By Billy Watkins
Robert Wilson, who has covered high school and college sports for three decades, has been selected to the 2025 Hall of Fame class of the MidSouth Association of Independent Schools’ Coaches Association.
Wilson, a Jackson native, is the lead high school writer at Mississippi Scoreboard. He becomes the first media member to be selected.
Also chosen for induction:: Nick Brewer, coach, Jackson Prep and Winston Academy; Susan Byrd, athlete, Leake Academy and Ole Miss; Stephen Force, coach, MRA and Starkville Academy; Todd Lott, coach, Washington School; Jeff Noblin, athlete, Jackson Prep and Ole Miss; Sam Pearson, coach, Desoto School and Winston Academy; Todd Sandroni, athlete, Indianola Academy and Ole Miss; Wayne Williams, coach, Presbyterian Christian School and Alabama.
The induction ceremony will be July 26 at the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum in Jackson.
“I am humbly honored to be a part of this Hall of Fame with so many great coaches, administrators and athletes.,” Wilson said. “When Les Triplett (the MAIS director of development) told me I’d been selected I said, ‘But I’ve never won a single game.’ “
Triplett responded: “No, but you’ve written about a whole lot of them.”
MRA basketball coach Richard Duease said Wilson’s stories have impacted his career and those of countless others.
“When I came to MRA in 1982, Robert covered a game between us and Jackson Prep,” said Duease, the winningest basketball coach in Mississippi history. “MRA had never beaten Prep, but we beat them that night.
“Robert wrote a huge article about the game and the team and me. It meant a lot. It really got me going. Basketball in this area would not be the same without Robert Wilson.”
Lance Pogue, who has coached football in private and public schools in Mississippi, said the thing that stands out about Wilson is that “ he has always been completely and unbelievably professional.”
Pogue, the new coach at Brandon High, added: “He’s always looking for that great story from the smallest school in the state to the largest. He understands what it all means to the communities across Mississippi. He relates to it, and I think that has truly impacted his work.”
Mississippi Scoreboard’s Hays Collins and Robert “Bob” Smith hired Wilson six years ago. Collins knew of Wilson’s work. Smith had been friends with Wilson for years.
“I knew he was a super dependable guy and we could count on him,” Smith said. “He genuinely cares for the athletes he covers.
“He thanks me all the time for giving him a chance to do once again what he’s always loved. I think he really missed it after leaving the newspaper.”
Wilson, who worked 23 years for The Clarion Ledger/Jackson Daily News, grew up a sports fan and an avid tennis player.
After attending Hinds Community College, he earned two degrees from Ole Miss — journalism and business — and wasn’t sure which path his career would take. But Wilson, a 1975 graduate of Wingfield High School, accepted a job offer at the Jackson newspapers.
“I grew up reading the box scores in the paper and keeping stats on games,” Wilson said. “ I (began) taking line scores of high school games over the phone for Palmer Manning, and then started writing sports stories for the Focus sections before Rick Cleveland and the late Orley Hood brought me onboard with the Jackson Daily News full time.
“I enjoy seeing the success of these athletes and coaches and the excitement of the games. As ABC Sports famously said, ‘The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat.’ I’ve covered thousands of games and none are the same.
“I like to paint a picture for the reader of what happened in the game. I enjoy when I write a feature story on someone or some team and find something interesting about them that not many people know.”
Wilson’s faith has been important to him since seventh grade when he attended Parkway Baptist Church in west Jackson.
“I incorporate my faith into my writing when it is appropriate and use quotes from athletes and coaches who like to express their faith ,” Wilson said. “I really enjoyed doing the Victories in Metro Jackson magazine where I told stories about athletes and coaches’ faith and how important Christ was in their lives.”
When asked who he will be thinking about on the night of the induction ceremony, Wilson responded: “I wish my mom, Ruth Wilson, who passed away in 2016, could be there watching. She was my biggest fan and probably kept every story I ever wrote at The Clarion Ledger/Jackson Daily News. She was always encouraging and wanted to hear all the details of what went on at the games that I covered. She was an avid sports fan.”
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