Former Bulldog Hull to be Added to Ring of Honor; Trio Inducted to MSU Sports Hall

STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI/MSU Athletics) — Kent Hull will be the newest name added to the Davis Wade Stadium Ring of Honor at Mississippi State, and three former Bulldog athletes will be inducted into the Mississippi State Sports Hall of Fame, the athletic department announced on Thursday. Baseball’s Sammy Ellis, basketball’s Wiley Peck and softball’s Keri McCallum Stratton will represent the 2012 class of the MSU Sports Hall of Fame.

The late Hull’s family will participate in a pregame ceremony prior to the Auburn game on Sept. 8, and the hall of fame inductees will be recognized at the South Alabama game on Sept. 22.

Hull was a consensus first-team Freshman All-SEC selection in 1979 and a pre-season all-America selection in 1982. Hull was the center for one of the more memorable games in Bulldog history, a 6-3 victory over top-ranked Alabama in 1980. He helped pave the way for a Mississippi State option attack which set school records for rushing yards and total offense that still stand today.

After his decorated career at Mississippi State, Hull played in 189 games for the Buffalo Bills from 1986 until 1996 and started in four straight Super Bowls as he helped the Bills to four consecutive AFC Championships from 1990-93. He was named to the Pro Bowl three times and his name went up on the Bills Wall of Fame at Ralph Wilson Stadium in 2002.

Ellis lettered one year in Starkville, leading the 1961 squad in strikeouts (73) and innings pitched (57.2). He compiled a 12-7 record, including a 7-6 mark in Southeastern Conference play. Ellis made his professional debut with the Cincinnati Reds in 1962 and was an All-Star in 1965. He finished his MLB career after stints with the California Angels (1968) and Chicago White Sox (1969). In seven pro seasons, the Youngstown, Ohio, native racked up 63 wins and 677 strikeouts with a 4.15 ERA.

A two-time All-SEC selection (1978-79), Peck remains one of the greatest players in the history of the MSU basketball program. The Montgomery, Ala., native still ranks in the top 10 all-time in school history in rebounds (4th, 964), field-goal percentage (7th, .578) and blocked shots (7th, 117). Peck led the Maroon in White in field-goal percentage all four years of his career, and led the SEC in rebounding during the 1978-79 season. Following four seasons in the Maroon and White, Peck was selected 19th overall in the 1979 NBA Draft by the San Antonio Spurs. Peck was honored as Mississippi State’s SEC Legend at the 2008 SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament.

One of the most decorated players in the history of MSU softball, McCallum Stratton owns the school record or appears in the top 10 of every individual career, season and single-game offensive record. The Port Orchard, Wash., native helped put Mississippi State softball on the map when the school brought the sport back in 1997. The school record holder for game-winning runs scored (50) was named the 2000 NFCA Division I and Overall Catcher of the Year en route to being named a unanimous All-American.