SCOOBA — When Charles “Bulldog” Coggins suited up in 1964 as a member of the East Mississippi Junior College Lions football team, little did he know that would be the start of a family tradition that would span more than five decades and three generations.

Coggins’ son, Keith Coggins (Class of 1993) also played for the Lions, as does his grandson, Stuart Coggins, who is a member of the team’s current squad.

“It’s neat the way it all intertwines,” Keith Coggins said. “Dad started this for all of us. If it had not of been for him, none of us would have been here.”

A high school football standout, Bulldog Coggins was recruited by former Lions’ Coach Bob “Bull” Sullivan.

“Coach Sullivan was kind of a special guy,” Bulldog Coggins said. “For me, he was my messiah. My dad had been dead and gone, and I needed somebody who would provide me with structure.”

Bulldog was brought in as a tight end to play on Sullivan’s pass-centered offense, long before the term West Coast offense was dubbed and the playing style adopted by pro football teams. Bulldog, an All-American, also long-snapped and even briefly lined up behind the center after quarterback Bill Buckner, another All-American, suffered a broken jaw.

“We would have played for the national championship had Bill not have gotten hurt,” Bulldog Coggins said.

After graduating, Bulldog played tight end for Delta State University. He was later moved to center, where he snapped to Buckner, who was also playing for DSU.

After finishing school, he served as a high school football coach for seven years before beginning a career in the insurance industry.

“In 2001, the Lord pulled me off into his business,” Bulldog Coggins said. “I am a Methodist preacher now.”

Keith Coggins was a football fan from a young age and fondly recalls attending practices at Columbia Academy when his dad was the head coach there. He played the game from an early age, first for the YMCA, then Oak Hill Academy and later West Point.

Keith Coggins was a center and long-snapper throughout his football career.

“At West Point, we won three state championships in a row, two in 4A and one at 5A,” Keith Coggins said. “Back then, 5A was the biggest classification they had in the state.”

After a disappointing season his freshmen year at EMCC, Keith Coggins considered transferring to another college but changed his mind when former pro football player Tom Goode was hired as EMCC’s head coach and athletic director.

“Coach Goode said to me, ‘I need you to stay here and help me,’” Keith Coggins said. “So, I stayed and we went 6-4. That was the best thing I ever did in my life.”

He later played for Mississippi State University, making the traveling squad as a redshirt junior and playing in the Peach Bowl. After school, Keith worked for Kerr-McGee and later for Monroe Gas Storage in Amory, where he is still employed.

Like his father and grandfather before him, Stuart Coggins plays center for EMCC. In high school, he played left guard and right tackle.

“I played everywhere,” Stuart Coggins said. “I didn’t play center until the last two games of my senior year.”

A dual-sport threat, Stuart Coggins was also a high-school standout in baseball, earning second best in the state with 58 RBIs this past season. He plans to try out for EMCC’s baseball team and wants to major in athletic training at a four-year university once he graduates.

So which sport does he prefer?

“I think I can maybe go further in baseball than football, but I think I enjoy football a little better,” Stuart Coggins said.