MGCCC Vice President of Administration and Finance Michael Heindel (left) with 2013 MACJC Sports Hall of Fame inductee Josh Wells.
Pascagoula native Josh Wells is this year’s Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College inductee into the MACJC Sports Hall of Fame. Wells was inducted along with 14 others this week at the annual award’s ceremony in Pearl.
Wells didn’t start playing football until his junior year at Carver High School. Despite his lack of experience on the gridiron, Wells helped lead his team to Conference Championships as a junior and senior.
Wells then broke barriers by not only becoming the first African-American to earn an athletic scholarship at Gulf Coast. According to legendary Bulldog football coach George Sekul, Wells and Carver High teammates Glenn Larkin and Morris Richardson were the first three black players to play at the college level in Mississippi.
On the field, Wells was an offensive lineman and helped lead Gulf Coast to a State title in 1967 along with earning a letter and All-State recognition.
A year later, Wells switched to defense and helped the Bulldogs to a 9-1 record and another appearance in the State title game. He was also an Honorable Mention All-American and a First Team All-State honoree as a sophomore.
Wells went on to play football at Southeastern Louisiana.