from school reports
She first held a tennis racket when she was “recruited” to play the sport at East Central Community College in Decatur. Her career in coaching was also not planned but something she was more-or-less forced to do.
But the sport has become a perfect “match” for Wanda Blackwell McPhail, whose success as Meridian Community College’s tennis coach has landed the Collinsville resident in the ECCC Athletic Hall of Fame. She will be enshrined into the prestigious group during ECCC’s homecoming activities scheduled Saturday.
McPhail referred to her upcoming induction as “one of the greatest honors I have received in my life.”
“To receive an award like this is just icing on the cake,” said McPhail, whose list of honors include her selection as NJCAA Region XXIII Tennis Coach of the Year for 2008-09 after leading her MCC women and men’s teams to Region 23 titles and berths in the national tournament. “I was so pleased when as a student I was named to the ECJC Hall of Fame, and I am again so pleased to be honored by my alma mater.”
Longtime ECCC faculty member Lucille Wood nominated her former player for the honor.
“Wanda has played a major role in promoting tennis in high schools, community and junior colleges in Mississippi, Region 23 and throughout the nation,” said Wood. “She has received several “Coach of the Year” honors and numerous national awards. Wanda demonstrated her excellence in coaching by taking more teams to national tournaments and receiving more national rankings than any other coach among her colleagues.”
In addition to McPhail’s 2008 tennis squads earning regional titles, the men’s team was also recognized as the sports’ NJCAA Academic Team of the Year for achieving a 3.69 grade point average. In 2009, two players — one from each team — were chosen to receive the Arthur Ashe National Sportsmanship Award.
But success is nothing new for McPhail, who took over the MCC program in 2000 and also serves as an English instructor.
Her women’s team record is 140-41. In addition to winning the 2009 Region 23 title, her squads posted regional and MACJC (Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges) State championships from 2003-2006 and were regional and state runners-ups in 2004 and 2005. Her Lady Eagles advanced to the NJCAA National Tournament during the 2002 to 2009 campaigns and were nationally ranked each season. Three of her players were named Intercollegiate Tennis Association All-Americans and eight were selected NJCAA Academic All-Americans.
The men’s record is even more impressive at 145-33. In addition to winning the Region 23 title in 2009, the Eagles captured region championships in 2002, 2004, 2005, 2007 and 2008, and were MACJC State Champions in 2004, 2005, 2007 and 2008. The MCC men were region and state runners-up in 2003 and 2006, and advanced to the NJCAA National Tournament from 2002 to 2008. They were also nationally ranked during that time period. In addition, six Eagles were chosen ITA Academic All-Americans.
Coach McPhail’s honors are also impressive. In addition to her 2008-09 national accolades, she has been chosen Region 23 Women’s Coach of the Year on six occasions; Mississippi Association of Coaches (MAC) Men’s and Women’s Tennis Coach of the Year (four times); MACJC Women’s Coach of the Year (five times); MACJC Men’s Coach of the Year (five times); and received the Hershel Stephen’s Coaching Award in 2007, an honor voted on by men coaches recognizing outstanding service and dedication to men’s tennis on the national level.
In addition, she is presently the president and formerly vice president and secretary of the NJCAA Tennis Coaches’ Association and served several terms as secretary of the MACJC Coaches’ Association. She is now serving a term on the ITA Board of Directors.
The fact that McPhail has experienced a successful career as tennis coach has really been somewhat of a surprise to the Union native, especially since she knew little about the sport until arriving as a student-athlete at ECCC following a successful basketball and track career at Union.
McPhail, who entered East Central in the fall of 1969 to play basketball for coach Wood’s Warriorettes, recalled the first day she was “introduced” to tennis.
“As an athlete, my time at East Central was special,” she said. “I had never played tennis in my life and can’t recall if I had every really seen a tennis racket! But coach Wood told me that I was going to play tennis, so I did. I became so passionate about tennis that I would sometimes practice from noon to ‘dark thirty’ during the spring semester. I never dreamed that tennis would turn out to be so important in my life or bring so much success.”
McPhail said the “highlight” of her tennis experience at EC came during her sophomore year when she and doubles partner Lucy Young (also an ECCC Athletic Hall of Fame member) were runners-up in the state tournament. Young’s first experience at tennis was also when coach Wood “recruited” her for the squad!
She also recalled a few other “highlights” related to the sport.
“Our manager, Susan Shoemaker, was playing (tennis) one day and decided to jump the net,” McPhail said. “But to our horror, her foot got hung in the net, and she fell and hurt her head. We were all scared to death that she had really hurt herself. She had a ‘bump’ for quite a while, which served as a reminder to all us not to try that trick!”
Another “highlight” was probably more of an embarrassment for McPhail.
“We were playing tennis at Perkinston. My dad was in the VA hospital, so I was a little strung out the whole semester,” she said. “And to make matters worse, I left my tennis shoes at home! My memory is that I played barefooted…but coach Wood’s memory is that I had to borrow tennis shoes from a Gulf Coast player. But regardless, I never forgot my tennis shoes again or any other piece of equipment!”
McPhail’s passion also included playing basketball for ECCC and being a member of coach Wood’s 1969-70 and 1970-71 squads. McPhail was actually planning to attend MUW and play basketball…but credits the late Denver Brackeen (former EC coach/administrator) for “encouraging me to play basketball for ECJC.”
She never regretted the decision.
, she said even though financial assistance was not available for female athletes at EC.
“We played (basketball) for the love of the game…there were no scholarships,” she stated. “It was certainly a highlight to have been a contributing member of a state championship team (1970-71); however, my fondest memories are of my teammates and Coach Wood.
Wood said of her former player: “I had the pleasure of coaching Wanda in three sports at East Central,” said Wood. “She was a well-disciplined athlete who demonstrated outstanding leadership and athletic abilities in all three sports. She also excelled academically.”
McPhail remembers playing in her first basketball game for Coach Wood. Ironically, the match-up was against then Meridian “Junior” College.
“They had just completed the new gym,” she said. “I substituted off the bench and stayed in the rest of the game….what a rivalry!”
In addition to tennis and basketball, McPhail also found success in volleyball and intramurals. She helped lead EC to the 1970 state volleyball championship, and she served as team captain for intramurals from 1969-71.
She also found time to serve as Student Body Association treasurer and was a member of Phi Theta Kappa, the international honor society for two-year colleges. She received the Earline Wood Memorial Award and was named to Who’s Who Among Students in American Junior Colleges.
Although sports were her passion, McPhail said her EC instructors were what she liked most about her college experience.
“My instructors were absolutely amazing,” she said. “Most of them took such a personal interest in the students…and I really hated for classes to end each day.”
She continued, “Mr. (Ovid) Vickers challenged me as I had never been challenged and created in me a love of learning as did Dr. (Richard) Ethridge, Mr. (Rudolph) Mayes, Mrs. (Alice) Pouncey, Coach (Joe) Clark, Mr. (Bruce) Peterson and Dr. (Shelby) Harris – they were all cut from a different cloth. I always knew they cared about me as a person. Coach Wood challenged me every day to go above and beyond. I developed the leadership skills I have now under the tutelage of these instructors and the ECJC administration.”
McPhail continued her athletic career at Mississippi State College for Women, where she was a member of the varsity volleyball and badminton teams and participated in intramurals. She graduated summa cum laude in 1973. (McPhail also graduated summa cum laude from Mississippi State University-Meridian in 1978, when she received a master’s degree in education.)
She began her coaching career the same year, although somewhat reluctantly, as she explained.
“I went to my first ever job as a physical education instructor at Kate Griffin Junior High School after graduating from the ‘W,’” she said. “There was discussion about who was going to be the new junior high basketball coach. There were three of us who were new to the department, and we all vehemently argued that we were not the one.”
She continued, “One of the teachers called me out in the hall and said, ‘Please tell me that you are kidding about not being the coach because you are.’ I tried to argue with the principal about this assignment and was told to look at the fine print in my contract. It read, ‘…and other duties as assigned by the building principal.’ My second coaching job was also by assignment….so I truly believe that God placed me in coaching. I have had the opportunity to touch and be touched by so many people.”
McPhail’s first “assignment” was a success, as her record as basketball coach was 98-23 during her tenure from 1973-78, and several of her track teams captured invitational and district meets. She also served as cheerleader coach from 1973-75.
After taking a break from coaching and teaching, McPhail joined the staff at West Lauderdale High School, where she was employed from 1991-2000. During this period, she taught English classes and coached basketball, volleyball, tennis and cheerleading.
Highlights in basketball include her 1994-95 girls’ basketball team winning the Lauderdale County Tournament and being selected a Clarion-Ledger “Coach of the Week” in 1995. She was also an assistant coach for the boys’ basketball team, which finished state runners-up in Class 3A in 1991-92.
McPhail is also credited with beginning the school’s tennis program in 1993. She led the squad to the state runner-up title in 1998 and was selected an All-Star coach in 2000. Her overall record was 78-28 and included four district championships and four runner-up titles.
She also began volleyball competition in 1995 and had a winning season each year. Her overall record was 78-25 and included three district championships.
McPhail, who is an avid sports fan, mentioned several athletes she considers as role models.
“Pete Sampras is a favorite because he epitomized what ‘sportsmanship’ was in a time, unfortunately, in athletics that we don’t always witness any sportsmanship. Also, I don’t think people comprehend the conditioning he must have gone through to be such an effective server and volleyer,” she said.
McPhail also praised Michael Jordan, the late Paul “Bear” Bryant and Brett Farve.
“I think Michael Jordan is amazing. He should be an inspiration and an encouragement to many athletes to never give up. I am always amazed when I think that he was cut from a team as a young athlete and look what he did because he would not give up,” she said.
“I admire Coach Bryant because of the discipline he instilled in his players,” she stated. “But Brett Farve is my all-time favorite. I love that ‘what you see is what you get’ with Farve. His toughness and tenacity and love of the game cannot be surpassed.”
In analyzing her own career, McPhail said she has obviously found her “niche” in coaching tennis.
“God has truly blessed me with great talent; thus I have much success,” she stated. “However, my most valuable possession in my office is a tin box with letters, notes and e-mails from students who years later have indicated that I did make a difference while they were playing for me. Championships come and go as do trophies and plaques, but the lives that we touch as coaches are a living and eternal testimony of what we can do through athletics.”
McPhail also thanked her family – husband, Mark D. McPhail, retired CEO at Jeff Anderson Hospital in Merdian and children, David Logan McPhail, Haley McPhail Davis and Morgan McPhail Vitart – “for allowing me to pursue a coaching career. I, like my male counterparts, am gone from home often and late; I spend many hours and weekends away from home. They have always supported me and picked up the slack when I was away.”
In addition, she is appreciative of her high school coach, T. L. Gregory, “who took a 4’8” skinny little girl and developed her into a basketball player.”
I’m also appreciative to (the late) Denver Brackeen for meeting with me in the summer of 1969 and encouraging me to come play basketball at ECJC because I was headed straight to MSCW.
“And I’m grateful to my bosses, Ikie Ethridge, Billy Harold Smith and Dr. Scott Elliott, for giving me the chance to coach. If I had it all to do over again, I would choose this career path. The intrinsic awards are well worth the time spent,” she said.
