Southern Miss Stories

Nick Mullens was a record-setting quarterback at The University of Southern Mississippi who gained the attention of the nation last fall, when as a member of the San Francisco 49ers, he posted one of the best debut performances in NFL history. In his Southern Miss Story, he remembers his time as a Golden Eagle, and looks ahead to the 2019 season with the 49ers.

Longtime #SouthernMiss Dean of Students, Dr. Eddie Holloway, is retiring after four decades as a staff member. This is his Southern Miss Story.

The transplant division of the University of Mississippi Medical Center has a long and storied history. In early 1963, Dr. James Hardy performed the world's first heart transplant there, and then followed it with the world's first lung transplant six months later. Today, the man in charge of leading the transplant team at UMMC is #SouthernMiss alumnus, Dr. Christopher Anderson. Dr. Anderson and others are continuing that legacy of bold innovation--most recently in December, when they successfully performed a simultaneous heart and liver transplant on an Alabama man. This is Dr. Anderson's Southern Miss Story.

Southern Miss alumna and former CNN reporter Kathleen Koch grew up in Bay St. Louis, led the network's coverage of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and today works with her non-profit, LeadersLink, to help communities across the country recover from natural disasters. This is her Southern Miss Story.

The warmth and hospitality of Ms. Gloria Peterson has made a difference for countless Southern Miss students over the years. Her wisdom and encouragement continues to inspire students today. This is her Southern Miss story.

Southern Miss alumnus David Sheffield is a noted screenwriter and former head writer for Saturday Night Live. Well-known for his work with comedy legend Eddie Murphy, Sheffield's credits include some of the most memorable Saturday Night Live sketches, as well as movies like Coming to America.

The University of Southern Mississippi is home to a number of secret societies. In this Southern Miss Story, former staff member Barbara Ross discusses the Gold Leaf and its impact on the institution.

Jasmine Whiteside still struggles to articulate all of the amazing aspects of her story. That’s understandable—she only recalls pieces of it. Today, The University of Southern Mississippi (USM) alumna and Hattiesburg native is a successful graduate student at The Ohio State University, well on her way to a doctoral degree and a career in a field that will benefit communities across the country. But as she progressed toward her USM graduation in 2013, she contracted a rare and life-threatening illness that left her in a coma. And when she awoke six months later, before she could think about the graduation stage, she needed to learn to speak and walk again, to read and write again, and to take care of herself again. She’s done all that and more. This is her amazing story.

Entrepreneur Sheena Allen shares her Southern Miss story and what drives her to try to and reach 3 billion people with financial literacy tools and better banking options. Originally aired in November 2017.

Major League Baseball All-Star and Southern Miss alumnus Brian Dozier shares his Southern Miss story. Originally aired August 2017.

University of Southern Mississippi alumnus Rodney Richardson, who has been entrusted to shape the stories of many of professional athletics' franchises, shares his Southern Miss story. Originally aired in October 2017.

Masterchef Season 7 Contestant Katie Dixon shares her Southern Miss story. Originally aired in October 2017.

City of Hattiesburg Mayor Toby Barker, and Councilmembers Jeffrey George and Nicholas Brown are all new to city government and are all Southern Miss alumni. Here are their Southern Miss stories. Originally aired on November 21, 2017.