Billy Stacy (1970) - Hall of Fame

Billy Stacy

Induction:
1970
Class:
1958

Billy Stacy was a two-sport standout at Mississippi State from 1956-59, starring on the football field and track.

Stacy was named First Team All-SEC quarterback twice, in 1956 and 1957, becoming just the second Bulldog to eclipse over 1,000 yards of total offense in a season when he accumulated 1,077 yards and nine touchdowns in 1956. He also led the nation in punt returns with 24 attempts for 190 yards and a touchdown.

Stacy put together a 1957 campaign that saw the Bulldogs finish 6-2-1 and ranked No. 14 in the final AP Poll. He concluded the season with seven touchdowns and was named Second Team All-American.

He finished his career in the Maroon and White with 2,322 yards of total offense and 19 touchdowns. His 11.2 yards-per-punt-return average currently ranks sixth in MSU football history. On the defensive side of the football, Stacy led the 1958 team with four interceptions which included a single-game school record of three against Ole Miss.

Stacy made his mark on the track as well as a record-breaking hurdler.

He was selected third overall by the Chicago Cardinals (now Arizona Cardinals) in the first round of the 1959 NFL Draft. He played five seasons of professional football and earned Pro Bowl honors in 1961. He recorded 20 career interceptions in the NFL and was the first player since 1938 to record touchdowns on a reception, an interception return and a fumble recovery in the same season – a feat that would not be replicated until J.J. Watt did so 52 years later.

Stacy served on Coach Charley Shira’s football staff at Mississippi State from 1967-69 and was elected mayor of Starkville in 1985, a role he would hold for four years.