CLINTON, Miss. --- The Mississippi College athletic department is pleased to announce that its annual fund-raiser golf tournament will now be named the Mike Jones Mississippi College Athletics Golf Tournament, it was announced on Thursday (May 13).

This year's tournament is taking place at Lake Caroline Golf Club in Madison, Miss. on Thursday (May 13) and Friday (May 14).

Long-time athletics director and head men's basketball coach Mike Jones announced his retirement on March 8th, effective at the end of the academic year. The consummate Choctaw has spent nearly 40 years on the Clinton campus, serving as the head men's basketball coach for 19 seasons and the athletics director since 2001.

"This was absolutely a no-brainer to name the MC Athletics Golf Tournament after Coach Jones," incoming athletics director Kenny Bizot said. "He is Mississippi College Athletics, and he has grown this tournament into one of the most important fund-raiser events for this department each year. It would not nearly be the success it is each year without him, and his name simply has to be on it."

Coach Jones finished his coaching career at MC with 342 wins, four American Southwest Conference championships and a Gulf South Conference title. He was named ASC Coach of the Year three times with a GSC Coach of the Year nod once. Jones led his team to the NCAA Sweet 16 round three times over his career.

As an athletic director, Jones helped guide the department back to Division II and the GSC following a successful stint in Division III and the ASC. The department has raised money to improve each of the 18 NCAA-sponsored sports and given the programs the opportunity to compete for conference and national championships year-in and year-out.

Jones graduated from Mississippi College in 1975 with his Bachelor of Science in Education degree and completed his Master of Education in School Administration in 1977.

He is married to Jane Jones of New Hebron, Miss., and the two have two children and six grandchildren.

This year's tournament is being held at Lake Caroline Golf Club in Madison, Miss., being spread out over three rounds with one on Thursday and two on Friday. Over 50 teams with nearly 250 people are expected to participate in this year's event.
 

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Mississippi College is a private Christian university located in Clinton, Mississippi with an enrollment of over 5,000 students. MC recently finished their transition process back to NCAA Division II and the Gulf South Conference and began competing for conference and national championships in the 2016-17 academic year.
 
The athletic department sponsors 18 intercollegiate athletic programs: Baseball, Men's and Women's Basketball, Men's and Women's Cross Country, Football, Men's and Women's Golf, Men's and Women's Soccer, Softball, Men's and Women's Tennis, Men's and Women's Indoor Track & Field, Men's and Women's Outdoor Track & Field and Volleyball.
 
For more information on Mississippi College athletics, please contact David Nichols at 601-925-3234 or nichols@mc.edu.