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ICC to honor Kline, Hill, Nanney during Homecoming, Oct. 18

            Itawamba Community College will honor Alumnus of the Year Tommy Kline of Fulton and Athletic Hall of Fame inductees Ron Hill of Ponte Vedra, Fla. and Mike Nanney Sr. of Fulton, during Homecoming activities, Oct. 18, at the Fulton Campus.

            They will be recognized at an award ceremony at 4 p.m. tentatively scheduled for the Davis Event Center lobby as well as prior to the ICC vs. Southwest football game which begins at 6:30 p.m. at Eaton Field.

            Aberdeen native Kline, the owner of Kline Heating and Air Conditioning, Inc. which he founded in 1978, attended IJC on an athletic scholarship and played football for coaches Dudley Miller and Ben Jones. He earned a business degree at the Fulton Campus, and later he commuted two nights a week from Aberdeen for 18 months to complete the heating and air conditioning program. Kline serves on the local board of BancorpSouth, as chairman of the Mississippi State Board of Contractors, past chairman of the Mississippi Associated Builders and Contractors and board member of the Mississippi Manufacturers Association and an active member of St. James Catholic Church. In 2006 he was selected as the Itawamba County Development Council Business Person of the Year. In 2017, he and his wife, the former Natalie Creely, endowed a scholarship to ICC for deserving students. The Klines have four children, Tom (Staci), Matt (Parker), Leah Richardson and Laura McWhirter (Mitch). They have 11 grandchildren and two step-grandchildren.

            Hill, who is a native of Okolona, played football for Coach Dudley Miller (1972-73) at IJC, where he participated in multiple student activities and was elected Best Dressed in Who’s Who elections. He is a 1975 graduate of Mississippi State University where he was a football manager for two years. In addition, he earned the master’s degree in administration and education from MSU in 1978. His extensive career includes assistant coach in Elaine, Ark., graduate assistant at MSU, college pro scout for the Dallas Cowboys, assistant director of player personnel for 10 years for the Denver Broncos, director of pro personnel for the Jacksonville Jaguars and vice president of football operations for the National Football League office in New York City. Hill played an integral role in building four NFL teams that reached 10 conference games and four Super Bowls over his 29-year career in the NFL. He and his wife, Tina, have two sons, Austin and Ryan, both United States Naval Academy graduates.

            A 1966 graduate of IJC, Nanney earned both the bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Mississippi State University. At IJC, he was a member of the marching band and played basketball for Coach Buster Davis. He served as coach and teacher at Tremont High School, Alcorn Central High School and Itawamba Agricultural High School and principal at Fulton Junior High School. Nanney’s honors include IAHS District I Boys Championship (1978) and runner up in 1979, IAHS District I Girls Championship (1981-82), Tremont District Championship (girls – 1969), Alcorn Central High School Boys – Tippamingo Championship (1974-75), Tippamingo Coach of the Year and four terms as alderman for the City of Fulton, including current service. He and his wife, Sandra, have two children.

            Criteria for selection of the Alumnus of the Year include attended ICC and successful completion of at least one semester as a full-time student five years prior to the current school year and exhibited merit and achievement which have brought fame and honor to either his/her community or the College. Athletic Hall of Fame inductees are selected based on the following criteria: out of school for at least 10 years and accomplishments after graduation. In addition, support of ICC after graduation may be a factor.

            The Homecoming schedule also includes a Red, Hot and Blue Cookout from 5-6 p.m. at the Davis Event Center concourse.

            For more information on Homecoming, contact Dr. Jan Reid-Bunch, executive director of alumni affairs and the ICC Foundation, (662) 862-8035 or jrbunch@iccms.edu.



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