Hall of Fame
Joe Flowers was among the inaugural class of the MACJC and Jones County Junior College Sports Hall of Fame inductees.
Flowers was a standout at Jones County Agricultural High School and was recruited to JCJC by head coach Jim Clark.
Flowers was a freshman on the 1955 state championship team, which traveled to Pasadena, Calif., and faced Compton, Calif., Junior College in the Junior Rose Bowl. In front of a crowd of 57,132, the Bobcats lost 22-13, but the game made history because it was the first time ever where a Mississippi sports team competed against a team with black athletes.
As a sophomore in 1956, Flowers really shined. He was an All-State and All-American as a linebacker, cornerback and fullback. He averaged over five yards per carry.
Jones finished with a 7-3 mark and Flowers competed in the first Junior College All-American Grid Classic, which was sponsored by The Jackson Daily News-Clarion Ledger and the Wigwam Wisemen of America. The game was played in Jackson on Dec. 14, featuring junior college All-Stars from across the country.
Flowers headed to Memphis State University after leaving Jones, but a severe ankle injury cut his senior college career short. He recalls scoring one touchdown with the Tigers.
After graduating from Memphis State, Flowers returned home and taught at Ellisville Elementary School, Pleasant Ridge Elementary School and West Jones High School, before going to work at Sanderson Farms for 36 years.
He married Alyne Breland and they have three children: Joe Thomas “Tommy” Flowers Jr., Karen and Jason; eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
