General 6/4/2026 11:37:00 AM Athletics Communications

Belhaven Athletics Remembers Coach Charles Rugg

JACKSON, Miss. - The Belhaven University Athletics Department joins the Belhaven community in remembering longtime coach, professor and Hall of Famer Charles Rugg, who passed away in May of this year. His impact on the university stretched across generations of students and colleagues.

Rugg arrived at Belhaven soon after the University began admitting men and became one of the defining figures in the history of Belhaven Athletics. Over more than three decades of service to the university, he served as athletic director, head basketball coach, head tennis coach and professor of history and health.

His legacy remains visible today inside Charles R. Rugg Arena at Heidelberg Gymnasium named in his honor on October 27, 2001.

Before his coaching career, Rugg was an accomplished athlete. A native of Union Parish, La., and graduate of Farmerville High School, he signed a professional baseball contract with the Brooklyn Dodgers and played minor league baseball in the Wisconsin State League and Cotton States League. His professional playing career included a Brooklyn Dodgers split-squad spring training stint and a season with the Greenwood, Mississippi, franchise, where he recorded seven wins.

An arm injury suffered while throwing a perfect game through 7.2 innings in Monroe, La., ended his professional athletic career in 1950, but it opened the door to a coaching life that would leave a lasting mark.

In 1963, Rugg began his career at Belhaven, where he guided the basketball and tennis programs to regional and national recognition. His basketball teams reached the NAIA District playoffs 12 times, and his 1972 team won the NAIA District Championship and advanced to the second round of the NAIA Tournament in Kansas City, Missouri.

Rugg was named NAIA District Basketball Coach of the Year in 1970, 1971, 1972, 1977 and 1978 and earned district or Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Coach of the Year honors in basketball six times.

His work with the Belhaven tennis program was equally as historic. Under Rugg's leadership, Belhaven captured 15 conference and NAIA District championships, finished in the NAIA National Top 10 for 12 seasons and won the 1983 NAIA National Tennis Championship. Rugg was voted NAIA District and Conference Tennis Coach of the Year for 15 consecutive years by his coaching peers.

Rugg left athletics in 1986 but remained at Belhaven as a professor of health and history until his retirement in 1998. He was named a charter member of the Belhaven University Athletic Hall of Fame in 1993, was inducted into the NAIA Hall of Fame in 1996 and entered the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame in 2005.

For those who played for him, Rugg's legacy reached far beyond wins, championships and honors.

In Their Words

Former Blazers reflect on the life and legacy of Coach Charles Rugg

"Belhaven University lost a big piece of its history with the passing of Coach Charles Rugg. Influenced and touched not only his players but as an outstanding history professor did the same with many in the classroom also. Not any professor, administrator or coach touched or influenced as many and I dare say any will in the future as well. Thankful to have gone to Belhaven and had the opportunity to play for him. Job well done Coach."

John Brady
Played for Coach Rugg from 1972-76

"I was blessed that God chose Coach Rugg and Belhaven versus other colleges for me. Those four years were like boot camp. Iron sharpening iron that prepared me for my business life."

John Eichelberger
Played for Coach Rugg from 1972-76

"Coach Rugg was a great coach selected to be in three coaching Hall of Fames. But that is only a small part of what he will be remembered for. He will most be remembered for his love of people and his players and his beloved Belhaven University, his burning passion for excellence in all he did and for his faith in the Lord. I have no words to express the influence he had on my life. He changed my life forever."

Mark Windham
Former Belhaven student-athlete

"Whether I was in the boardroom as chief executive or playing in the gold medal basketball game of the Senior Olympics, Coach Rugg was always with me. His guidance transcended wherever I was in life and continues to this day."

Mike Sibley
Class of 1972, Belhaven Basketball Hall of Fame, Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame

"Like so many people who knew Coach Charlie Rugg, he had a huge impact on my life. He instilled in me the value of hard work, discipline and drive it takes to be successful not only on the basketball court, but in life as well. What a great example he provided for all of us who were fortunate to play for him."

Bob McCain
Class of 1980, Belhaven Basketball alum, owner of Buffalo Peak Outfitters

"Coach Rugg was 'one of them ones,' as the kids say when they are giving their highest compliments and praise for an individual. I recall the steady authority with which he spoke that caused us all to respect and admire him. Rest well, Coach! Your fight is over. We'll take it from here."

Cathy Souter McNair
Class of 1980, SGA leadership

"Coach was one of a kind. He was not only a coach but a father figure and a mentor. Coach made us all better husbands, fathers and men. Coach was my faculty advisor and tried to talk me out of coaching, however I am so glad I did not listen to him. Thank you Coach for the lessons you taught us and will continue to teach us. It was a privilege to have you in my life."

Tom Jackson
Class of 1991, Belhaven Men's Tennis alum

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