in Natchez

When I wrote last week about athletes in the Jackson area who have Natchez roots, I misspelled the last name of Jackson Academy fullback/linebacker Benji Maher, instead spelling the name &8220;Maier.&8221;

I&8217;m sorry.

Many Natchez old-timers will remember Bill Raphael. Better known in his Natchez days as &8220;Coobie,&8221; Raphael, after an outstanding athletic career at old St. Joseph School (or, was it already known as Cathedral School?), spent a couple of years in the Navy during World War II. Following the War, he attended the University of Southwestern Louisiana, called Southwest Louisiana Institute at the time.

When Raphael was about to finish college at SLI, he was contacted by Msgr. Joseph Brunini, who was at that time in charge of Jackson St. Joseph Catholic School. Brunini later became bishop of the Jackson-Natchez area.

Coobie came to Jackson for his interview after competing in a track meet at SLI and was hired. He actually went to work at St. Joseph prior to finishing his degree work but was allowed to return to school later and eventually earned his master&8217;s degree.

By that time married, Raphael took over at St. Joseph in 1950. His first football team went 6-3 and won the district B-BB championship.

In fact, recently the old wooden trophy earned by that team was found at the school. Coaching was not completely foreign to Raphael, as he had helped out at Natchez St. Joseph during his college summer breaks.

Natchez Cathedral veterans will be familiar with the fact that Raphael had but 18-20 kids on his first few teams. Half-line scrimmages were necessary, and no kid had any standing-around time.

Raphael&8217;s Jackson St. Joseph team&8217;s best season was when the Bruins went 11-0, beating Murrah 9-6 in the Capitol Bowl at Mississippi Memorial Stadium for the Jackson City Championship. His overall record at Jackson St. Joseph was 242-140-8, and his win total at the time was second only to Lum Wright.

Coobie joined the staff at Millsaps after leaving St. Joseph and stayed there for eight years before retiring. He was called out of retirement last year to become athletic director at now-Madison St. Joseph, and his staff appears to be coaching the Bruins to a second-straight playoff appearance with a 6-1 record.

For the first time, I got to watch a college football game from a skybox Saturday. After hundreds of games seen from the field or press box, the skybox is a unique experience.

The game was Mississippi State and Houston, and State is pitiful. To waste the fine effort of a great running back like Jerious Norwood because of no tackling, no quarterbacking, poor pass receiving and all of the Dogs&8217; other weaknesses is sad.

Even the coaching can be faulted. When State had first and goal at the 1 while the game was still close, Norwood was out of the game.

And that&8217;s official.

Al Graning is a former SEC official and former Natchez resident. E-mail him at

AlanWard39157@aol.com

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