John Alexander Hovious Jr. Known as Junie Hovious. Son of John Alexander HOVIOUS and Beadie Corella WEST.. Born in Vicksburg, Mississippi, on 4 October 1919. Died in Oxford, MS on 7 May 1998. Married (1) on 29 Dec. 1941, Katherine TENNANT [1919-1963]. Married (2) Ann Hart HALE, 1969.
OXFORD, Miss. (May 7, 1998 - 18:50 EDT) -- John A. "Junie" Hovious, a three-sport letterman at the University in Mississippi in the early 1940s, died Thursday at Baptist Memorial Hospital after a lengthy illness. He was 78.
Hovious made his biggest mark on the football field, as a running back and kick returner for the Rebels from 1939-41. He was an All-Southeastern Conference pick all three seasons and in 1941 was the MVP of the Blue-Gray All-Star Game.
Hovious also earned three letters in basketball (1940-42) and baseball at Ole Miss.
After playing one season in the NFL with the New York Giants in 1945, Hovious returned to Ole Miss, where he served as an assistant football coach for 29 years. He also was the school's head golf coach for 25 years, from 1949-73.
Hovious, who also held the nicknames of "Red" and "Butch" was inducted in the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame in 1967, and into the Ole Miss Athletic Hall of Fame in 1987.
Visitation will be Friday night at Waller Funeral Home in Oxford. Funeral services will be held Saturday at St. Peter's Episcopal Church, with burial to follow at Oxford Memorial Cemetery.
Hovious is survived by four sons, two stepsons, a brother and 12 grandchildren.
More about Junie Hovious: The following is from an obituary.
Hovious, 3-sport letterman at Ole Miss, dies after long illness
Copyright © 1998 Nando.net
Copyright © 1998 Associated Press
Thanks to Jim Hovious for providing the photos, from the book "The SEC: A pictorial history of Southern Conference Football."
08:27 18/10/2011