Philadelphia native lands in Pearl River CC Hall of Fame
Philadelphia native Randy Boyette will be inducted into the Pearl River Community College Sports Hall of Fame along with other athletes in a July 30 ceremony.
As a freshman, Boyette handled the kicking duties in addition to playing a little tight end and linebacker on PRCC Football Coach J.C. Arban's 7-2 team. It wasn't until his sophomore season in 1976 that the Wildcats really took off.
Boyette played a huge role in the team's 9-2 State Championship season, converting 33 of 35 PATs; both numbers are still represented in PRCC's record book.
Following the season, Boyette was named to the All-State squad and played in the all-star game.
The Southern Mississippi football staff recruited Boyette and he played there for two seasons. Boyette was about as reliable as they come. He converted 23 of 25 PATs each season while also successfully kicking 10 field goals.
Boyette and his brother, Steve, were born in Philadelphia in the mid-1950s to the late Betty Carol Boyette, nee Spears, and her husband, the late Steve Everett Boyette. Randy Boyette’s grandparents were James Otha Spears and Myrtle Spears who owned a lawnmower repair store.
Randy Boyette’s father was from Meridian and taught school at Philadelphia High School. The family moved to Amite, Louisiana, in 1959. His father was an educator there and in Loranger, Louisiana, for years.
His father was a head baseball and basketball coach who also was an assistant football coach. His mother played professional basketball. His father died in 2003 and his mother died in March 2020 after becoming ill with COVID-19.
“I was a gym rat,” Boyette said recently. “I played all sorts of sports. We didn't have baseball until I was a junior or senior, so I didn't play that but I did track. Basketball was probably my favorite.”
Following college, he became a teacher and a coach. After 16 years, he took a break from the classroom and ran a delivery business. But after a few years, he returned to the classroom.
Boyette, who recently retired from teaching, is married to Dorothy Boyette. The couple has four children, Haley, Sarah, Michael and Stephen, and four grandchildren.
“This honor is very humbling,” said Boyette when asked about being named to the hall of fame. “I’m honored. I never thought about something like this. When I was here, I just wanted to help my team win.”
The PRCC Athletics Hall of Fame induction ceremony will be July 30. Other inductees this year include baseball player Jake Smith; women’s soccer player Hannah McCarty; and men’s basketball player Darral Willis Jr.
Tickets for the banquet can be secured by visiting PRCCAthletics.com/HOF or by calling Traci Spence at 601-403-1193.