A Tale of Two Homecomings

Coahoma Community College, your small-town “home away from home,” is known to host two grand scenes of immense enjoyment each year. One of them ends with a “Coachellaesque” experience, while the other is consistently a celebrated daytime sporting event, whether the Tigers win or lose. One is a weeklong bash that has alumni, students, and Mississippi Deltans alike raving about its festivities. The other is centered on honoring the most outstanding of former studentathletes and coaches, those selected for induction into the revamped Sports Hall of Fame.

If the two homecomings popped in your mind, you are right on the money. The weeklong football homecoming held in the fall is climaxed with a Saturday game and a coinciding tailgating experience. The aforementioned Coachella-like experience is, of course, the Blues & Oldies Music Fest that follows the game.

Unlike many other HBCUs, the College also organizes a homecoming event each spring semester. This one-day Basketball Homecoming somehow exhibits the same liveliness as the homecoming festivities in the fall.

“Our primary focus is to create a warm, heartfelt, welcoming environment that would encourage our Hall of Fame inductees and their guests to become an integral part of the College’s mission, to connect the dots of our past to our present, which will optimally secure our future,” says Selina Reid, who plays a key role in making sure the day of Basketball Homecoming activities comes together smoothly.

Reid, the assistant athletic director and head athletic trainer, serves as chair of the Athletic Hall of Fame Selection Committee, spearheading the planning for the Hall of Fame Welcome Reception for honorees just before the basketball game, which includes a short induction ceremony for the honorees.

The indoor Homecoming held in late January is an upgrade from the other basketball games of the season. After the women’s game, Hall of Fame inductees and Mr. and Miss Basketball are formally acknowledged at half court. For the 2020 halftime entertainment, players in the men’s game made room for sassy choreography presented by the Seniors of Tate County, a show truly deserving of space on your phone’s camera roll.

“I am so humbly grateful to be afforded this opportunity to serve as the chair of the Athletic Hall of Fame Selection Committee and to work with some very honorable and legendary individuals who have made remarkable contributions for decades to Coahoma Junior College/ Coahoma Community College athletic programs in various capacities,” Reid expressed.

The campus community gazed into the valiant irises of Mackey the Tiger to find that Coahoma was approaching its 70th anniversary. Thus, the 2019 fall homecoming was themed “70 Years: Through the Eyes of Tigers.” In line with the homecoming theme, departmental exhibits decorated for the traditional spirit display competition reflected timelines dating back to 1949, when the institution was founded.

To rewind a little further back to the events that have marked the start of the 2019 Homecoming Week activities continued on Day 2 with Natasha Towner being formally presented as the first lady of the College. Headpieces and delightful hats were perfectly propped for a customary tea party. School queens from the College’s five-county service area were honored with a token of appreciation from Lady Natasha, who thanked the ladies-only audience for continuing the institution’s legacy.

Just hours after the First Lady’s Tea, a highly anticipated gathering dubbed the Super Pep Rally offered a prelude to the Saturday game. At this event, the packed-out bleachers rev up the traditional countdown to the night’s firework presentation.

The following day caters solely to traditional students. The 2019 Maroon Madness Xperience had young adult students flocking to the stage of the Pinnacle for a lineup, including a lipsyncing aux cord battle between members of the Student Government Association. This led up to a guest performance by Memphis rap star Dee Mula.

“To show the access we have is very enthusiastic,” said Griffin.

Benefactors, friends, alumni, administrators, and personnel of the College get dapper for the fourth night of the fall homecoming. They substitute their everyday work wear for formal attire to assemble at the Presidential Gala, which is an evening of fine dining amid elegant décor. Ticket sales are collected as financial assistance for students. Midnight Star, the headlining act for the 2019 gala, had attendees letting their hair down as they performed throwback hits. The College also debuted its first issue of Roar Magazine at the event.

After embellished floats celebrating the institution’s 70th anniversary paraded through downtown Clarksdale on the morning of game day, Tiger fans gathered for tailgating—two more must-do homecoming traditions. Meanwhile, Maroon and White enthusiasts pack out the James E. Miller and root on Coahoma Football to the well-fused sounds of the Marching Maroon Typhoon.

The fall homecoming closes out with a hip-grooving blues fest. The 2019 fest featured Mound Bayou-born and Clarksdale-raised blues crooner O. B. Buchana. The blues fest usually awaits music lovers right outside the stadium toward the end of the football game.

By the end of Homecoming Week, energy is exhausted, and participants anticipate planning for the next CCC Homecoming. Work pulled off behind the scenes makes the fall homecoming a success each year. “It takes trying to schedule these events in a timely manner to make sure that all who want to attend can,” says Griffin.

She teams up with alumni, the CCC Foundation members, and the planning committee to make the nostalgic time of year phenomenal. “After attending Homecoming Week events, we hope that alumni and current students feel a sense as to what makes Coahoma such an awesome home away from home,” said Griffin. “Also, we hope that they gain an understanding of why it is so essential to give back to the institution financially.”