Oakland native Carol Ross was inducted into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame during ceremonies in Jackson over the last weekend of July. Ross was one among a class of eight to be named to the 2023 class of inductees into the prestigious Hall of Fame.
Ross grew up playing hoops at the family farm against siblings, cousins and neighbors in the side yard before starting her career in organized basketball as a fifth-grader.
She and teammates played into three straight state championships at Kirk in Grenada before she signed with Ole Miss, where she was known as a “pesky and tenacious player.” Ross still holds the Ole Miss record for steals in a season and is one of only two Ole Miss players to record more than 1,000 points, 500 assists and 250 steals over her career. She remains in the top 10 for steals in the SEC.
She initially resisted the calling of a coaching career. “I wanted to try new things, but at some point, I realized coaching was a calling that I needed to answer. It allowed me to venture into some wonderful opportunities,” she said.
After serving as a volunteer assistant at Belhaven College in Jackson, she accepted a position at Auburn, where she worked for seven seasons, becoming associate head coach and chief recruiter.
The University of Florida tapped her in 1990 to become their head coach. While at Florida, she was twice named the SEC Coach of the Year and appeared in eight NCAA tournaments as well as the Elite Eight in 1997. She continues to hold the record at Florida as the winningest coach in the history of the Florida Gators women’s basketball program at 247-121. She retired from coaching for the first time in 2002.
Ross returned to her alma mater after agreeing to bring the program back to national prominence. In her first season, the Rebels returned to the NCAA tournament. Her 2007 season has been termed “legendary,” with 20-plus wins for the first time in more than a decade and advancing to the Elite Eight. Over her four seasons at Ole Miss, she had a 77-50 record. She retired from coaching a second time following the 2007-2008 season.
Many of her college players have lauded her as a major influence in their lives. She was featured in ESPN’s powerful documentary, “Mighty Ruthie,” based on Olympian Ruthie Bolton’s basketball career and escape from domestic violence. Over the years, Ross coached multiple future WNBA players and Olympians, including Bolton, Vanessa Hayden, Merlakia Jones, DeLisha Milton-Jones, Murriel Page, Bridget Pettis, Tiffany Travis, Sophia Witherspoon and Armintie Price Herrington.
A year later, the WNBA knocked on her door and she agreed to serve as an assistant with the Atlanta Dream for the next two years. In 2012, she accepted the head coach position with the Los Angeles Sparks and was named the WNBA Coach of the Year. She remained in the WNBA until 2014, when she co-founded Coaching Full Circle with Women’s Basketball Hall of Famer Gail Goestenkors. The consulting firm works with college and university coaches.
Other inductees for the 2023 class are Ole Miss football player Jeff Herrod, Mississippi State baseball player Paul Maholm, Alabama football player John Mangum, Millsaps baseball coach Jim Page, former Ole Miss student and Olympic marksman Tony Rosetti, Southern Miss football player Patrick Surtain and Jackson State football player Lewis Tillman.
