“Last Chance U” Featuring EMCC Football Premieres Friday on Netflix

SCOOBA, Miss. (WCBI/EMCC Athletics) – Three-time NJCAA national champion East Mississippi Community College will be featured in an upcoming Netflix documentary series reviewing the Lions’ 2015 football season.  The six-part series entitled “Last Chance U” will premiere this Friday (July 29) on the world’s leading internet television network.

“At East Mississippi Community College, the desire to improve the quality of life for those who walk through our doors is part of our mission and serves as a tangible and daily reminder of the fundamental importance of our work,” said EMCC President Dr. Thomas M. Huebner Jr.  “One cannot watch this documentary without having a strong sense that EMCC is a place where we expect much from those who entrust their futures to us.”

Under head coach Buddy Stephens, the Lions have claimed three National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) national championships, four Mississippi Association of Community & Junior Colleges (MACJC) state championships and seven MACJC North Division titles since 2008 – Stephens’ first year at the helm of the program.

The docuseries gives the viewer an all-access look into the lives of the EMCC players and coaches as they balance academics, football and life.

“While the film is about football, the same commitment and passion we have for our athletics program is also evident in our commitment to everything we do,” added Huebner.  “It does an outstanding job capturing the raw complexity of the people and the processes associated with performing at a high level of excellence.”

“Last Chance U” is directed by Greg Whiteley (Mitt, New York Doll, Resolved) and is produced by One Potato Productions, Conde’ Nast Entertainment and Endgame Entertainment.  Whiteley is also the executive producer.  The series was inspired by the magazine article entitled “Last Chance U” written by Drew Jubera, which appeared in the October 2014 edition of GQ.

“Considering the school’s recent success, and after meeting some of the people from Scooba, we felt chances were high that we would be filming one of those special seasons,” said Whiteley.  “What we ended up capturing was something none of us could’ve ever predicted.”

The EMCC Lions are 76-11 under Stephens, including a 45-3 mark in division play.  Stephens tops all active NJCAA head football coaches nationally in career winning percentage with an 87.4-percent success rate with the Lions.

All six episodes of the docuseries will be released simultaneously at 12:01 a.m. this Thursday night/Friday morning for members of the Netflix subscription service.  To become a member of Netflix, visit www.Netflix.com or call 1-866-579-7172 for more information.

Some dialogue may not be appropriate for younger viewers and parents are encouraged to keep that in mind when watching with their children.