Former MCC Track Star To Be Inducted Into Hall of Fame

From School Reports

Olympic silver medalist and former Meridian Community College track and field standout Coby Miller will be inducted into the Mississippi Junior College Sports Hall of Fame in ceremonies Tuesday, April 28 at the Muse Center in Pearl.

A native of Ackerman, Miller was a high school state champion in the 100 and 200 meter events, and was named All-American in football.  He starred on the MCC track team in 1997, leading the Eagles to the NJCAA Indoor National Championship, placing second in the 100 meters among other strong finishes in sprints and relays.

Miller went on to earn his silver medal as a member of the United States’ 4 X 100-meter relay team in the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece.  Miller was also a member of the 2000 U.S. Olympic team in Sydney, Australia.  In the 2000 Olympic Games, Miller made the finals of the 200 meters and set a personal best of 19.96. 

He was a standout at Auburn University in 1999-2000, where he claimed the 1999 NCAA indoor championship in the 200 meter, and won the same event in the World University Games.  He was also national runner-up in both the 100 and 200 meters in the NCAA outdoor championships.  

In 2001, Miller took the U.S. Indoor championship title in the 200 meter, and was a member of the gold medal U.S. 4 X 100 relay team in the IAAF World Cup Games.  Miller’s best career times in his specialty events are 9.98 in the 100, achieved in both the years 2000 and 2002, and 19.96 in the 200, recorded in 2000.

“We’ve enjoyed a strong tradition in track and field at MCC with a couple of national championships to our credit, and Coby has been a big part of that tradition,” said Dr. Scott Elliott, MCC president. “In becoming a member of the Mississippi JUCO Sports Hall of Fame, Coby joins a list of exceptional high achievers who made their mark at MCC and beyond.”

That list includes former major league Cy Young Award winner Cliff Lee of the Philadelphia Phillies; former NBA standout Ronald “Flip” Murray; and Lou Weddington Hart, the most prolific female amateur golfer in Mississippi history with nine state amateur and five senior state amateur titles on her resume. Other MCCers in the Hall include Billy Harold Smith, Jason Smith, Paul Phillips, Corky Palmer and Scott Berry (baseball); Robert Dreyfus (golf); Wanda McPhail (tennis); and Jim Redgate (basketball and golf).