STARKVILLE, Miss. – Tony Hughes, a Mississippi native with more than 25 years coaching in his home state, has been named to head coach Dan Mullen’s coaching staff, pending approval by the Board of Trustees, Institutions of Higher Learning.
“Tony is obviously well known and well respected throughout the state of Mississippi,” Mullen said. “With his addition to our staff, we bring another tremendous recruiter and experienced coach to our team.”
Hughes comes to Mississippi State after spending one season at Southern Mississippi, 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 and his final season in Oxford was spent working with the tight ends.
During a two-season tenure at Louisiana Tech, Hughes coached outside linebackers in 2004 after coaching the defensive backs in 2003. Prior to joining the Louisiana Tech staff, 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 coaching during his first nine seasons. At Hinds, Hughes coached eight players that later went on to the National Football League, including former Mississippi State 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 offensive backs coach at Hattiesburg High School in 1988-1992. Hughes also spent two seasons as the defensive secondary coach and boys track coach at South Natchez High School from 1986 through 1988. 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 Mississippi 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 Southern Mississippi 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.
Hughes is married to the former Marion McCaleb of Meridian, Miss., and the couple has two sons, Jamison and Jay.
TONY HUGHES BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Education:
Certificate of Education in Social Studies – Southern Mississippi, 1985
Bachelor’s in Sociology – Southern Mississippi, 1980
Personal:
Born on May 22, 1959 in Forrest, Miss.
Married to the former Marion McCaleb
Two sons, Jamison and Jay
