Ole Miss Announces 2022 M-Club Hall of Fame Class

Ole Miss will welcome six Rebel greats into the M-Club Hall of Fame this fall as part of its 2022 induction class. This is the first full group to join the Hall of Fame since 2019 after no induction class in 2020 and a limited one in 2021 that featured Eli Manning (Hall of Fame) and Pete Boone (Lotterhos Service Award).

The 2022 M-Club Hall of Fame class includes: Joakim Appelqvist (men’s tennis), Kristi Boxx (women’s tennis), Chris Coghlan (baseball), Johan Hede(men’s tennis), Sam Kendricks (men’s track & field) and Dexter McCluster (football). Additionally, Tim Ellis of Ole Miss football will receive the George Lotterhos Service Award.

“We are excited to be able to welcome such a great inductee class in 2022 with individuals who have shown dedication and passion to the University of Mississippi,” said M-Club Director Jessica Lynch.

An induction ceremony is planned for Thursday, October 13 at The Inn at Ole Miss, and the Hall of Fame Class will also be honored two days later at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium during the Rebels’ contest against Auburn on October 15.

Visit OleMissMClub.org to learn more about the Ole Miss M-Club Alumni Chapter, including membership, benefits and more. Follow the M-Club on Twitter and Instagram at @OleMissMClub.

Below are brief bios on the newest additions to the M-Club Hall of Fame, as well as the recipient of the 2022 Lotterhos Service Award.
 

Joakim Appelqvist, Men’s Tennis (1994)

Joakim Appelqvist saw his lone season with the Rebels cement him in Ole Miss men’s tennis history after claiming the 1994 SEC Indoor Doubles Championship title alongside teammate and fellow M-Club Hall of Famer, Ali Hamadeh – one of just three Rebel pairings in program history to ever earn the conference title in doubles. For his efforts, Appelqvist came away with All-American and All-SEC honors in 1994, becoming the seventh All-American in program history. Appelqvist aided in the Rebels’ capturing of the 1994 NCAA Region III Championship title, where he and Hamadeh would also claim the Rolex Region III Doubles Championship.

Appelqvist was the first Ole Miss men’s tennis player to reach the NCAA Final Four at the 1994 NCAA Singles Championships. Following his illustrious 1994 season playing for the Rebels, Appelqvist turned his attention to playing tennis professionally for the remainder of his time on the court.

Kristi Boxx, Women’s Tennis (2009-12)

Kristi Boxx ended an outstanding career in 2012 as just the second Rebel to amass 200 wins combined in singles and doubles. She was a four-time All-American for the Rebels, earning the honor in both singles and doubles in 2010 and 2012 as one of just nine Rebels ever to do so in both at that point. The Grenada, Mississippi native earned top-10 national finishes in doubles with two different partners during her career, and finished her senior campaign in 2012 ranked No. 17 nationally in singles and No. 6 in doubles. Boxx was a crucial component to four consecutive NCAA Tournament teams for Ole Miss during her career, highlighted by what was then the eighth Sweet 16 appearance for the Rebels during her sophomore campaign in 2010.

In total, Boxx was an eight-time NCAA qualifier with those four aforementioned All-America nods, in addition to being a four-time SEC Academic Honor Roll member and just the second player in program history to earn First-Team All-SEC all four years of her career. She ended with 92 career singles wins, and on the ITA level was 2009 regional doubles champion with Karen Nijssen, 2011 singles champion and the 2012 ITA Southern Region Senior of the Year.
 

Chris Coghlan, Baseball (2004-06)

Chris Coghlan was a three-year letterwinner in baseball, playing shortstop for the Rebels from 2004-06. Coghlan was a three-time All-SEC selection and led the Rebels to 131 wins across those three seasons, securing an SEC West Championship in 2005 and an outright SEC title in 2006 alongside two NCAA Super Regional appearances in those years. In the 2005 Oxford Regional, he was named MVP following a 4-for-6 outing with five runs scored in a 20-5 Ole Miss victory over Oklahoma.

Coghlan is one of just seven Rebels to be selected in the first round of the MLB Draft, going No. 36 overall to the Florida Marlins as part of the supplemental picks in the first round. Coghlan went on to a 13-year career in professional baseball, including nine years at the MLB level, which began with him winning National League Rookie of the Year in 2009 with the Marlins. Coghlan is one of 13 Rebels to win a World Series Championship, earning a ring in 2016 with the Chicago Cubs.

Johan Hede, Men’s Tennis (1994-97)

Johan Hede proved dominant on the tennis court for the Rebels, stringing together records and accomplishments that still have yet to be matched in the Ole Miss men’s tennis record book. Hede garnered numerous on and off court accolades during his time at Ole Miss, being named a three-time All-American, three-time All-SEC member and two-time ITA Academic All-American honoree. Hede’s most dominant season for the Rebels would come in 1996, when he would claim the 1996 SEC Singles Championship and SEC Player of the Year titles after completing the season with a perfect 11-0 record in conference play on the year. Hede’s dream season reached its end all the way to the 1996 NCAA Singles Semifinals.

Netting an overall singles record of 135-41, Hede still sits as the winningest singles player in program history for the Rebels. On a team level, Hede helped the Rebels punch their ticket into the 1995 NCAA Team Championship Final, the furthest the Rebels have ever advanced in an NCAA Team Tournament in program history, along with an additional NCAA Team Final Four appearance in 1997.

Sam Kendricks, Men’s Track & Field (2012-14)

Hometown icon Sam Kendricks has helped put Oxford, Mississippi on a pedestal as one of the greatest pole vaulters in world history. As a Rebel, Kendricks dismantled the Ole Miss record book en route to two NCAA Outdoor titles in 2013 and 2014, an NCAA Indoor runner-up finish in 2014, five total All-America honors and two SEC titles before going pro early following the 2014 season. His outdoor collegiate best of 5.81 meters (19′ 0.75″) ranked fifth in NCAA history at the time and still ranks within the top-10 in a tie for No. 8 (as of 2022).

Kendricks then set course on a professional career that catapulted him onto the world stage as a dominant competitor at home in the United States and a serious medal threat around the globe. Kendricks is a two-time Olympian for Team USA, qualifying for the 2016 Summer Games in Rio and then again for the delayed 2021 Summer Games in Tokyo — making him the first men’s athlete in Ole Miss history to have qualified for multiple Olympiads. He took home the bronze for Team USA in 2016 following an epic competition in the rain in Rio, which was further highlighted when Kendricks — a First Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Reserve — garnered worldwide headlines for stopping during the middle of his warmup to stand at attention for The Star-Spangled Banner.

Kendricks was the 22nd global member of the 6-meter club, and he currently ranks fifth in world history at his American outdoor record of 6.06 meters (19′ 10.50″) from the 2019 U.S. Outdoor Championships. He is a five-time World Championships qualifier, a four-time medalist and a two-time World Champion in 2017 and 2019 — joining former world record holder Sergey Bubka as the only people in world history to ever repeat as the World champ. He owns three of the top-10 clearances outdoors in American history, owns nine total U.S. titles (six outdoor, three indoor), and he was the first American to ever win six straight U.S. outdoor men’s pole vault titles from 2014-19.

Dexter McCluster, Football (2006-09)
 

Elusive utility man Dexter McCluster stands as one of the best all-purpose players in Ole Miss football history. He was chosen as a first-team All-American in 2009 by the All-American Football Foundation following a superb senior season that saw him end his Ole Miss career No. 2 on the Ole Miss career all-purpose yardage list at 4,089 (behind only Deuce McAllister’s 4,889) and No. 7 among all-time rushers with 1,955. McCluster also capped his career off by becoming just the second back-to-back MVP in the history of the Cotton Bowl Classic in 2009 and 2010, joining SMU’s Doak Walker. For his Cotton Bowl heroics, McCluster was inducted into the Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame in 2020.

McCluster’s versatility was recognized both nationally and among his conference peers, earning All-SEC honors twice as an all-purpose player, as well as both a wide receiver in 2008 and 2009 and as a running back in 2009. McCluster received the National Running Back Trophy from the College Football Performance Awards, and was named to Athlon’s SEC All-Decade team for 2000-09. He was the first player in SEC history with 1,000 rushing yards (1,169) and 500 receiving yards (520) in the same season in 2009 – still the second-most rushing single-season rushing yards in Ole Miss history. He was selected in the second round of the 2010 NFL Draft by the Kansas City Chiefs with the No. 36 overall pick, beginning a pro career that saw him make the Pro Bowl in 2013 and be selected as an All-Pro. McCluster ultimately had a nine-year NFL career, playing for Kansas City, Tennessee and San Diego/Los Angeles, as well as one season with the CFL’s Toronto Argonauts.

2022 Lotterhos Service Award Recipient: Tim Ellis (1974-77)
 

Following his football career at Ole Miss, Tim Ellis has played a key role in the success of the M-Club Alumni Chapter, having served as President and also as a member of its Board of Directors. Ellis also served a term on the Ole Miss Athletics Committee and the Ole Miss Alumni Association Board of Directors.

When Ellis completed his Ole Miss eligibility at the end of the 1977 season, he ranked second in career passing yardage (2,339) and fourth in total offense (2,965). Currently, his career passing yardage ranks 16th and his career total offense 19th. As a senior, Ellis came off the bench in the fourth quarter to lead a 20-13 comeback victory over eventual national champion Notre Dame, on Sept. 17, 1977, completing 3-of-4 passes for 68 yards and a touchdown toss to James Storey. After the win against the Fighting Irish, Ellis was named Co-Back of the Week by the Associated Press. He also helped the Rebels to wins over Tennessee, South Carolina, and Vanderbilt later that season. He finished his Ole Miss career 171-of-355 (48.2 percent completion) with 17 touchdowns.

Courtesy of Ole Miss Athletics