Football
Kelly Shipp, Associate Director/Communications
STARKVILLE – Mississippi State great Jimmy Webb is set to be inducted into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame as part of the 2024 class, the Sports Hall of Fame & Museum announced on Wednesday.
Webb joins seven other inductees in the 2024 Hall of Fame Class. The Class of 2024 will be celebrated and formally enshrined during the MS Sports Hall of Fame Induction Weekend on August 2-3, 2024, in Jackson, Miss.
Webb, a native of Florence, Miss., starred at Mississippi State from 1971 through 1974. During his time wearing the Maroon and White, Webb earned numerous accolades for his play on the football field but also his work in the classroom. Following his time in Starkville, Webb played seven seasons in the NFL and has since been inducted into multiple Hall of Fames. More recently, Webb was inducted into the Mississippi State Athletics Hall of Fame in 1990; he was selected as the Mississippi State SEC Football Legend in 1995 and was selected to the 75th Anniversary All-Sun Bowl Team in 2008.
Webb was a three-year letterman and two-year starter in his career, playing primarily on defense at both defensive end and defensive tackle. In 31 career games, Webb caught 118 passes for 2,022 career yards (17.1 yards per catch). During the 1974 season, he recorded 90 tackles (55 solo and 35 assisted), including six sacks for minus 34 yards, and also batted down four passes at the line of scrimmage.
Before starring at Mississippi State, Webb attended Florence High School, where he played for Coach Sam Newman. Having been raised on Holstein Dairy Farm, he was active in 4-H and was a member of the 4-H Dairy Judging team in 1968 that competed in the national contest in Columbus, Ohio.
When Webb arrived in Starkville in 1971, he was already 6-5 and 245 pounds. Due to NCAA rules at the time that did not allow freshmen to play, he had to sit out the 1971 season and finally made his debut in the Maroon and White in 1972. By 1973, though, Webb was a star.
At the conclusion of the 1973 season, the national awards started to pile up for Webb. He earned multiple First Team All-America honors to go along with both First & Second Team All-SEC honors for his play on the field. The Churchmen’s group even named Webb the Most Outstanding Christian Junior Football Player in America. Webb was also named a First Team Academic All-American by CoSIDA (now CSC) and earned First Team Academic All-SEC honors.
His final season at Mississippi State in 1974 was his best. Webb helped lead the Bulldogs to a 9-3 record and a berth in the Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas. At the Sun Bowl, Mississippi State defeated North Carolina 26-24 thanks to a fourth-and-two stop by Webb that resulted in a tackle for loss. Webb was named the Sun Bowl Most Outstanding Defensive Player for his efforts in the game.
That same season, Webb was named a First Team All-American by four publications, including Kodak and Walter Camp. Webb was also named a Third Team All-American by the Associated Press and, with his multiple All-American accolades, became the first Mississippi State player to earn numerous All-America honors in the same season. His strong play also earned him First Team All-SEC recognition. In the classroom, he once again was named a First Team Academic All-American by CoSIDA and earned First Team Academic All-SEC honors. Webb was named a President’s Scholar and Vice President of the M-Club and was one of 10 NCAA postgraduate scholarship honorees.
Following his collegiate career, Webb participated in the 1975 Senior Bowl before being drafted into the NFL. Webb was selected 10th overall in the 1975 NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers and was the fourth first round pick in Mississippi State history.
In his NFL career, Webb played in over 100 career games across seven seasons while never missing a single regular season game due to injury (106 consecutive games played). Although the NFL did not track tackles, sacks and assist numbers during his career, pro football reference lists Webb as having 28 career sacks with six fumble recoveries. He concluded his NFL career in 1981 with the San Diego Chargers, helping them reach the AFC Championship game.
After retiring from football, Webb began to practice veterinary medicine, specializing in embryo transfer while operating a successful business and managing the family farm. From 1985 through today, Webb serves as the Director of Embryo Transfer in West Turlock, Calif.
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