The first member of the 2018 Hall of Fame class is two-sport standout and Bulldog Club founder L.M. "Molly" Halbert.
2018 MSU Sports Hall Of Fame Class: L.M. "Molly" Halbert Honored
September 24, 2018 | Baseball, Football
by Caleb Garner, Graduate Assistant/Communications
Note: Every day this week, HailState.com will recognize a member of the 2018 Mississippi State Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2018. The class will be formally inducted at a gala Friday (Sept. 28) night at the The Mill Conference Center and recognized during the MSU-Florida football game Saturday (Sept. 29) in Davis Wade Stadium. Festivities get underway at 7 p.m. Friday and will include a cocktail reception, private autograph signing, seated dinner and awards ceremony. Tickets are available for purchase at msumclub.org for $100 per person. Proceeds benefit the MSU M-Club Alumni Association.
Where would Mississippi State athletics be without L.M. "Molly" Halbert?
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That is a very good question, considering all of the contributions he made on and off the field for the Maroon and White.
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Founding MSU's Bulldog Club in 1974 and serving as executive director for 15 years, the late two-sport standout's contributions to State's athletic department success goes far beyond his exploits as a student-athlete. As a result, Halbert has earned a posthumous induction into the MSU Sports Hall of Fame.
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Halbert was a three-year letterman in baseball and football at MSU from 1956-58. On the gridiron, Halbert led the 1957 Bulldogs in rushing with 386 yards on 76 carries, good enough for a 5.1 yards-per-carry mark. Halbert also found the end zone seven times that season.
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After leading the Diamond Dawgs in 1957 with 60 at-bats, four home runs and 16 RBIs, he was selected to play in the 1957 Blue-Gray All-Star Game before signing a professional contract with the New York Yankees.
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He was eventually traded to the Cincinnati Reds, where he played catcher for three seasons in their organization. Upon his retirement from professional baseball, Halbert returned to the school he loved as field secretary for the Mississippi State Alumni Association in 1967. In addition, he served as an assistant football coach and recruiting coordinator for the Bulldogs from 1969-75.
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Halbert, who passed away in 2000 at the age of 64, may no longer be physically here, but his legacy has continued to live on through the Bulldog Club.
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By founding State's Bulldog Club, he has impacted countless student-athletes through the donations given by its members—enhancing their student-athlete experience and ensuring all who don the maroon and white in competition are equipped not only for their time on the playing surface, but also in the classroom and for their careers and life after their playing days are done.
"Molly Halbert was a two-sport letter winner at MSU in baseball and football," M-Club President Bill Maxey said. "In 1957, he was named All-SEC at fullback in football. He signed with the New York Yankees in 1958. He will forever be remembered for his vision and founding of the Bulldog Club in 1974. His fingerprint will remain on MSU athletics every time the Bulldogs take the field, court, track or course for generations to come!"
Now, Halbert will continue to be remembered forever as one of the Bulldog greats when he is enshrined in the Mississippi State Sports Hall of Fame.
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Note: Every day this week, HailState.com will recognize a member of the 2018 Mississippi State Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2018. The class will be formally inducted at a gala Friday (Sept. 28) night at the The Mill Conference Center and recognized during the MSU-Florida football game Saturday (Sept. 29) in Davis Wade Stadium. Festivities get underway at 7 p.m. Friday and will include a cocktail reception, private autograph signing, seated dinner and awards ceremony. Tickets are available for purchase at msumclub.org for $100 per person. Proceeds benefit the MSU M-Club Alumni Association.
Where would Mississippi State athletics be without L.M. "Molly" Halbert?
Â
That is a very good question, considering all of the contributions he made on and off the field for the Maroon and White.
Â
Founding MSU's Bulldog Club in 1974 and serving as executive director for 15 years, the late two-sport standout's contributions to State's athletic department success goes far beyond his exploits as a student-athlete. As a result, Halbert has earned a posthumous induction into the MSU Sports Hall of Fame.
Â
Halbert was a three-year letterman in baseball and football at MSU from 1956-58. On the gridiron, Halbert led the 1957 Bulldogs in rushing with 386 yards on 76 carries, good enough for a 5.1 yards-per-carry mark. Halbert also found the end zone seven times that season.
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After leading the Diamond Dawgs in 1957 with 60 at-bats, four home runs and 16 RBIs, he was selected to play in the 1957 Blue-Gray All-Star Game before signing a professional contract with the New York Yankees.
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He was eventually traded to the Cincinnati Reds, where he played catcher for three seasons in their organization. Upon his retirement from professional baseball, Halbert returned to the school he loved as field secretary for the Mississippi State Alumni Association in 1967. In addition, he served as an assistant football coach and recruiting coordinator for the Bulldogs from 1969-75.
Â
Halbert, who passed away in 2000 at the age of 64, may no longer be physically here, but his legacy has continued to live on through the Bulldog Club.
Â
By founding State's Bulldog Club, he has impacted countless student-athletes through the donations given by its members—enhancing their student-athlete experience and ensuring all who don the maroon and white in competition are equipped not only for their time on the playing surface, but also in the classroom and for their careers and life after their playing days are done.
"Molly Halbert was a two-sport letter winner at MSU in baseball and football," M-Club President Bill Maxey said. "In 1957, he was named All-SEC at fullback in football. He signed with the New York Yankees in 1958. He will forever be remembered for his vision and founding of the Bulldog Club in 1974. His fingerprint will remain on MSU athletics every time the Bulldogs take the field, court, track or course for generations to come!"
Now, Halbert will continue to be remembered forever as one of the Bulldog greats when he is enshrined in the Mississippi State Sports Hall of Fame.
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