ESTABLISHED 1879 | COLUMBUS, MISSISSIPPI CDISPATCH.COM 75 ¢ NEWSSTAND | 40 ¢ HOME DELIVERY THURSDAY | SEPTEMBER 12, 2019 IN MEMORIAM Bill Stacy, former MSU football star, Starkville mayor, ‘stood for all the right things’ BY SLIM SMITH Weatherly, a teammate of Stacy’s (1,232) than he passed for (1,100).
[email protected] from 1955-58. “He was an out- He ran for seven touchdowns and standing football player, one of passed for 10 and was selected as a his spring, Mississippi State the best defensive backs we ever second-team All-American in 1957, baseball player Jake Mang- had and maybe the best passer leading MSU to a 6-2-1 record, T um was dubbed “the mayor to ever come here, too. He was a good enough for a third-place tie of Starkville” as a sign of affection great track athlete, too. But more in the SEC and a 14th ranking in Former by Bulldog fans. Mississip- than all of that, he was a great guy. the final AP poll that season. But 30 years ago, it was another pi State He stood for all the right things. I It was Stacy’s skills as a de- football star Bulldog star who held that title, don’t think I’ve ever had a better fensive back that captured NFL Bill Stacy literally. friend.” scouts’ attention. The NFL’s Chica- passed away Billy Stacy, a football All-Amer- By modern standards, Stacy’s go Cardinals (soon to relocate Tuesday ican at MSU in the late 1950s and statistics at MSU don’t leap off to St.