2019 MSU Sports Hall of Fame Inductee: Tina Seals
September 19, 2019 | Athletics, Volleyball
By Austin Coats, Graduate Assistant/Communications
Note: This week HailState.com will recognize members of the Mississippi State Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2019. The class will be formally inducted at a gala Friday, Sept. 20 and recognized during the MSU-Kentucky football game in Davis Wade Stadium.
Tina Seals' 10 total seasons as a student-athlete and head coach were defined by determination, hard work and excellence.
That story was being written from even before her career began at Mississippi State.
A talented two-sport athlete out of a volleyball powerhouse in Bradshaw High School, Seals had her pick of universities to play at. However, Seals was more than just an athlete - she wanted a place where she could excel both on the court and in the classroom.
That place was Mississippi State.
Attracted to the strong engineering school, Seals chose to play both volleyball and softball at MSU, knowing that the demands of academics and athletics would push her to her limits.
"[The engineering department head] made it clear that he did not think it was a good idea," Seals said.
Characteristically, Seals embraced the challenge.
"You don't just tell me that I can't do something," Seals said. "That made it even more appealing because I wanted to prove that yes, I could."
A starter all throughout her career in Maroon and White, Seals said she felt the pressure to perform early on, while learning how tough the SEC can be.
In a freshman road trip to Ole Miss, Seals got a good taste. During the match, Seals went up for a block, but instead was hit in the head by the ball. Instead of cowering to the embarrassment, Seals used it as fuel. The next time the team visited Oxford, Seals remembered having one of her best performances.
"I took it out on the ball," Seals said.
Following her junior season, Seals traveled to Japan and China with Athletes in Action while playing alongside some of college volleyball's best talent. Seals said this experience was key going into her final campaign at MSU.
She came back to Starkville sharp. In the fall of 1984, Seals collected 387 kills and a .316 hitting percentage on her way to becoming the first MSU volleyball student-athlete in program history to earn All-SEC honors.
"I didn't know anything else to do but to play hard," Seals said. "I didn't know anything but "give me the ball, and I'm going to put it down."
After a fifth year on campus that she spent as a student assistant coach, Seals path was wide open. Seals finished her time in Starkville with a degree in civil engineering, and had job offers waiting for her in her field of study. She settled in with the Tennessee Valley Authority Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant in Athens, Alabama, but she didn't let go of her passion for volleyball. In her first year after playing at MSU, Seals began working with local-area kids and eventually started a club of 40-50 players.
Seals' next journey included more education and more volleyball. After receiving her math education master's degree at the University of North Alabama, Seals taught at Northwest Shoals Community College, where she then started the softball and volleyball programs. It was her first step into the collegiate coaching world. Twelve years into that, her next stepped called.
In the spring of 2004, Mississippi State asked Seals to be its next volleyball head coach. At first, Seals was hesitant and even turned her alma mater down. After talking with her family about it more, she changed her mind and called the Bulldogs back, and in March, Seals was introduced as the ninth head coach in program history.
"It had always been a dream of mine," Seals said. "I always wanted to go back and coach at my alma mater."
In her first season, Seals improved the Bulldogs record from 3-23 the season prior to 14-16 in 2004 ahead of back-to-back winning seasons in 2005 and 2006.
In her opening season, a moment stands out to Seals. After traveling to Baton Rouge to play LSU, the Bulldogs went into the locker room down 2-0. Seals encouraged her team to be resolute.
"I told them under no circumstances were we leaving without giving our all," Seals said.
Fifteen years later, the record book boasts a 3-2 win for Mississippi State.
"I won't forget that," Seals said.
The next season produced the school's first SEC tournament berth in 2005 as the program boasted a school-record 17 wins after the team opened the campaign with a 10-1 mark.
After a memorable five seasons at Mississippi State, Seals is still contributing to volleyball in the area. While teaching math at East Mississippi Community College, Seals runs Level Elite Sports out of Columbus, Mississippi, which has teams in Columbus, as well as Florence, Alabama. Seals said she is excited about the direction of volleyball in the state of Mississippi.
"Volleyball has grown so much," Seals said. "I just think it takes quality coaches to get it there and to teach the other coaches, and we have a lot of quality coaches in this area."
With all that she has done for the Mississippi State volleyball, it's time that Seals is recognized for her contributions. As she is inducted into the MSU Sports Hall of Fame this weekend, Seals will also be honored at MSU volleyball's home tournament, the Hail State Invitational.
"I'm excited to be back in that atmosphere to be able to support Mississippi State and see how far they've come in such a short amount of time, this season," Seals said. "I'm so excited about the direction of the program."
Note: This week HailState.com will recognize members of the Mississippi State Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2019. The class will be formally inducted at a gala Friday, Sept. 20 and recognized during the MSU-Kentucky football game in Davis Wade Stadium.
Tina Seals' 10 total seasons as a student-athlete and head coach were defined by determination, hard work and excellence.
That story was being written from even before her career began at Mississippi State.
A talented two-sport athlete out of a volleyball powerhouse in Bradshaw High School, Seals had her pick of universities to play at. However, Seals was more than just an athlete - she wanted a place where she could excel both on the court and in the classroom.
That place was Mississippi State.
Attracted to the strong engineering school, Seals chose to play both volleyball and softball at MSU, knowing that the demands of academics and athletics would push her to her limits.
"[The engineering department head] made it clear that he did not think it was a good idea," Seals said.
Characteristically, Seals embraced the challenge.
"You don't just tell me that I can't do something," Seals said. "That made it even more appealing because I wanted to prove that yes, I could."
A starter all throughout her career in Maroon and White, Seals said she felt the pressure to perform early on, while learning how tough the SEC can be.
In a freshman road trip to Ole Miss, Seals got a good taste. During the match, Seals went up for a block, but instead was hit in the head by the ball. Instead of cowering to the embarrassment, Seals used it as fuel. The next time the team visited Oxford, Seals remembered having one of her best performances.
"I took it out on the ball," Seals said.
Following her junior season, Seals traveled to Japan and China with Athletes in Action while playing alongside some of college volleyball's best talent. Seals said this experience was key going into her final campaign at MSU.
She came back to Starkville sharp. In the fall of 1984, Seals collected 387 kills and a .316 hitting percentage on her way to becoming the first MSU volleyball student-athlete in program history to earn All-SEC honors.
"I didn't know anything else to do but to play hard," Seals said. "I didn't know anything but "give me the ball, and I'm going to put it down."
After a fifth year on campus that she spent as a student assistant coach, Seals path was wide open. Seals finished her time in Starkville with a degree in civil engineering, and had job offers waiting for her in her field of study. She settled in with the Tennessee Valley Authority Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant in Athens, Alabama, but she didn't let go of her passion for volleyball. In her first year after playing at MSU, Seals began working with local-area kids and eventually started a club of 40-50 players.
Seals' next journey included more education and more volleyball. After receiving her math education master's degree at the University of North Alabama, Seals taught at Northwest Shoals Community College, where she then started the softball and volleyball programs. It was her first step into the collegiate coaching world. Twelve years into that, her next stepped called.
In the spring of 2004, Mississippi State asked Seals to be its next volleyball head coach. At first, Seals was hesitant and even turned her alma mater down. After talking with her family about it more, she changed her mind and called the Bulldogs back, and in March, Seals was introduced as the ninth head coach in program history.
"It had always been a dream of mine," Seals said. "I always wanted to go back and coach at my alma mater."
In her first season, Seals improved the Bulldogs record from 3-23 the season prior to 14-16 in 2004 ahead of back-to-back winning seasons in 2005 and 2006.
In her opening season, a moment stands out to Seals. After traveling to Baton Rouge to play LSU, the Bulldogs went into the locker room down 2-0. Seals encouraged her team to be resolute.
"I told them under no circumstances were we leaving without giving our all," Seals said.
Fifteen years later, the record book boasts a 3-2 win for Mississippi State.
"I won't forget that," Seals said.
The next season produced the school's first SEC tournament berth in 2005 as the program boasted a school-record 17 wins after the team opened the campaign with a 10-1 mark.
After a memorable five seasons at Mississippi State, Seals is still contributing to volleyball in the area. While teaching math at East Mississippi Community College, Seals runs Level Elite Sports out of Columbus, Mississippi, which has teams in Columbus, as well as Florence, Alabama. Seals said she is excited about the direction of volleyball in the state of Mississippi.
"Volleyball has grown so much," Seals said. "I just think it takes quality coaches to get it there and to teach the other coaches, and we have a lot of quality coaches in this area."
With all that she has done for the Mississippi State volleyball, it's time that Seals is recognized for her contributions. As she is inducted into the MSU Sports Hall of Fame this weekend, Seals will also be honored at MSU volleyball's home tournament, the Hail State Invitational.
"I'm excited to be back in that atmosphere to be able to support Mississippi State and see how far they've come in such a short amount of time, this season," Seals said. "I'm so excited about the direction of the program."
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