Since its beginnings in 1947, the Gulfport Gridiron Club has brought together the football fans of the Mississippi Coast to network, support rising student-athletes, and share their love for the game of football. The Club’s year traditionally starts on the first Monday following Labor Day and continues for 10 consecutive weeks. Each meeting includes a Game Report, Gridpicks Report, and featured guest speaker, plus an excellent buffet dinner and business networking with other leaders of the Coast community.
The Game Report recaps the scores of the high school, college and pro games played the previous week. Members are encouraged to stand and give highly entertaining versions of their team’s performance that week. Eyewitness accounts are preferred but not required.
Gridpicks provides a friendly, informal competition for members to pick against the spread in a pre-selected list of that week’s games. A bet of $1 enables a member to enter each week’s competition, the results of which are announced at the following meeting. The member with each week’s best record is awarded the total pot, less $1 given to the member with the worst record. Records are kept throughout the season, and at the end of the year, the member with the best season record is awarded a grand prize.
The Gridiron Club has hosted high-profile names from across the sports world.
The Guest Speaker is generally the highlight of each meeting. The Gridiron Club has hosted high-profile names from across the sports world, including sportscaster personalities (Dan Patrick, Mark Schlabach, and Tim Brando), head coaches (Mike Ditka, Phillip Fulmer, Vince Dooley, Johnny Vaught, John Cooper, Jackie Sherril, Tommy Tubberville and Jeff Bower), college standouts (Jay Barker, John Bond, Reggie Collier, Billy Cannon and Dalton Hilliard), NFL greats (Billy Joe Toliver, Danny White, Archie Manning, Deuce McAllister, Ray Guy and Hugh Green), coaches from the Big Three Mississippi football programs, and sports agents.
The last meeting of the season is reserved for our Awards Banquet and Ladies’ Night. In the past, speakers such as Bonita Favre and Olivia Manning have entertained our Club on this special evening.
Outside of our weekly meetings, the Gulfport Gridiron Club recognizes excellence in the Coast football community with its awards/scholarship program. Our awards include the Judge Gaston Hewes Academic Excellence Award (given to a Gulfport High School player embodying the true essence of a student athlete), the Joe & Mitchell Salloum Award (to Harrison County’s Most Valuable Player), the Joe Petro Award (to Gulfport High School’s Most Valuable Player), the Paul Wright Award (to the outstanding Gridiron Club member), the Lindy Callahan Award (to the Harrison County Coach of the Year), the Clem Dellenger Award (to St. Patrick High School’s Most Valuable Player) and the John B. “Shorty” Sneed Scholarship.
