Hall of Fame
- Induction:
- 1972
- Class:
- 1939
Jack Nix is one of only five four sport lettermen in Mississippi State history. A natural athlete, Nix was on the Bulldog baseball, basketball, boxing and football teams. He spent three seasons on the gridiron at halfback and was the fastest man on the team from 1937 to 1939.
Nicknamed “The Phantom” by his opponents, Nix was known for his speed and agility. In 1938, Nix set the then school and SEC record for longest interception return for his 97-yard return against Ole Miss. This record has been broken, but he still sits third overall. He holds the school record for most interceptions in a single game, having four against Arkansas in 1939. This is the same season Nix was named third team All-SEC. In 1940, Nix was chosen to play in both the annual Blue-Grey game and the College All-Star game in Chicago.
Nix was selected by the Cleveland Browns in the seventeenth round of the 1940 NFL draft. He would play three seasons with the team before enlisting in the military. Nix would return to Starkville in 1953, where he began a long and successful career as a coach and school administrator.
Nix and his wife, Mary Elizabeth, had three sons. He passed away in 1990 at the age of 73.
