ELLISVILLE – Jones College Athletics is pleased to announce its 2026 Hall of Fame induction class, the 20th in the College's history.
This year's prestigious group features a seven-time NJCAA Region 23 Champion coach, a TOPGUN graduate, a two-sport star and former ninth-round selection in the MLB Draft, retired Army veteran, a seven-year NFL veteran and one of the best quarterbacks to ever come through Jones.
The 2026 induction class includes Missy Bilderback (women's basketball), Major Nick Laviano (men's soccer, golf), Chris Lofton (baseball, football), Adam Napier (men's golf), Eugene Sims (football) and Timothy Weathersby (football).
This year's ceremony will take place on Thursday, Sept. 17, 2026 at 5 o'clock inside A.B. Howard Gymnasium. Ticket information to follow.
About the 2026 inductees:
Missy Bilderback (2015-2023): When she accepted the job as Jones College's head women's basketball coach in 2015, the Bobcats had never been to the NJCAA National Tournament, nor had they captured an NJCAA Region 23 Tournament Title. In her second season on the job, Bilderback re-wrote the program's history books with a 30-2 finish, the program's first region title and the first-ever berth in the NJCAA Tournament. What followed was an unprecedented seven consecutive region titles, four NJCAA Sweet Sixteen's, two Elite Eights and the 2021-22 NJCAA Final Four. Her prowess in Ellisville netted her a 198-33 overall record with a gaudy 110-11 mark in MACJC/MACCC play, 30 All-MACCC players, 12 All-American laurels and 44 players were able to earn spots on four-year rosters, including 40 on Division I squads.
Major Nick Laviano (2004-2005): The Ellisville native graduated from Jones County Junior College in 2005 as a student-athlete, playing soccer and golf. The Bobcats were 16-8-4 over his two seasons on the pitch. He went on to earn his bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering from Mississippi State and was accepted into the United States Navy Officer Candidate School and was commissioned as an Ensign in January 2009. A few years later after being designated as a naval aviator, his first operational assignment was in Lemoore, Calif., attached to the Strike Fighter Squadron 86 (VFA-86), where he flew the FA-18E Super Hornet. While there, he pursued his lifelong dream and apply to the Navy Fighter Weapons School, known as TOPGUN.
Chris Lofton (2008-2010): A two-sport standout at Jones in baseball and football, Lofton was drafted by the San Francisco Giants as an outfielder in the 9th Round of the 2010 MLB Draft and played in the minor leagues from 2010 to 2014, reaching as high as the Augusta GreenJackets. He registered 50 career tackles and three career interceptions in the secondary for the Bobcats, including a 60-yard pick six in a 27-7 win at Mississippi Delta during the 2008 season and a 71-yard punt return for a touchdown vs. Gulf Coast his sophomore year.
Adam Napier (2000-2001): Originally from Collins, Napier grew up in an athletic family and played many sports but didn't get the golf bug until high school. Napier learned quickly and played on the high school golf team and eventually played two years at JCJC. The September 11 terrorist attacks happened during his sophomore year and, coming from a family where his father and two grandfathers spent time in the military, Napier knew he would eventually enlist. Napier's first deployment came in 2006 at age 22, supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. He was honorably discharged in late 2016. He had spent 56 months deployed over 3 separate deployments to Iraq & Afghanistan. Napier would leave the military a two-time Purple Heart recipient.
Eugene Sims (2005-07): Sims began his college career at JCJC in 2005 before transferring to West Texas A&M where he became one of the nation's top small-college defensive linemen. As a sophomore at Jones and MACJC All-Star Game selection, Sims was second on the team with 50 tackles, 30 of them solo, and a pair of forced fumbles. He moved to the defensive line as a sophomore after being a two-game starter for the Bobcats at strong safety as a freshman. He'd go on to play seven years in the NFL after being drafted in the 7th Round by the Los Angeles Rams in the 2010 draft.
Timothy Weathersby (1997-1998): Jones football's all-time leader in touchdown passes (26) and second-most passing yards (3,123), Weathersby was showered with accolades for the Bobcats. As a sophomore in 1998, he led Jones to a 12-0 record, national championship (according to Mike Gottfried's Gridiron Magazine) was a JC Grid-wire All-American Honorable Mention, NJCAA All-Region 23, All-MACJC, JCJC's Most Valuable Offensive Player and the Most Valuable Offensive Back in the MACJC. He'd go on to sign with Alabama State.
