Perhaps the biggest testament to the legacy of former Southern Miss baseball coach Corky Palmer has been the stories and memories that have poured in from across the Pine Belt over the past week.
The Hattiesburg native and Southern Miss catcher, who later coached his alma mater for 12 seasons and led the program to its only College World Series appearance died Friday. He was 68.
Those who knew Corky Palmer best will remember his unique personality matched with his unusual sayings that are often referred to as “Corkyisms.” But what endeared Palmer to so many was that he remained true to himself and that his passion for sports - more specifically, his love for baseball - drove him to chase his dream in his own hometown. It ultimately made him into an iconic figure for both the Hattiesburg and Mississippi sports worlds.
PASSIONATE BEGINNINGS
Palmer’s childhood laid the foundation for his future career and love for sports. Much of his iconic personality stemmed from his dad, Punchy.
The core of who Palmer was came from his father. Punchy was a talented athlete in his youth and was involved with the Dixie Youth Baseball program and played men’s slow pitch softball. Ted Palmer, Corky’s brother, who was 17 months younger, easily remembered how it seemed Corky never left his dad’s side.
“Corky and myself, but more so Corky, would tag along everywhere,” Ted Palmer said. “It didn’t matter what athletic event it was. My daddy was a member of the booster club for Hattiesburg High, so we would go to football and basketball games.
“I was usually along, but Corky was always along.”
Future college coach and NBA coach Tim Floyd remembered first meeting Palmer walking back from school, and early on noticed Palmer’s charismatic personality.
“I remember telling Rick and Bobby (Cleveland) that I met the countriest-sounding guy I had ever heard in my life,” Floyd said. “I had a hard time understanding him. He was authentic. What you saw was what you got.
“He was always charismatic. Everybody always wanted to know what Corky had to say. You could hear him coming down the halls of school from 200 yards away. He’d walk into a room and fill it up with whatever he had to say. He was one of those guys where if I tried to say the same thing, it wouldn’t be funny, but if Corky said it, then it was funny. He always had a presence.”
As a kid, Palmer would listen to almost any game on the radio and watch any game he could find on television, particularly enamored by the play-by-play announcers.
“I remember knowing when we were playing little league ball that Corky Palmer was going to be a baseball coach,” said longtime Mississippi Sports Columnist Rick Cleveland, who first met Palmer when he was eight years old. “He was born to do it.”
A LIFE-CHANGING YEAR
Palmer is best remembered for his exploits as a coach, but was also a talented catcher in his formative years at both Hattiesburg High and USM.
As the oldest of four, Palmer stepped away from baseball to help support the family.
Later that same year, he also experienced an undiagnosed illness that led to him being hospitalized.
“It wasn’t long after that it seemed like he got back on the path of sports in a real hurry,” Ted Palmer said. “Maybe all that together with my father passing, him deciding to go to work to help support the family and then getting ill is why he went back into sports.
“That year was definitely a surprise because I never thought he would do anything else except following sports. You have to believe that the timing of (Punchy’s death) could have played a role.”
Palmer would go on to letter for four straight years at Southern Miss, with one of his highlights being when he caught Steve Knight’s no-hitter.
CHASING THE DREAM
Shortly after, Palmer embarked on his coaching career. His first head coaching job was at Lee High School and then later at Columbia High School.
Back then, the Hattiesburg American would have to call and gather high school box scores across the area. Palmer would regularly drive to the office in full uniform and hand in Columbia’s.
But one of the most important moments of Palmer’s career happened at Columbia as he, by chance, met then Southern Miss coach Hill Denson. Denson knew of Palmer from his playing days but went to the Columbia High School to scout David Sanders.
Sanders chose the New York Mets over the Golden Eagles, and so instead of landing Sanders, Denson eventually brought Palmer back to Hattiesburg
“Corky and I kind of hit off with each other,” Denson said. “He let me know that as soon as his season was over that, he would like to ride around and go see some recruits.
“We bonded from then on. Later on, he mentioned to me that he would love to try to get into college ball. I understood Corky, and he understood me.”
Denson didn’t have a full-time assistant job to offer, but he was able to get Palmer an apartment to stay at until, eventually, Meridian Community College called Denson to inquire about candidates for their head baseball coach.
Palmer’s success at Meridian speaks for itself: in 10 seasons, he posted a 409-160 record and made three appearances in the junior college world series, which included a national runner-up finish in 1996.
His accomplishments were his own merits, but one of the best decisions he made was hiring a 28-year-old Scott Berry in 1990. Berry had met Palmer at the ABCA coaches’ convention in Nashville, and again by chance, they shared a mutual acquaintance with Denson.
“It was like an instant connection,” Berry said. “He’s like the funniest person I had ever met. The man could just make you laugh and bring a smile to your face. He was my best friend.”
TOUGH LOVE
Denson later brought Palmer back to Hattiesburg again as an assistant, and was eventually promoted to head coach.
“Because of his personality, everybody knew him,” said childhood friend and former sports editor of the Hattiesburg American Alan Hinton. “He had all kinds of friends here in town. They saw him grow up. They saw him play little league and high school ball. It was a big deal when he got to be a coach.”
As lighthearted as he could be, Palmer had a reputation as a disciplinarian who was tough, but fair.
“You had to look for guys that fit his coaching style,” Berry said. “He was old school even when old school was old school. But with that being said, you had to have thick skin, and you missed on some. You don’t always get the perfect one, but you try to find those tough kids that could take the butt chewings that wanted to be coached and be coached hard. He coached tough love and very honest and in your face.”
Former USM player Kevin Coker experienced one of the prime examples of Palmer’s tough love in 2003. The Golden Eagles were hosting their first regional in program history and Coker mistakenly overslept.
“My alarm didn’t go off, and my apartment was kind of close to the field, and I woke up to the sound of bats banging,” Coker said. “I get to the fieldhouse, and I get dressed at the field house, and I’m running down there, and Coach Palmer yells, ‘Just keep running, boy.’ I dropped my bag and went straight to the foul poles.
“I knew I wasn’t going to hit in that practice because I didn’t earn it and because my group was already hitting.”
However, Southern Miss’ practice had ended, but Coker didn’t stop running and continued to do so 45 minutes into Southern University’s practice.
Finally, team captain Jeff Cook, who is already showered and dressed, went to Palmer’s office and asked, ‘Coach Palmer I know you are mad at Coke, but did you still want him running?’
Palmer had forgotten that Coker was still running, and his immediate response was, ‘Oh my God, go get him!’
“I was never late again,” Coker said. “He was tough but fair in everything. What Coach Palmer could do was break you down mentally and then love on you in the same sentence. He could break you down and make you think about what it was you did wrong or need to learn but make sure that he still loves you all in the same moment. He was a great communicator, and he was hilarious.”
In another example, Palmer and former USM player Jonathan Johnston, who was referred to as Johnny by Palmer, shared a deep connection.
“Corky was exactly what I needed at the right time,” Johnston said. “He was tough on me and kept me in check. He was really a father figure.
“When you are a competitive young man playing sports, you need some structure in your life. You need a male figure in your life that’s a leader, whether that’s your dad or coach, and that’s going to hold you accountable and make sure you do things the right way. That was Corky.
“I was late for class once, and I was only two minutes late in my freshman year. Fifty-six foul poles later, I was never late to class again.”
Similiar to Palmer, Johnston lost his dad at the age of 16 and is why the duo instantly bonded.
“He told me, ‘You are never really ready for that boy, but you are the man of that household now. I don’t know if anybody is ever really ready, but you are the man of the household. You take care of your mom, and you take of your sister. Don’t let anybody ever question that you are not going to be there for them.”
THE CORKYISMS
It was not uncommon to hear Palmer regularly say, ‘I hate it for you,’ or ‘never promised you a rose garden.’
In 2001, which was Berry’s first season at USM after leaving the head coaching job at Meridian, the Golden Eagles had a losing record.
“We thought we were going to get fired,” Berry said. “At one point, he even told me I hate it for you that I brought you and Laura down here in this mess. We’re probably getting fired at the end of the year. I remember thinking I left a pretty good job at Meridian CC, but from that point on, the program really changed.”
Palmer would regularly mispronounce words in his own style or, instead of using expletives, he would substitute his own sayings such as, ‘sardine sandwich.’
Denson fondly remembered talking about Palmer’s use of the word ‘fourcade’ after watching an MLB game from the night before.
“Golly, did y’all see him hit that ball out of Yankee Stadium and into the fourcade?” Denson recalled. “We all looked at each other and said, ‘the fourcade?’ He said, you know the white picket fence stuff on top of Yankee Stadium, and we said, oh yeah, you mean the façade?”
The Southern drawl and funny pronouncements might have misguided folks into thinking Palmer was uneducated or uncultured, but any conversation with the man seemed to end that notion, and certainly nobody questioned his baseball knowledge.
Jody Lott, who is known as the Mayor of The Roost, recalled that Palmer attended the College World Series in 2005 with former USM sports information director Mike Montoro
“He sat up in the press box and of course he had everyone entertained,” Lott said. “When he started to leave, he said he would not be back unless he brought his own team.”
CROWNING ACHIEVEMENT
Four years later, Palmer kept his word. The proudest achievement in his career, as well as one of the greatest moments in Southern Miss athletics history, was the 2009 CWS appearance.
There are certainly many reasons why that season will be remembered. For starters, Palmer announced midway through the year that he intended to retire. Holding a 28-21 record, it looked as if USM would miss the NCAA tournament, but the Golden Eagles closed out the year 12-3 to reach the world series before their year ended in Omaha.
“It was so fitting and deserving for a guy who bled black and gold,” Berry said. “He not only played here, but he had his dream job fulfilled as the head coach at Southern Miss.”
One of the most memorable moments was when the national media became enthralled by Palmer based on what coaches and players had been captivated by for so long.
“You hear him talk, and you are captivated because number one, this is the countriest guy I have ever heard,” said Johnston, who was a critical member of the world series team. “Then he is the utmost baseball guy that you have ever seen and the media saw that.
“When he spoke, you listened. You would be impressed with the knowledge that was coming out of his mouth, and then he’d give you a zinger, and it would be the funniest thing you have ever heard in your life.”
After the trip to the world series, both Berry and former athletic director Richard Giannini asked if Palmer would want to return for one more season, which he gracefully turned down, and at the same time is what makes legacy just as special.
While many will never forget Palmer for his marquee achievement and for his distinctive personality - both equally hard to describe in words - his actions are what spoke for him more than anything. The legacy that Palmer leaves behind is powerful because he was a man who pursued his life goal, lived his passion, and impacted those around him every step of the way.
