Coaching Staff
Gene Murphy, Head Football Coach
Gene Murphy, who also serves as athletic director at Hinds Community College, has returned to the coaching ranks in the role of head football coach for the second season in his second stint as head coach.
The Raymond native has served as the school's athletic director since July 1997, after serving as the head football coach from 1987 to 2003. Murphy had remarkable success during his tenure, compiling a 133-41-5 overall record. The 2009 Eagles went 3-6 in Murphy’s first year back.
The Eagles won six state and regional championships during this time frame, including four consecutive titles from 1994-1997. Numerous former Eagles coached by Murphy continued their playing careers at four-year universities throughout the nation and in the National Football League (NFL).
Murphy, who was also the offensive coordinator during his first time around, was selected as Region 23 Coach of the Year six times in 16 years as the Eagles head man. He also coached 31 National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) All-Americans and two NJCAA National Players of the Year.
Before coming to Hinds in 1983 as the defensive coordinator, Murphy spent three years as the head football coach and athletic director at Caldwell High School in Columbus, where he led the team to a South Little Ten Conference runner-up finish.
Murphy also spent one season as the assistant football coach and head baseball coach at Philadelphia High School before relocating to Caldwell High.
Murphy received his Bachelor of Science degree and Master of Education degree from Mississippi State University. He also received an additional School Administration Certification from Mississippi College.
He is married to Dot, who currently serves as the assistant athletic director at Hinds. The couple has three children; son Kelly, and daughters Ashley and Jennifer.
Ben Dew, Offensive Line
Ben Dew is in his second season on the Hinds coaching staff in 2009. The Eagles offensive line coach is a former Hinds athlete, having played for Hinds in 1993 and 1994.Dew, who currently resides in Pelahatchie, has spent the last three years coaching at Puckett High School, where he helped lead PHS to the 2006 and 2008 Class 1A State Championships. Dew has also coached at numerous high schools in Mississippi, Kentucky and Tennessee.
Dew is a Vicksburg native and Warren Central High School graduate who received his Bachelor’s degree in Physical Education from Arkansas State University, where he lettered in football for the Red Wolves. He went on to receive his Master’s degree in Educational Leadership from Trevecca Nazarene University in Nashville.
Dew and his wife Devona have two children, son Jackson, and daughter Darby.
Kenny Jackson, Defensive Line
Kenny Jackson will begin his first season as defensive line
coach for the Eagles. The former Hinds standout played for the Eagles in 1997
and 1998 for Gene Murphy.
Jackson comes to Raymond from Itawamba Community College, where he was the defensive line coach from 2004-2008, before being named defensive coordinator for the Indians in 2009. While at ICC, Jackson also coached the punt return team and served as the team’s strength and conditioning coach.
The Indians led the state in sacks four out of six seasons that Jackson was with them, while leading the state in tackles for loss in five out of six years.
After receiving his Associate of Arts degree from Hinds, Jackson moved on to the University of Mississippi, where he was a two-year standout on the defensive line for the Rebels. He would receive his Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology.
Jackson would continue his playing career by spending part of the 2002 season as a defensive tackle with the Detroit Lions. He would finish his professional career after the 2004 season, in which he spent time as a defensive tackle/offensive lineman with the Columbus Destroyers of the American Football League (AFL).
Jackson and his wife, Vikesha, have a son, Khalil.
Kelly Murphy, Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
Kelly Murphy, also a Hinds alumnus, returns to his junior college alma mater to begin his second season back on the Hinds staff. He played for Hinds in 1997 and 1998, before spending the 1999 and 2000 seasons as a graduate assistant coach.
During his time at Hinds, Murphy was a part of two state championship teams, one in 1997 as a player, and one in 2000 as a graduate assistant coach. The Central Hinds Academy graduate also was part of the 1999 state runner-up team as a coach.
Murphy, who will coach the Eagles quarterbacks and wide receivers, comes to Hinds from Wayne County High School, where he served as the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach for a program that won the 2002 (5A), 2003 and 2006 (4A) State Championships. Murphy also won a 2A State Championship at Ackerman High School in his lone year at AHS in 2001.
Murphy, who received a Bachelor of Science degree from Mississippi State University and a Master of Science degree from the University of Southern Mississippi, lives in Raymond with his wife Katie, a former Hinds cheerleader, and their two sons, Thomas and Rhett, and a daughter, Lainey Kate.
Dot Murphy, Kickers
Dot Murphy is beginning her 26th season as a member of the Hinds athletic department. In March 1999 she was inducted into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame for her career as a basketball standout and was also listed as one of Mississippi’s top 50 Athletes of the Century in Sports Illustrated.
Murphy is a Mississippi University for Women graduate, where she received her Bachelor of Science degree. At MUW, she received All-American honors, was selected as Rookie of the Year in the Women’s National Invitational Tournament (NIT) and was a member of the United States Women’s Basketball team in 1972 and 1973, where she was a silver medalist in the World University Games in Moscow, Russia in 1973.
After receiving her Master of Education degree from Mississippi State University, Murphy coached women’s basketball at various stops before coming to Hinds. The Starkville High School graduate is married to Gene, and the couple has three adult children, Kelly, Jennifer and Ashley.
Lee Wilbanks, Wide Receivers
Lee
Wilbanks is in his first season as wide receivers coach for the Hinds
Eagles. He comes to Hinds from Lambuth University in Jackson, Tenn.,
where he helped lead the Eagles to the 2008 and 2009 Mid-South
Conference titles, and was part of an undefeated regular season (11-0)
in 2009.
While at Lambuth, Wilbanks served as the recruiting coordinator/secondary coach, and was part of a defensive unit that ranked fourth nationally and first in the conference in scoring defense. He also spent the 2008 season as the running backs coach.
Wilbanks was the outside linebackers coach and director of football operations during the 2007 season at North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro, N.C. He also spent the 2006 season as a volunteer coach at the University of Mississippi, serving as an assistant offensive line coach.
Prior to his time at Ole Miss, Wilbanks was a graduate assistant coach at Murray State University in Murray, Ky., for the 2004-2006 seasons.
Wilbanks received his Bachelor of Business Administration, with an emphasis in Marketing, from Ole Miss in 2004.
Dwike Wilson, Defensive Coordinator/Secondary
Dwike Wilson, who is the third member of the new coaching staff to play at Hinds, is in his first season back on the Hinds staff. Wilson played at Hinds in 1997 before serving as a graduate assistant coach in 1998 and 1999.
Wilson, a Vicksburg resident and graduate of Vicksburg High School, comes to Raymond from Coahoma Community College in Clarksdale, where he spent one season on the Tigers coaching staff.
Wilson previously spent one season at North Carolina A&T University, where he was the recruiting coordinator and quarterbacks coach. He also spent one season at Murray State University, also serving as recruiting coordinator, as well as the defensive backs coach for the Racers.
Before coaching at Murray State, Wilson spent a four-year stint at Itawamba Community College.
Wilson, who was a valuable member of the Eagles 1997 State Championship team, received a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Mississippi.
Wilson is married to wife, Anntwaan, a former Hinds Hi-Stepper.
Reginald Dillon, Running Backs
Reginald Dillon is entering his second season as the running backs coach at Hinds. Dillon also serves as the school’s men’s track coach.
His tenure at Hinds has seen a remarkable amount of success, including 16 individual national championships and three National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) records. He was also the 2008 NJCAA Coach of the Year.
Dillon is a native of Tylertown and is a graduate of Tylertown High School. He furthered his education here at Hinds Community College and Jackson State University. After his time at JSU, Dillon returned to Hinds, serving as an assistant football coach from 1997-2004.
Dillon has sent numerous athletes to four-year colleges around the nation, including four currently at schools around the Southeast. Perhaps his best known pupil is Trell Kimmons of Coldwater. Kimmons won the 2006 NJCAA Indoor title when he ran the 60 meter dash in 6.53 seconds. He also went on to win the 200 meter dash in 2006 at Kansas State University, finishing in 20.89 seconds. Kimmons has since signed with adidas and runs professionally.
Dillon also worked with Tyson Gay, the American record holder in the 100m dash (9.77), during the Summer of 2007.
Kevin Lewis, Graduate AssistantKevin Lewis is in his first season as a graduate assistant with the Hinds football program, where he works with the Eagles defensive backs. Lewis is a former National Football League (NFL) standout and member of the San Francisco 49ers.
Lewis played defensive back for the 49ers from 1990-1994 until a career-ending injury resulted in his early retirement. While with the 49ers, he was part of the 1990 NFC Divisional Championship, 1991 NFC Championship finalists and claimed the individual award of the NFL Extra Effort award for outstanding leadership with the San Francisco 49ers.
In 2007, Lewis was inducted into the Northwestern State University (La.) Sports Hall of Fame. It was here that he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management, as well as being named to the All-Conference first team and being selected as a Sporting News All -American team member.
He is married to Sarah and the couple has two sons, Cameron and Armani, and a daughter, Makayla
.