| COACHING STAFF | TONY HUGHES
THE HUGHES FILE
TONY HUGHES Assistant Head Coach/ Safeties/Recruiting Coordinator
Hometown ______________ Forest, Miss. College _______________ Southern Miss Degree__________B.A. in sociology, 1980; Certificate of education in social studies, 1985 Wife________________________ Marion Children _________________Jamison, Jay Birthday ________________May 22, 1959
Seventh season at MSU @CoachTonyHughes
A Mississippi native with a wealth of experience coaching in his home state, Tony Hughes oversees safeties in the defensive backfield and also coordinates the Bulldogs’ recruiting efforts. In the spring of 2013, Hughes was named assistant head coach for the maroon and white. Hughes is known as one of the top recruiting coordinators in the nation on an annual basis. 247Sports.com tabbed him as one of America’s top 10 recruiters in 2015 after Mississippi State hauled in one of the nation’s top 16 classes according to recruiting services. According to Rivals.com, the 22 National Letters of Intent MSU received on 2015 National Signing Day made up the Bulldogs’ best class since 2003. MSU hauled in five of Mississippi’s top six players, including Nos. 1 (safety Jamal Peters of Bassfield) and 2 (linebacker Leo Lewis of Brookhaven). Fifteen of the signees hailed from the state of Mississippi. In addition, Hughes has a knack for identifying players in the state of Mississippi that leave Mississippi State as five-star NFL prospects. First-team All-America linebacker Benardrick McKinney was once a two-star high school quarterback in Tunica, Miss., before being drafted by the Houston Texans in 2015. Hughes has developed MSU’s safeties corps into one of the Southeastern Conference’s hardest-hitting units. Following a 2014 Orange Bowl season, two of Hughes’ safeties signed NFL free agent contracts, including his son, Jay. In 2013, Nickoe Whitley earned second-team All-SEC honors and concluded his career third in MSU career interceptions with 15. Whitley was credited with one of the most memorable plays in school history, forcing a fumble of Ole Miss’ Bo Wallace in overtime to seal another Egg Bowl victory for the Bulldogs. In 2010, Hughes tutored Whitley to freshman All-SEC honors. In 2011, Hughes developed Charles Mitchell into one of the top safeties in the SEC with Mitchell getting drafted in the sixth round by the Atlanta Falcons in April 2012. Hughes came to Mississippi State after spending one season at Southern Miss where he coached the secondary. Prior to that stop, Hughes coached for three seasons at Ole Miss. Named one of the top 25 college football recruiters in the nation by Rivals.com in the spring of 2006, Hughes’ first two years were spent tutoring the defensive backs with his final season in Oxford spent working with the tight ends. Prior to a two-season tenure at Louisiana Tech, Hughes had spent the previous 10 years on the coaching staff at Hinds Community College in Raymond, Miss., where he served as the defensive coordinator for one year and the secondary coach during his first nine seasons. At Hinds, Hughes coached eight players who later went on to the NFL, including former MSU standout Fred Smoot. Before working at Hinds, Hughes’ first college stop as a full-time collegiate coach was a two-year stay at West Alabama, where he was the secondary coach in 1992 and 1993. Hughes coached for seven years in the Mississippi high school ranks, serving as the offensive coordinator and running backs coach at Hattiesburg High School from 1988-1991. Hughes also spent two seasons as the defensive secondary coach and boys track coach at South Natchez High School in 1986 and 1987. His first high school coaching job came at Philadelphia High School in 1985. After serving in the United States Marine Corps from 1981 to 1984 and receiving an honorable discharge, he began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Southern Miss in 1984, working with the defensive backs. Hughes, who played football and ran track at Forest High School (1974-76) and played defensive back at St. Paul’s College (1976-77), was a defensive back for Southern Miss in 1977 and 1978. He earned his bachelor of arts’ degree in sociology from there in 1980. He is an active member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, serving as a member of the Mississippi FCA State Board of Directors in 1999, president of the Mississippi FCA Coaches Council in 1998 and vice-president of the Mississippi FCA Coaches Council in 1997.
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COACHING CAREER 2009-p Assistant Head Coach, Mississippi State (Safeties/Recruiting Coordinator) 2008 Southern Miss (Secondary) 2007 Ole Miss (Tight Ends) 2005-06 Ole Miss (Defensive Backs) 2004 Louisiana Tech (Outside Linebackers) 2003 Louisiana Tech (Defensive Backs) 2002 Hinds Community College (Defensive Coordinator) 1994-2001 Hinds Community College (Secondary) 1992-93 West Alabama (Secondary) 1988-91 Hattiesburg High (Offensive Coordinator) 1986-87 South Natchez High (Secondary) 1985 Philadelphia (Miss.) High 1984-85 Southern Miss (Graduate Assistant) BOWL GAMES AS A COACH 2014 Orange Bowl (MSU) 2013 Liberty Bowl (MSU) 2013 Gator (MSU) 2011 Music City (MSU) 2011 Gator (MSU) 2008 New Orleans (Southern Miss) Hughes is married to the former Marion McCaleb of Meridian, Miss., and the couple has two sons, Jamison and Jay. Jay had the prestigious honor of being the only SEC football player to represent the league at the 2015 NCAA Convention.
2015 MISSISSIPPI STATE FOOTBALL