A Mississippi football coaching legend sadly has passed away.
Coach Parker Dykes, a Bay Springs, Miss. native, died Wednesday around 2 p.m following a battle with cancer. He was 76-years-old.
Coach Dykes was widely known for decades in the football community aroundthe state and in Tennessee, but likely became most well-known during a 14 year head coaching stint with the Jones County Junior College Bobcats that began in 1992. Over the years, Dykes led the Bobcats to a 90-50-1 record during his time at Jones. While at JC, Dykes guided the Bobcats to one national championship in 1998, two state and Region 23 titles in 1998 and 2002, and four post-season bowl appearances. He left Jones in 2005 to take an assistant coaching position at Carson-Newman College in Tennessee. Dykes returned home to Mississippi in 2008 and served as the defensive coordinator at Sylva-Bay Academy. A year later, he returned to Tennessee as the defensive coordinator at Jefferson County High School. During retirement, he moved back to his area of roots in Bay Springs.
JCJC won National Championship in 1998 under Dykes.
Dykes was raised in Bay Springs where he played high school football for the Bulldogs. Following high school, he attended JCJC and continued to play football. He later transferred to Mississippi College where he played football, and he earned his undergraduate and master's degrees. While at MC, Dykes earned the Danna X Bible Outstanding Blocker Award. He was the president of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes during his time at MC, and he continued to be a part of FCA and notable Christian leadership throughout his lifetime.
During his career that began in 1965, Dykes coached on several different levels and was very successful. At the high school level, he was an assistant at Forest High School for three years. He then coached for two years each at Ackerman High School and Monticello High School. Dykes later entered the collegiate coaching ranks in 1972 as a graduate assistant offensive line coach at the University of Southern Mississippi. He later coached at Arkansas State University from 1973 to 1979 where he served as the defensive coordinator and defensive line coach. During that period, Arkansas State landed the Southland Conference title in 1975 and 1978, where those teams both earned 12-0 records. After leaving ASU, Dykes coached at the University of Richmond in 1980 and 1981. He then took a four year hiatus working in private insurance before entering the junior college coaching ranks again in 1987 as the defensive coordinator at Hinds Community College. Following a stint at Hinds, Dykes returned to his alma mater, Jones County Junior College, in 1992 as the head coach of the Bobcats.
Dykes accrued many coaching honors throughout his career. He was named Coach of the Year in 1998 by the Mississippi Association of Coaches, the MACJC and the All-American Football Foundation. He was elected president of the American Community College Football Coaches Association in 2004, and he was named to the NJCAA Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame Class in 2005. Dykes was later selected to the Mississippi College Athletics Hall of Fame in 2008 and Jones College Hall of Fame in 20ll. In addition, he was chosen for the Mississippi Community College Sports Hall of fame in 2012. Dykes also coached for and scouted for the Canadian Football League (CFL).
Coach Dykes was well-respected and loved by former players he coached and mentored. Following the news of his death Wednesday, many former players and colleagues shared condolences and memories of the coach on social media outlets.
Visitation will be held on Monday, July 6, from 5 p.m. until 9 p.m., at the Jones College Jasper County Center located at 3209 Highway 15 in Bay Springs. The funeral service will be held on Tuesday, July 7, at 10. a.m. at the JC Jasper County Center. Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service on Tuesday.