Charles Hegwood was Valedictorian of the 1934 class of Pineville Public High School in Smith County, Mississippi. Pineville High offered one sport - basketball. Charles lived and breathed basketball during his high school career, averaging 22 points a game over a four-year period. It wasn’t until he attended Ellisville Junior College that he learned about the game of football, lettering his first year on the field. He played football and basketball at Ellisville for two years, and was named to the All State Team for basketball before catching the attention of Millsaps College. Charles played football, basketball, baseball, and track at Millsaps. After graduating, Charles started his coaching career at Puckett High School in 1939, and then enlisted in the Navy in 1942. After the war, he eventually returned to coaching at Taylorsville High School about 30 miles northwest of Laurel, where he engineered an undefeated football season. His debut at Biloxi’s Notre Dame High School in 1952 was not quite as impressive, but after laying a firm foundation his Rebels responded with a pleasing 4 wins, 5 losses, and one tie in 1953, earning a spot in Biloxi’s famous Shrimp Bowl Game. “The mighty mites of football” emerged and Notre Dame was a major contender on coastal gridirons. Under Coach Hegwood, Notre Dame played in 11 post-season bowl games. His record after coaching 25 years at Notre Dame was 219 wins, 105 losses and seven ties. Along with coaching duties, he also taught Math, P.E., and Chemistry at ND. Coach Hegwood was selected as an All-Star Football Coach in 1960 and inducted into the Mississippi Coaches Hall of Fame in 1980.
Rodney A. Mattina, Sr., was a natural athlete and fierce competitor who used those innate traits to earn a scholarship, enjoy a college athletic career as a two-sport varsity athlete, and build a 33-year career in accounting. At Notre Dame High School, Rodney was a multi-year varsity letterman and an all-star in basketball, baseball, and football, winning state championships in baseball and football. He was a multi-year all-district starting pitcher and infielder in baseball, winning multiple district championships, and was integral to the 1959 undefeated team and the 1960 state championship team under Notre Dame legend Coach Tony Cintgran. Rodney was an all-district fullback and linebacker for Notre Dame, having the privilege of being coached by fellow Hall of Fame inductee Coach Charles Hegwood. He won district and state championships on the gridiron and was the third-leading point scorer for the 1959 state championship Rebels, which remain the only undefeated football team in school history. His accolades at Notre Dame are plentiful, including being named captain of both the baseball and football teams and being honored as Notre Dame Athlete of the Year for 1959–1960. Rodney went on to become a three-time SEC champion at Ole Miss, winning titles in both baseball and football. “Big Rod” has been inducted into the Biloxi Sports Hall of Fame and honored on Ole Miss’s Walk of Champions in the Grove as a member of the 1962 national championship team. He also appears in the Jake Gibbs Letterwinner Walk outside Vaught-Hemingway Stadium and his portrait hangs in Biloxi’s Frank “Yankie” Barhonovich Stadium.
Martha Mohler began teaching in Catholic schools in 1972 after a brief career in public school. With her young son safely in the care of Sister Adrienne and Sister Ita at Holy Angels Nursing in Biloxi, Martha joined the faculty of Notre Dame High School. Teaching only boys in the upper grade levels was quite an adventure! Martha took a brief sabbatical and eventually landed at St. John Catholic High School and Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College. Her first true love was teaching high school English. The love she had for British and World Literature resulted in many trips with students to England, France, and Italy. She is a long-time Sunday School teacher for adults and has a particular dedication to the care of disadvantaged members of the Ocean Springs community. Martha says her mentors, Brother Eagan Hunter and Monsignor James Russell, were invaluable for encouraging her dedication to teaching in the Diocese of Biloxi. Martha and her husband, Bruce, have lived in Ocean Springs since 1969.
Glenn “Sonny” Pisarich attended Sacred Heart Elementary and Nativity BVM Elementary before graduating from Notre Dame High School in 1966. While at Notre Dame, Sonny excelled in football, basketball and baseball. He went to Perkinston Junior College on a football scholarship, where he won two football state championships and one baseball state championship. He transferred to Tulane University on another football scholarship to continue his football and baseball career, and was named Baseball MVP his senior year. He received two masters degrees, one from the University of Southern Mississippi in Health and Physical Education, and one from William Carey University in Education and Administration. Sonny’s coaching career began at Notre Dame High School where he coached football, baseball, and basketball from 1970 to 1975. He taught in public schools across the coast for the next 11 years, earning numerous District IV Championships. In 1987, he returned to Catholic education and was named head football coach, head baseball coach, and Athletic Director at Mercy Cross High School. Coach Pisarich led the Crusaders to two back-to-back State Championships in baseball in 1988 and 1989. He returned to public schools teaching and coaching until he retired in May of 2009. Coach Pisarich has been inducted into the Biloxi Sports Hall of Fame, Mississippi Gulf Coast Athletic Hall of Fame, been named State Baseball Coach of the Year twice at Mercy Cross, and is a four-time Baseball District Coach of the Year.
Leo Romano graduated from St. John Catholic High School in 1975 and went on to receive his Bachelor’s and Master’s in Business at William Carey University. In 1975, he was inducted into the National Football Foundation Hall of Fame/MS Gulf Coast Chapter. In that same year, he was awarded the Spirit of America Award for the State of Mississippi. He spent the majority of his days with Global Financial Aid Services. GFAS was created to become the buffer between the U.S. Department of Education, the regulatory bodies, and the education institutions, on behalf of students. Leo was the CFO and Senior Vice President at GFAS, as well as a founding partner. He was also a founding member of Global Land Management, has served as a board member for Great Southern Club, and since 2020, he has been on the Finance Committee at St. James Catholic Church. Leo and his wife, Marie, were married in 1977. They have two children, Amber and Christopher, along with six grandchildren.