[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 45 (Thursday, March 31, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E591]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   HONORING LAFAYETTE STRIBLING CHAMPIONSHIP WINNING BASKETBALL COACH

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. BENNIE G. THOMPSON

                             of mississippi

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 31, 2011

  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Coach 
Lafayette Stribling, Championship Winning Basketball Coach and 
Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Hall of Famer.
  Lafayette Stribling, a native of Carthage, Mississippi in Leake 
County graduated from Harmony High School in Carthage. He attended 
Mississippi Industrial College in Holly Springs, Mississippi where he 
received a Bachelor of Science Degree and later a Master of Science 
Degree from Mississippi State University in Starkville, Mississippi. 
Coach Stribling has also studied at the University of Southern 
Mississippi in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.
  Stribling coached high school boy's basketball for 26 years winning 
741 games and 17 out of 19 Conference Championships. He was named Coach 
of the Year of the Choctaw Conference six consecutive years, and his 
team was Class BB State Champions in 1980. In addition to coaching 
boy's basketball, Stribling coached girl's basketball for four years. 
In the 1981 regular season, both the boys and girls teams were 
undefeated winning 67 consecutive games. He coached baseball for 15 
years and won the 1971 State Championship. Subsequently, three players 
from that championship team went on to play baseball professionally. 
Throughout his 26 year high school sports career, Coach Stribling never 
had a losing season.
  Coach Stribling spent over 20 years as the coach of the Mississippi 
Valley State University (MVSU) Delta Devils in Itta Bena, Mississippi. 
During Stribling's tenure, the Delta Devils captured four SWAC regular-
season titles and earned three SWAC tournament titles which lead to 
three trips to the NCAA Tournament (1986, 1992, 1996). Stribling was 
the winningest coach in Mississippi Valley State University history, 
with a record of 315-307.
  Coach Stribling's accomplishments at Mississippi Valley included 
taking a squad that was down in the early 1980s and turning them into 
conference champions. In 1985, his Delta Devils team played on national 
television against the number one team in the nation, Duke University. 
The game, televised on ESPN, saw Mississippi Valley fight a tough 
contest against the Blue Devils. At halftime, the Delta Devils led by 
three. Early in the second half, they led by seven, only to see Duke 
rally for an 85-78 victory. Though, the Delta Devils did not take home 
the win, their performance very well may have earned them a different 
type of victory. At the time, Mississippi Valley State University was 
facing closure. After a strong performance from the Delta Devils, the 
national attention Stribling's squad received arguably may have 
breathed life back into Mississippi Valley State University, forcing 
state legislators to reconsider closing its doors.
  In 2005, Coach Stribling retired from Mississippi Valley State 
University as head coach of the Delta Devils. Soon, thereafter he came 
out of retirement and began coaching the Tougaloo College Bulldogs. In 
2007, under the tutelage of Coach Stribling, the Bulldogs won their 
first conference championship in the school's history. That same year, 
Coach Stribling was named Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Coach of the 
Year and the bulldogs went on to play in the National Tournament.
  At 76 years-old, Coach Stribling still believes his players should 
``work hard and play even harder''--that is in the classroom and on the 
court. His firm concept of ``academics before athletics'' left the 54 
year coaching veteran with only seven of his original thirteen players 
in the 2011 National Tournament when some of his players became 
academically ineligible. In essence, Coach Stribling says, ``You can 
look at it two ways. I always look at my glass as half full, not half 
empty. All seven of my guys know they are going to play every night. 
They are ready. I tell them we have seven players. That's two too many. 
You can't use but five at a time.'' To date, The Tougaloo Bulldogs have 
won three championships in just five seasons.
  Coach Lafayette Stribling has inspired his players to never give up 
on or off the court. He has survived prostate cancer and congestive 
heart failure and continues to enjoy every moment of the game.
  Again, I ask that my colleagues join me in saluting Coach Lafayette 
Stribling, a living legend and an inspiration to all Mississippians.

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