Bermond is 2010 Dobie Holden Scholarship recipient

POPLARVILLE – Freshman Chris Bermond of Kiln is the 2010 recipient of the Dobie Holden Memorial Scholarship at Pearl River Community College.Bermond, 19, is a graduate of Hancock County High School. He is a starting linebacker on the Wildcat football team and a kineseology major.Bermond is the son of Chris and Annette Bermond of Bay St. Louis.”Chris is a hard-working kid with a lot of potential,” said PRCC head coach Tim Hatten. “He is very coachable, a hard worker and a model citizen for our program.”The late Dobie Holden was a highly successful head football coach at PRCC. From 1948 until 1966, he recorded a 140-43-7 record and his teams were always ranked in the NJCAA Top 10.In addition, he led the Wildcats to 17 straight wins over arch-rival Gulf Coast, while winning four of five bowl games.Holden coached at Picayune for a decade, posting a 72-19-7 record and, at one point, won 37 straight games. He resigned the Picayune job in 1943, took a job with a shipbuilding firm in Slidell, La., and a year later he was back in coaching – this time in Pascagoula.By 1948, Coach Holden had accepted the Wildcats head job and the rest is history. Holden lifetime record was 240-74-15. His PRCC teams won seven state championships. The 1961 team finished 10-0 and also won the NJCAA national championship.Holden died in 1986, but his competitive attitude on life remains alive in so many people today. He was one of the first to be selected into the college Sports Hall of Fame and has also been inducted into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame.Keith Daniels ScholarshipSophomore Reggie Bailey of Picayune is the 2010 recipient of the Keith Daniels Memorial Scholarship.Bailey, 19, a computer engineering major, is a starting defensive end for the Wildcats. He is the son of Reginald Bailey Sr. of New Orleans and Miriam Moss of Picayune.”He one of our team leaders this year,” said Hatten. “He has been a solid player for us. He gets better with every game. He is a very hard-nosed player.”Daniels passed away in 2000 during his sixth season as PRCC head football coach. He had a long, successful career as an assistant coach on the collegiate level before he was hired in the spring of 1995 to succeed Willie Coats at PRCC. Daniels guided PRCC to a 7-3 record his inaugural season. In 1996, his freshman-ladened team fell to 2-8.His overall record at PRCC was 21-34.Bermond and Bailey will be recognized during the 2010 Alumni Homecoming luncheon at 11:30 a.m. Saturday (Oct. 23) in Olivia Bender Cafeteria.