Co-Lin’s Huckaby in state Hall Of Fame

Special to Wesson News

The late Bob Huckaby of Bogue Chitto has been inducted into the Mississippi Community College Sports Hall of Fame.

Huckaby graduated with an associate’s degree from Co-Lin in 1954, where he played basketball. He continued his education at Mississippi College, earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees.

A member of the Bogue Chitto High School Class of 1952, he was named an All-American after leading his team to a state championship. He had a successful two-season stint at Co-Lin under Coach Ray Busby, where he was the leading scorer and rebounder. He was inducted into Co-Lin’s Sports Hall of Fame in 1984. At Mississippi College, he earned Little All-American honors and continued his streak as the team’s leading scorer and rebounder. He was inducted into MC’s Sports Hall of Fame in 1983, and he is a member of the 500-point club.

After graduating from college, he was drafted into the United States Army and spent two years at Fort Chaffe in Fort Smith, Arkansas. In the Army, he continued to excel in basketball, softball, and track, including a fourth-place finish in the Army High Jump. He coached at State Line, Mississippi, for seven years before returning to Co-Lin to be the head basketball coach from 1966 to 1968. He left coaching to become a vocational counselor until his retirement in 1995. He died on October 13, 2021.

“I saw him play at Mississippi College against Southern Miss, and he was scoring every time he got the ball,” said Alton Ricks, former Co-Lin basketball coach and Huckaby’s colleague. “He was a left-hander; he was considered the best with his left-handed hook shot.”

Huckaby and his wife, Katherine, had three children: Cheryl Shelby (Gus), Julia Everett (Jack), and Robert Huckaby (Leanne).