USM Great McElroy Passes

Mississippi Sports Hall of Famer Bucky McElroy, one of Southern Miss's all-time football greats, died Wednesday in his hometown of Monroe, La., after a long battle with cancer. He was 83.

McElroy, inducted into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame in 1981, was a standout running back at both Hinds Community College and USM. He was inducted into both of those schools' halls of fame.

"When Bucky had the ball in his hands, he was pure dynamite," said Hamp Cook, a USM teammate and also a member of the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame. "Bucky was a huge back for his time, but he had tremendous outside speed. He would just as soon run over you as around you."