MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE

2001 Regular Session

To: Rules

By: Senator(s) Michel, Farris

A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION COMMENDING AND CONGRATULATING "STONEWALL" JACKSON BRUMFIELD, DEFENSIVE LINEMAN WHO LED SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI TO FOOTBALL RECOGNITION IN THE 1950'S AND PLAYED FOR THE NFL'S SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS, UPON HIS INDUCTION INTO THE MISSISSIPPI SPORTS HALL OF FAME CLASS OF 2001.

WHEREAS, the Jackson Touchdown Club and Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame has unveiled the Class of 2001 of the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame, which features "Stonewall" Jackson Brumfield, the solid defensive lineman who led Southern Mississippi to football recognition in the 1950's and played for the NFL's San Francisco 49ers; and

WHEREAS, a native of Washington Parish and Franklinton, Louisiana, where he currently resides, he was captain and Most Valuable Player of his high school team; after graduation from Franklin High School, Jackson enrolled at Mississippi Southern in Hattiesburg; the school at that time before the NCAA had numeric designated divisions was in the college division and known as the Southerners; he played for the legendary head coach Thad "Pie" Vann along with assistant coach Clyde "Heifer" Stuart, both of whom are members of the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame; Coach H.A. Smith, who played for the NFL's Chicago Bears, tutored Jackson in college and taught him defensive line techniques; Brumfield earned three letters at Southern in 1951, 1952 and 1953; Jackson also earned three nicknames during his college days; the Southern Mississippi sports information director at that time was Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame founder and member Jimmie "Mississippi Red" McDowell, who tagged Brumfield with the moniker of "Stonewall" Jackson for his rugged line play; many teammates, coaches and friends still call Jackson by the name of "Brumy" or "Brummie" to shorten his last name; Coach Vann began to call Jackson by the "Brumy" nickname during his early days in Hattiesburg; the 1951 Southern Mississippi media guide lists Jackson's nickname as being "Pud," a moniker Brumfield acquired in high school; Jackson and fellow end, Richard Caldwell, were a formidable combination on the line and wreaked havoc on opposing offenses; the duo were described as follows: "Caldwell and Brumfield yield to no end in the South as far as hell-for-leather style of play is concerned"; Brumfield arrived as a fullback out of high school but was shifted to defensive end at Southern by Coach Smith during spring drills in 1950; he played basically on both ends of the football at 6'-0", 200 pounds, a good size for his position in the 1950's; he played on the second team as a freshman, but emerged as the starter for the remainder of his football career; in Jackson's sophomore year, the Southern team had a 6-5 record, but showed firepower on offense with some close contests during the season; Jackson's 1952 Southern team finished 10-2, losing only to Alabama and to Pacific in the Sun Bowl; Brumfield was a defensive force and the Southerners' offense complimented the team by scoring plenty of points; in a November 22, 1952, match-up with Louisville in Jackson at the old Hinds Memorial Stadium, Brumfield leveled the Cardinal's 210 pound fullback, Jim Williams, and star quarterback, Johnny Unitas, to pace his team to a 55-26 win; as a rising sophomore, Jackson was mentioned as a Little All-American on defense, despite playing second team most of the season; he also attracted early attention from pro football scouts for his play; the 1953 Sun Bowl loss to Pacific by 26-7 in El Paso, Texas, was the school's first appearance in any bowl game; Brumfield was on the squad with fellow Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame members such as Hugh Laurin Pepper and Bucky McElroy; "Brumy" was shifted from offense to defense, but continued to play both ways; as he entered his senior campaign, Jackson had bulked up to 6'-2", 220 pounds and was a superb lineman; Jackson's final year at Southern Miss was a milestone as he was named team captain and the Southerners compiled a record of 9 wins and only two losses: Memphis State and to Texas Western (UTEP) in the 1954 Sun Bowl; in the season opening game against Alabama in Montgomery, Brumfield disrupted the Tide offense and executed crushing blocks on offense to help the Southerners upset the defending SEC champions by a 25-19 score; later in the season, the Southerners played the Georgia Bulldogs in Hinds Memorial Stadium in Jackson; Georgia was led by quarterback Zeke Bratkowski, who would eventually play for Green Bay and was averaging three touchdown passes a game; before a standing room only crowd of 25,000, Brumfield and the Southern Miss defense shut out the high scoring Bulldogs 14-0; "Stonewall" remained in the Georgia backfield all afternoon and harassed Bratkowski to complete only four passes while throwing four interceptions; the upsets over SEC powers Alabama and Georgia were two of the biggest upsets in school history and centered national attention on Hattiesburg; the large crowd assisted in expansion of the stadium which is now known as Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium; turnovers marred Brumfield's final game for Southern Mississippi as UTEP beat his squad 37-14 in the second consecutive bowl trip for the school; despite the early looks from pro scouts, Jackson was not selected in the NFL draft; instead, he signed a free agent contract with the San Francisco 49ers at the urging of Niners Coach Joe Vetrano, who also attended Southern; he entered the 49er summer camp in 1954 as an unheralded and almost unknown talent, but he quickly impressed the coaching staff and his new teammates; he nailed down the starting right defensive end position and was the most aggressive San Francisco lineman; rookie Brumfield continued to punish opposing veteran NFL linemen; he would finish his first 1954 NFL season as Defensive MVP of the squad; he wore No. 86 on the 49ers team, a progressive number as he was No. 85 at Southern Miss, and he later adopted No. 87 playing in the military league; Jackson lined up with and against a host of 49er teammates that would later be enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame; Brumfield's Who's Who of NFL Hall of Famers included QB Y.A. Tittle, RB Joe "The Jet" Perry, RB Hugh "The King" McElhenny, RB John Henry Johnson, and linemen such as Neo Nomellini and Bob St. Clair; key injuries broke early momentum for the 1954 49ers as Tittle, McElhenny and Perry were lost at various times of the season; Perry gained over 1,000 yards rushing, the first player in the NFL to achieve the feat in consecutive seasons; ironically, the 1954 season would be Jackson's last in the NFL as he joined the Armed Services; Brumfield played military football while a member of an artillery unit out of Fort Sill, Oklahoma; he played for an Army team in 1955 and 1956 and was named to the All-Army Squad; Jackson's athletic career ended abruptly in 1957 when he injured his shoulder playing baseball in an independent minor league; upon completion of service to his country, Jackson entered the coaching ranks; he guided the South Terre Bonne High School football team for 11 years in Houma, Louisiana; after coaching his team to close playoff finishes, Brumfield left coaching and returned to Franklinton where he now operates S&M Fertilizer; his wife's name is Mary Louise and they have three daughters: Sheila, Jackie and Jewel; "Brumy" is a proud grandfather to six grandchildren; and

WHEREAS, it is with great pride that we recognize this outstanding athlete who has brought honor to his university and to the State of Mississippi:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING THEREIN, That we do hereby commend and congratulate defensive lineman "Stonewall" Jackson Brumfield upon his induction into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2001, and wish him and his family continued success in all endeavors.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That a copy of this resolution be presented to Jackson at induction ceremonies and be made available to the Capitol Press Corps.