Five individuals were honored at the home game against Pine Tree on September 30th as part of the third annual Mount Pleasant Tiger Athletic Hall of Fame event. The honorees for this year include Jearlynn Johnson Jackson, James Stansell, Basil Mitchell, Craig Carney and Marion Giesecke.  The Hall of Famers served as honorary captains and participated in the pre-game coin toss. Each inductee wore a gold jacket during the ceremony to signify their induction honors.

Portraits of each new inductee will also be displayed in the hallway of the Willie Williams Gymnasium alongside other inductees. During its inaugural year in 2014,  Keith Stanberry, Jerilyn Pope, Donnie Laurence, Barry Minter and Tony Miller were honored. Last year’s recipients included Charles Wright, Maury Buford, Leslie Slovak, R.E. Dodson, Richard Rockwell and Herb Zimmerman. The Mount Pleasant Tiger Athletic Hall of Fame is the highest honor given to individuals who have excelled in athletics and is an opportunity to recognize their many accomplishments.

Here are the 2016 Tiger Athletic Hall of Fame inductees:

Jearlynn Johnson Jackson

Jearlynn Johnson Jackson is currently a 29-year veteran of the Dallas Police Department.  Jearlynn graduated from Mount Pleasant High School in 1984 after excelling in Lady Tigers basketball and track.  She earned numerous sports awards including all-district and state honors. Her athletic prowess led her to North Texas State University (University of North Texas) in Denton where she played both basketball and softball.  Jearlynn is affectionately known as “J. J.” by both family and friends.  Her intellect led her to join the Dallas Police Department where she gained respect and recognition by being an outstanding tactical officer in a male- dominated unit.  Upon promotion to Senior Corporal, Jearlynn became the first African-American female motorcycle officer in the history of the Dallas Police Department.  She has participated in the Texas and World Police games.  She is featured on a Kids and Cops trading card and also on a mural in the Jack Evans Police Headquarters.  Jearlynn continues to work with different youth and church organizations on and off- duty.  She has worked with the Special Olympics, Dallas Pals and Dallas Police Explorers.  Jearlynn has one son, Robert E. Jackson, III.  Both mother and son are active members of the Hope of Glory Community Church in Dallas where Robert serves as youth minister.

James Stansell

James Stansell, a longtime business leader and owner of City Cleaners and Laundry for 23 years, has sponsored local sports for many years. In high school as a Tiger, he was chosen as All-District in 1957, National High School All American in basketball in 1958 and all state and all district co-captains in 1958 and 1959. In three years of high school competition, he garnered 1,018 points on the court.

He counts his greatest memory while in high school as being the people he knew.

“I enjoyed the relationships made with friends and also the relationships I had with special coaches like Dick Gilbreath and O.L. Colley, Jr.,” Stansell explained.

After graduation, Stansell attended Lon Morris College in Jacksonville. At the time, the school was ranked #1 in the nation in sports.

“Athletics made me a leader and left a legacy for my family and friends. It also helped me to mold many other young lives.”

Married to Mary Stansell, he is the father of two sons Tommy (Deanna) and Mark (Cindy) and grandfather to Zac, Nic, Justin, Jessica, Jackson, Judson, Chance, Mary, Melanie and Wyatt.

“I think it is special  to work towards something your family can now cherish for the rest of their lives. You have to work hard, have discipline and put 100 percent toward effort.”

Basil Mitchell

Basil Mitchell is also being honored as a 2016 Hall of Fame inductee. A graduate of Mount Pleasant High School in 1994, Mitchell received numerous football honors as a Tiger including All- District, Kick Returner of the Year, Offensive MVP 15-4A and 3rd Team All State.

His greatest memory as a Mount Pleasant Tiger came during his senior year.

“Winning district on the last home game ever at Tiger Stadium and enjoying it with teammates was my greatest memory in high school,” Mitchell explained.

Heavily recruited by several Division I schools, Mitchell next chose to take his talents to Texas Christian University (TCU) and become a Horned Frog.  His proudest collegiate moment came in 1998 when he and his teammates captured the Sun Bowl Championship against the USC Trojans.

“I was exciting to win the Sun Bowl and be named MVP because no one in the country thought we had a chance,” Mitchell said.

In his first two years at TCU, Mitchell became the team’s #1 running back. He is one of only nine Horned Frogs to eclipse the 2,500-yard mark finishing with 2,783 yards. That record puts him at #6 All-Time in the school’s history.

Mitchell was later acquired by the Green Bay Packers as a free agent and played in 1999 and 2000. He played in 16 games in 1999 and one game the following season before suffering an injury.

Today, Mitchell works as a commercial real estate broker in Dallas and has been married to fellow Mount Pleasant High School graduate Sharay Mitchell for the past 12 years. He is the proud father of five children: Ashlei, 19, a sophomore at Texas A&M University; twins  Jasmine and Summer, 18, freshmen at Prairie View A&M University;  Basia, 11, and Traylor, 8.

Mitchell, who is also a former Mount Pleasant High School assistant coach, explained that sports had a profound effect on his life.

“It makes you realize that good things take time to build,” Mitchell explained. “You have to put in the work and then you see the fruits of your labor. I learned to be patient and keep grinding in everything I do knowing that it’s going to pay off in the end– if I just stick to the script.”

Mitchell has had great successes on the field including time played in the NFL, but the recent Hall of Fame honor has managed to still rank high on his list of achievements.

“I am grateful to be selected for such a prestige honor,” he explained. “It makes me feel good to know that all of my hard work and sacrifice didn’t go unnoticed. There were many days that I trained to get better by myself while my friends went out to kick it. Sometimes you question if the blood, sweat and tears to play this game are worth it. Today, the feeling I have being inducted in to the MPHS Sports Hall of Fame, is that it was all worth it and I’d do it all again.  I also have to thank my family who have been nothing but supportive my whole career starting in Little League all the way to the Big League. I could not have accomplished this without their help so this is as much for them as it is for me.”

Marion Giesecke

In 1978, head baseball coach Marion Giesecke successfully led his Tigers team to a championship title. It is a feat he has never forgotten . He also has not forgotten the support the team received from the parents of those players that year.

“My most memorable moment while in Mount Pleasant has to be the championship in 1978,” Giesecke explained. “I wish all the parents of the players of the 1978 team were here to share this with me. I know it meant so much  to them to be a part of this team.  Their sons were true winners and the parents were such a major part of the 1978 win for Mount Pleasant.”

Giesecke also coached varsity football while in Mount Pleasant from 1972-1979. A graduate of Abilene Christian College (ACC) now Abilene Christian University, Giesecke later received a master’s degree from East Texas State University while living in Mount Pleasant. In 1978, Abilene Christian named its former alumnus Coach of the Year for his accomplishments in Mount Pleasant. After leaving Titus County,  Giesecke continued his coaching career and retired last year after some 45 years of coaching and teaching.

“Athletics has shaped me and helped me to remain calm during both good and bad times; accepting the things I can’t change in life,” Giesecke explained.

Giesecke has been married to Jill Hill Giesecke for the past 50 years and the couple has two children: Guy Giesecke, 47, who lives in Madison, MS and Greg Giesecke, 40, of Salado. The couple’s grandchildren include:  Ashton, 16; Kalyn, 12; Noah, 10, who all live in Madison, MS.  Other grandchildren include: Hailey, 15, and Holly, 11, who live in Salado. Giesecke and his wife reside in Kerrville in the Texas Hill Country.

“This honor is very humbling.  It means all the players on the team should feel a part of this honor also,” Giesecke said. “To the athletes:  Put yourself to high standards and expect the very best out of yourself.  You can’t be what your parents want, nor anyone else; you simply have to be the very best for yourself and then you will feel your own accomplishment with great satisfaction.”

T. Craig Carney

For Craig Carney, 1973 was a good year. In fact, it is the season where, as the team’s quarterback, he helped to lead the Tigers to the state finals. Actually, it’s the game before the state matchup that had the most profound on him.

“Beating Lamesa in the Semi-Finals after being down 14-0 would be my greatest athletic memory in high school,” Carney explained. “We were running off the field knowing we were going to state. My Dad came into the dressing room (which he had never done) to share the victory.”

Carney received several athletic honors in high school including All State Football and Baseball, East Texas Athlete of the Year by then Longview Morning News, All District Basketball and Track High Point Man-Tiger Relays.

After high school, Carney attended the University of Texas at Arlington where he was a four-year letterman as quarterback, a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and several other campus organizations and fraternities.

“The first time I ever touch the ball I had a 32-year touchdown,” Carney, who was a true freshman starter, remembered. “In general, athletics taught me that teamwork means having to rely on others. It also taught me discipline, composure, respect for authority and how to be goal oriented. I also learned that hard work does pay off.”

Carney, who graduated seventh in his senior class, offered advice to the younger student-athletes.

“You can’t succeed athletically by yourself,” Carney explained. “You have to have love and support of family and friends and love them back. You also need encouragement and discipline from your coaches and you have to listen to them and appreciate them. And finally you need love and accountability from your teammates and in return you have to depend on them and don’t let them down. You don’t have to be a starter to be a leader and contribute to the team. If you have a positive attitude, strong work ethic and fierce loyalty, you will stand out on anybody’s team.”

Carney has never forgotten his Tiger teammates.

“Our graduating class never lost a game at Tiger Stadium (grades 7-12),” he explained. “We had such a strong sense of team. We did not want to let our teammates down. My teammates have always been a part of me even to this day. So if I’m in the Hall of Fame, I consider a part of them to be in too.”

Now living in Plano, Carney is married to Tina Carney and has four children Kyle Carney, 27, Tara Carney Francis, 26; Jake Traylor, 24 and Travis Traylor, 19. He is a civic engineer and commercial real estate developer.

“I’m indescribably humbled and honored to receive this award especially as I think of all the athletes who have gone before and after me at MPHS. There were truly exceptionally, talented athletes who have worn the Black and Gold that makes this recognition even more special.”