Ulysses S. McPherson

Ulysses S. McPherson
Biographical details
Born(1926-09-16)September 16, 1926[1]
Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.
Playing career
Football
1946–1947Tennessee A&I
1951–1952Fort Knox
PositionCenter
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
Football
1948–1950Morristown
1953Morristown
1954–1957Mississippi Vocational
1958–1959Druid HS (AL)
1960–1961Arkansas AM&N (assistant)
1969–1970Jackson State
1971Alabama State (assistant)
Wrestling
c. 1978Maryland Eastern Shore
Administrative career (AD unless noted)
1953–1954Morristown
1954–1958Mississippi Vocational
1958–1960Druid HS (AL)
1972–1974Alabama State
c. 1978Maryland Eastern Shore (assistant AD)
Head coaching record
Overall14–5 (high school football)
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
Football
1 EIAC (1953)
3 SCAC (1955–1957)

Ulysses Simpson McPherson Jr. (born September 16, 1926), nicknamed "Jodie", "Killer", and "Mac", was an American football coach and athletics administrator. He served as head football coach at Morristown College in Morristown, Tennessee, from 1948 to 1950 and again in 1953, Mississippi Vocational College—now known as Mississippi Valley State University—in Itta Bena, Mississippi, from 1954 to 1957, and Jackson State University in Jackson, Mississippi, from 1969 to 1970.

Biography

A native of Louisville, Kentucky, McPherson graduated from Central Colored High School in 1944.[2] He earned an undergraduate degree from Tennessee Agricultural & Industrial State College—now known as Tennessee State University–in Nashville, Tennessee, where he played college football as a center, and earned all-Midwest Athletic Association honors in 1946 and 1947. He later earned a Master of Physical Education degree from Indiana University.

His tenure at Morristown was interrupted by army service, during which time he was stationed at Fort Knox and played for the Fort Knox Tankers football team in 1951 and 1952.[3] McPherson was appointed athletic director, head football coach, and head of the department of health, physical education and recreation at Mississippi Vocational in 1954.[4]

After leaving Mississippi Vocational in 1958, McPherson was athletic director and coach at Druid High School in Tuscaloosa, Alabama and then an assistant in the physical education department at Arkansas Agricultural, Mechanical and Normal College—now known as University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. He was removed from the coaching staff following the departure of head coach Charles Spearman in 1962, but remained with the school as a fulltime instructor. In 1963, he was promoted to assistant to the director of health and physical education.[5]

In 1969, McPherson succeeded Rod Paige as head football coach at Jackson State.[6] He was fired after the 1970 season due to "coaching staff problems". His record over two seasons was 6–13.[7]

McPherson was hired in 1971 as an assistant football coach at Alabama State University in Montgomery, Alabama. He was appointed the acting athletic director at Alabama State in February 1972.[8] He held this position until 1974, but remained with the school as a recreation specialist.[9]He resigned from Alabama State in 1975.[10]

McPherson was later assistant athletic director and wrestling coach at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, and oversaw the Summer Youth Sports Program in Princess Anne, Maryland.[11]

In 1992, McPherson was an inaugural inductee into the SWAC Hall of Fame.[12]

Head coaching record

College football

Year Team Overall ConferenceStanding Bowl/playoffs
Morristown Red Knights (Eastern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) (1948–1950)
1948 Morristown 3–42–24th
1949 Morristown 8–2–14–12nd
1950 Morristown 5–1–13–01st[n 1]
Morristown Red Knights (Eastern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) (1953)
1953 Morristown 3–0–1T–1st
Morristown: 12–3–1
Mississippi Vocational Delta Devils (South Central Athletic Conference) (1954–1957)
1954 Mississippi Vocational 6–3
1955 Mississippi Vocational 7–21st
1956 Mississippi Vocational 8–1–1
1957 Mississippi Vocational 5–3–1T–1st
Mississippi Vocational: 26–8–2
Jackson State Tigers (Southwestern Athletic Conference) (1969–1970)
1969 Jackson State 2–61–6T–7th
1970 Jackson State 4–71–56th
Jackson State: 6–132–11
Total:49–28–4
      National championship         Conference title         Conference division title or championship game berth

[14]

Notes

  1. ↑ Morristown finished first in the Eastern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (EIAC) standings, but did not play enough conference games to be eligible for the championship, so second-place Norfolk State was awarded the conference title.[13]

References

  1. ↑ Personalities of the South. American Biographical Institute. 1974. p. 430. Retrieved May 29, 2026.
  2. ↑ "Central Class of '44 Reunion". The Louisville Defender. August 20, 1987.
  3. ↑ Edward Q. Adams. "6 Louisville Stars to Play at Morristown", The Courier-Journal, Louisville, Kentucky, volume 198, number 69, September 7, 1953, section 2, page 4. (subscription required)
  4. ↑ "Jodie McPherson Named Athletic Director At MVC". Louisville Defender. Louisville, Kentucky. July 22, 1954. p. 4. Retrieved April 19, 2026 – via Newspapers.com Open access icon.
  5. ↑ Jackson, Marion E. (June 9, 1963). "Sports of the World". Atlanta Daily World. Retrieved May 29, 2026.
  6. ↑ "McPherson Named Grid Boss At Jackson State". The Clarion-Ledger. Jackson, Mississippi. February 14, 1969. p. 5B. Retrieved April 19, 2026 – via Newspapers.com Open access icon.
  7. ↑ "Hill Replaces Jackson Coach". Times Daily. December 20, 1970. Retrieved May 29, 2026.
  8. ↑ "Ulysses McPherson Named Acting AD at Alabama State". Montgomery Advertiser. Montgomery, Alabama. February 27, 1972. p. 16. Retrieved August 2, 2018 – via Newspapers.com Open access icon.
  9. ↑ "Alabama State taps 2 new sports coaches". The Afro American. August 24, 1974. Retrieved May 29, 2026.
  10. ↑ Young, Rick (August 7, 1975). "Press Box; McPherson Resigns". Alabama Journal. Montgomery, Alabama. p. 19. Retrieved April 19, 2026 – via Newspapers.com Open access icon.
  11. ↑ Young, Rick (June 15, 1978). "State's Athletes High On McPherson's List". Alabama Journal. Montgomery, Alabama. p. 28. Retrieved April 19, 2026 – via Newspapers.com Open access icon.
  12. ↑ SWAC Football Media Guide- 1992 (PDF). Retrieved May 29, 2026.
  13. ↑ Parker, John (December 23, 1950). "Final EIAC Standings". Journal and Guide. Norfolk, Virginia. p. 20. Retrieved April 16, 2026 – via Newspapers.com Open access icon.
  14. ↑ "NCAA Statistics; Coach; Ulysses McPherson". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved April 19, 2026.
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