Hall of Fame
- Induction:
- 1975
- Class:
- 1964
James (Babe) McCarthy was the architect of four SEC regular season championship teams and earned five AP top 15 finishes over his 10 seasons as State’s head coach. Three of the five finishes were inside the AP top five, most notably a program-best No. 3 ranking after the Bulldogs amassed a 24-1 record in 1958-59.
McCarthy, a two-time SEC Coach of the Year by the AP, joined Kentucky’s Adolph Rupp as the second SEC basketball coach to win three consecutive SEC regular season crowns. He guided the Bulldogs to the program’s first NCAA Tournament appearance and first NCAA Tournament victory in 1962-63.
McCarthy wrapped up his decade-long stint as State’s all-time overall wins (169) and SEC wins leader (88). The Bulldogs went on a program long 19-game winning streak from Jan. 15, 1962 to Dec. 17, 1962. State also captured the program’s first win over the nation’s top-ranked team, Kentucky, on Feb. 9, 1959.
McCarthy coached the program’s first five 1,000-point scorers led by Jim Ashmore, Bailey Howell, Jerry Graves and W.D. ‘Red’ Stroud who all earned AP All-America honors during their State careers.
Following State, McCarthy went onto coach four ABA franchises starting with the New Orleans Buccaneers in 1967-68.
McCarthy, a native of Baldwyn, Mississippi, served his country in the United States Air Force from 1951-53 during the Korean War. He also was inducted into the state of Mississippi’s Sports Hall of Fame in 1974. McCarthy passed away in 1975.
