POPLARVILLE, Miss. — National Football League draft picks don't usually come from community colleges. But Larry Brackins wasn't your typical athlete.
A two-sport phenom, four-time championship winner and a record-breaking receiver, Brackins carved a path from Pearl River to the pros — making the leap to the NFL straight from the JUCO ranks.
On July 25, Brackins will be enshrined in the Pearl River Athletics Hall of Fame at the annual banquet held at Hollywood Casino & Resort and presented by Keith's Superstores. Brackins will be inducted alongside football's Stevie Moody, women's basketball's Polly Kirkland LeVert and men's soccer's Stephen Kulikowski. PRCC's first-ever mascot Eric "Poncho" James, will receive the Spirit of a Wildcat award.
Additionally, Pearl River will recognize its 2004 MACJC and NJCAA National Champion football team, the 1994-95 Region 23 Champion women's basketball team and the 1994-1995 MACJC and Region 23 Champion men's golf team.
"I've been waiting on this phone call for a long time," Brackins said. "Pearl River was the only place that I really enjoyed. Pearl River taught me that discipline and hard work will always pay off. All I did was go to school and play ball."
Tickets to the banquet are available until Sunday July 13 at midnight and can be purchased at PRCCAthletics.com/tickets. Pearl River is also hosting a four-man scramble golf tournament prior to the banquet. Those interested can register at PRCCAthletics.com/tickets.
GETTING TO THE RIVER
Brackins became one of Pearl River's all-time greats — but his journey at The River almost never happened. He had a standout senior season both in basketball and football at Dothan High School in Dothan, Alabama. He attracted some unlikely attention— a school nearly 40 hours away in Quincy, California.
"I had a friend who knew a coach at Feather River College, so I decided to go out to California and play basketball only,"he said.
Though Brackins and Feather River had some success, he missed football and wanted to get closer to home, which ultimately meant he was transferring. Back home in Dothan, Brackins was weighing his options. Then came the call from legendary Pearl River football coach Tim Hatten, and with the call came the right pitch.
"Coach Hatten sent me a highlight tape, and they ran the spread offense. They were throwing Donovan Morgan a lot of touchdown passes," Brackins said. "He told me Donovan was leaving and that they wanted me to take his spot. I told him if they were going to throw the ball to me like that, I'd be there."
Brackins still wanted to play basketball, too, and Hatten made it happen by coordinating with Hall of Famer basketball coach Richard Mathis. The deal was done, and Brackins was headed to The River to feature on the field and the court.
LEAVING A LEGACY
The first year as a Wildcat couldn't have been scripted any better for Brackins. On the football field, he hauled in 45 passes for 772 yards and nine touchdowns, and the Wildcats finished 10-1 and earned a MACJC title. His 772 yards and nine touchdowns are both the fifth most in a single season in PRCC history.
"We had a really good team and there were a lot of good receivers around me," Brackins said. "You couldn't put someone one-on-one against me, and if you double-teamed me, someone else was about to have a good day."
Brackins set the tone early, scoring a touchdown on the sixth play of his first game — a 167-yard debut against Northeast — after not playing football in over a year.
"I was nervous because it was my first game since high school, but I felt like I could have a good day," he said. "On the sixth play of the game, I caught a touchdown.
Once football season wrapped up, Brackins traded in his cleats for sneakers. Despite joining PRCC's basketball team four games into the season, and without a single practice, he made an immediate impact.
"They didn't really know me or what I could do on the basketball court," Brackins said. "I showed them what I could do, and the rest was history."
Show them indeed. Brackins averaged 17 points and 12 rebounds as a small forward, leading the Wildcats to a 21-9 record and an MACJC Championship, where he dropped 20 points against Hinds.
"Man, I was on cloud nine. I had won a championship in both sports," he said. "Not many people could say that."
As if his first season wasn't good enough, the 2004 season was even more impressive with Pearl River and Mississippi Community College Hall of Famer Jimmy Oliver leading the way from the quarterback position and Brackins hauling in passes at receiver, the Wildcats were unstoppable.
Brackins went on to haul in 1,117 yards and 10 touchdowns — his yardage is still first in single-season history, and his scores rank fourth. He also returned an incredible three punts for scores, powering PRCC to an 11-0 record and a berth in the National Championship game.
That title game pitted PRCC against defending National Champion Butler (Kan.), which carried a 23-game win streak. The Wildcats weren't fazed and never expected anything but a victory.
"We could have played Alabama or the San Francisco 49ers," Brackins said. "We felt good about our chances. We wanted to finish off the whole thing."
Despite some early mistakes — including a rare muffed punt by Brackins — the Wildcats quickly turned the tide. Brackins went on to catch the go-ahead touchdown, an insurance touchdown and finished with 11 catches for 167 yards. Pearl River rolled to a 35-14 victory and its first National Championship since 1961.
"It was surreal. The sun came out for the first time all day," Brackins said. "All of the hard work had paid off. The goal that we had set was accomplished. We were finally able to sit back and breathe."
Brackins finished his PRCC career with 1,889 yards and 19 touchdowns — both still first in program history.
DRAFTED FROM JUCO
Brackins' video game numbers had earned him looks from some of the biggest schools in the country. He had received offers from USC, Alabama, LSU, Florida State, Ole Miss, Texas and Texas A&M. He thought he was bound for the college route until he received some unlikely advice.
"I was on my visits and some of the players were telling me that I could go straight to the NFL if I wanted to," Brackins said. "I told them that I was good, and I really wasn't thinking about doing that. Everybody just kept asking me and telling me I could do it. I was going to commit to LSU, but Nick Saban left, so I decided to enter the draft."
About a month before the draft, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers flew Brackins in for a private visit, and he sat down for a meeting with John Gruden, who promised to take him.
"He told me that he was going to pick me," Brackins said. "He gave me his card and told me to give him a call.
The promise came true. On day three of the draft, Brackins got his call. Tampa Bay selected him with the 155th overall pick in the fifth round.
"Coach Gruden called me and said, 'Hey Larry, I told you we would pick you. You're next,'" Brackins said.
Brackins spent time with the Buccaneers and New York Jets before carving out a dominant career in the Arena Football League. Over 10 seasons, he caught 484 passes for 5,778 yards and 177 touchdowns, winning the ArenaBowl title in 2008 with the Philadelphia Soul.
"I really enjoyed playing the game. I had a lot of fun playing with different teams and traveling," he said. "I just enjoyed it while I could do it. Whenever I lost the love for it, I moved on."
Brackins resides in Orlando, Florida, and owns his own trucking company. He has one daughter, Tyniya.
HOW TO NOMINATE
Know a former Wildcat who you believe should be considered in the future? Nominate by visiting https://prccathletics.com/hof/Hall_of_Fame_nomination_form or visiting PRCCAthletics.com/HOF and clicking the nomination form link at the top of the page.
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