippi State. After 15 years as a high school coach in Texas, where he won three state titles, Bellard took over as the offensive coordinator of the Texas Longhorns for five seasons before A&M hired him as its head coach.

He coached the Aggies for seven seasons, posting four straight eight-win seasons from 1974-1977. His 1975 squad won the conference title, but his teams were just 1-2 in bowl games during Bellard’s time in College Station. He resigned midway through the 1978 season with a 4-2 record, and left A&M with a combined record of 48-27.

He was hired as the head coach at Mississippi State prior to the start of the 1979 season. Bellard led the Bulldogs to two winning seasons, reaching a bowl game both times. He was 1-1 in those bowl games. Bellard left Starkville following the conclusion of the 1985 season with a cumulative record of 37-42. He returned to coaching at the high school level before retiring after the 1993 season.

Ethan Levine

A former newspaper reporter who has roamed the southeastern United States for years covering football and eating way too many barbecue ribs, if there is such a thing.