MISSISSIPPI COACHES' WIVES ASSOCIATION

Michelle Hopson

 USM

Michelle and Jay Hopson

USM Football Coaches' Wives:

Bottom Row (left to right) - Stephanie Turner, Kelunda Thomas, Sierra Davis, Hannah Kubik, Amanda Gonella

Top Row (left to right) - Tania Pecoraro, Calli Walden, Rebecca Butcher, Michelle Hopson, Sheila Williams, Jessica Stanchek, Lisa Billings

USM Football Coaches' Wives and families at the Armed Forces Bowl this past January 4th.

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Southern Miss To The Top!

Missy Bilderback is the Women’s Head Basketball Coach at Jones Community College that has guided the Bobcats to four straight NJCAA Division I Tournament appearances. Missy guided Jones to a 24-4 mark, division championship, region championship, No. 10 final ranking and No. 8 national seed in the NJCAA Tournament of 2019. She received NJCAA Region 23 Coach of the Year honors for a fourth straight year.  Missy has had numerous players ink with Division I programs and has coached countless all conference and all-region players, and several All American players.Prior to Jones, Missy served as head coach at Presbyterian Christian School in Hattiesburg for 16 years. She was an impressive 482-117 at PCS, leading her team to six MAIS state championships and two MAIS Overall State crowns in 2008 and 2014. Her team was runner-up in the overall state tournament in 2013 and 2015 and she guided PCS to 14 consecutive seasons of 20-plus victories. Missy Bilderback was named Hattiesburg American Coach of the Year in 2002, 2005, 2007, 2013 and 2014. She coached in the MAIS All-Star game in 2001, 2003, 2006 and 2015.

She was a point guard at Pearl River Community College in 1996-97 and 1997-98 and was named Best Female Athlete at PRCC in 1998. Missy graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi in 2001 with a degree in Coaching and Sports Administration.

Missy’s dad, Perry Wheat, was a high school football coach for 40 years and she is married to Chip Bilderback, the AD and Head Football coach at Columbia High School. Chip and Missy have one son Drew who is thirteen. 

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Missy has experience in not only being a coach's wife, but being the daughter of a coach and is a coach herself! She has insights from all sides of the coaching life and you will want to hear what she has to say!

Missy Bilderback

Jones Community College

Trace Clopton is currently a Junior offensive lineman for the University of Southern Mississippi. Trace has been a 2-year starter thus far in his career as a Golden Eagle. In 2018 he was named Freshmen All-American by the Football Writers Association of America . He was a standout football, powerlifting, and track athlete at Brookhaven High School before moving on to USM. He earned Mississippi Association of Coaches 5A Football All-State honors as a Junior and Senior. He was the starting center for Team Mississippi in 2017 that defeated the Alabama squad 42-7 in the Mississippi-Alabama All Star game in Hattiesburg.

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2018 (Freshman): Trace was one of nine, true freshman offensive linemen in FBS to start Opening Weekend (only one other center on the list). He became the fifth Golden Eagle since 2001 to earn FWAA Freshman All-American honors and made seven starts, playing in all 11 games, fighting through a mid-season injury. Trace graded out at 84 percent against Auburn, which included a knockdown block.

High School: Trace played at Brookhaven High School for his dad, Coach Tommy Clopton (who served as an equipment manager at Southern Miss from 1995-97). They finished 11-2 his senior season, reaching the second round of the Class 5A state playoffs. As a three-star offensive lineman by both Rivals and Scout, he participated in the 2017 Mississippi-Alabama All-Star game and registered Daily Leader First-Team All-Area accolades as a junior. Trace earned First Team All-State honors as a junior by the MAC, after posting 42 pancake blocks and leading the way for two 1000-yard rushers. He participated in shot put for the track team and was also a member of the power lifting team.

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During the quarantine, Trace, a coach's "kid" made a cooking video that we just have to share. You'll get some cooking tips that you may want to use in your own kitchen!

Trace Clopton

USM Offensive Lineman

Danielle King

Fit Camp

Danielle King is the wife of Michael King, Offensive Coordinator at Pearl River Community College. They have 3 children. Madison, Coby, and Malorie.

Danielle has been the owner of Fit-Camp by Danielle King in Lucedale, MS for 6 years. After being involved in high school athletics, she carried performance based exercising into adulthood, and eventually started her own business. Her goal is to help equip and empower women with an understanding of overall health, fitness, and nutrition.

Candace Lane and her husband Brian spent the first ten years of their marriage as missionaries in Brazil with Campus Outreach Ministries. After returning to the States in 2008, they settled in Georgia where Brian began his career as a varsity high school football coach and the strength and conditioning coach. 

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Candace began serving coaches’ wives locally in 2013, and she founded Coaches’ Wives Ministry in 2019 to provide discipleship resources, on-line community and mentorships for coaches' wives across the country. Candace also serves as the editor-in-chief of "SEASONS" magazine, the discipleship journal for coaches' wives recently launched by the ministry.

Her experiences as a coach’s wife, mother of 3 teenage athletes, writer and missionary inspire her to encourage and equip coaches’ wives on the mission.

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Candace has provided a video on information on the Coaches' Wives Ministry she has started and is providing a devotion for our virtual clinic week!

Candace Lane

Coaches' Wives Ministry

Stephanie Long

Positive Thinking

Stephanie Long has been the dance team coach at George County High School in Lucedale since 2012 when she began her teaching career. She has a passion for bringing joy to her team members and her school by planning pep rallies, homecoming events, and the yearly school “Lipdub”. Stephanie has been married to East Central High School’s softball coach, Kyle, for 12 years. They have one daughter, Sophie Klaire.