Johnny Montgomery, a long-time Mississippi coach, was first a fine athlete at Ole Miss (1920-24). Montgomery was captain of Ole Miss football, basketball, and baseball teams in 1923. He also participated in track in 1924. Following his time in Oxford, Montgomery had a professional baseball career with several teams.
He played for Knoxville in the Appalachian League in 1924. He played for Corinth in the Tri-States League in 1925. He played for Laurel in the Cotton States League in 1926. He played for Hattiesburg in the Cotton States League in 1927. During and after those baseball years, he coached at several Mississippi high schools.
He was at Rosedale (1924-26), Marks (1927-29), Shelby (1929-33), Money Consolidated (1933-41) and West Consolidated (1950-60). Montgomery, from Delhi, La., was pres- ident of his junior law class (1922-23) and vice president of the student body (1923-24) at Ole Miss, where he earned LL.B., B.A.E., and M.A. degrees. He died in 1989 at age 91.
Courtesy of Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum director Rick Cleveland, author of Mississippi’s Greatest Athletes. Cleveland can be reached at rcleveland@msfame.com.
