Coach Mary Jean Irving was an outstanding championship basketball coach who led teams at Routhwood Junior High in Newellton, Louisiana, Newellton High in Newellton, Louisiana, North Natchez, and Natchez High Schools. Coach Irving hails from Adams County and graduated from Natchez Junior College High and Alcorn. She started her 28-year coaching career in 1969 at the junior high level at Routhwood Junior High in Newellton, Louisiana. After coaching for 1 year at Routhwood, she arrived at Newellton High where she would guide girls hoops teams for the next ten seasons from 1970 to 1980. At Newellton, Coach Irving’s teams captured 3 district crowns and the 1980 Louisiana State Championship. She crossed back across the Mississippi River to North Natchez High in 1980 and would lead teams for the next 17 years to championship glory. At North Natchez, her teams claimed five Big Eight titles, five district crowns, had one South State runner-up finish, won four South State titles, earned one overall Big Eight title, and won two state championships in 1985 and 1986. She then served as head girls basketball coach at Natchez High from 1989 to 1997. At Natchez, her teams won two district titles in 1992 and 1993, was state runner-up in 1992, and won the 1993 state championship. Overall, Coach Irving led her girls’ basketball teams in 779 games and racked up 536 wins with only 243 losses for a winning percentage of 68%. Mary was a highly decorated coach who was named Metro Coach of the Year 7 times (1983, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1991, 1992, & 1993) by the Natchez Democrat and MAC Girls Basketball Coach of the Year in 1993. She was selected as Girls Sports Coach of the Year by the MAC for 1986-87. Mary was an All-Star coach for the South in the 1986 MAC All-Star basketball game and she was an All-Star coach in the 1992 Mississippi/Alabama All-Star Basketball Classic. Coach Irving served as administrative coach in the Mississippi/Alabama All-Star games in 1995 and 1996. Mary was a longtime member of the MAC and was extremely active in the community with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, the Natchez Recreation Youth Summer Program, the baseball summer league, the Christmas Church Drive, and basketball summer camps. Additionally, she was a member of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority as Natchez Chapter Charter President, the Church Chairperson of the Youth Activity League, the Vice President of the Missionary Society, and taught Sunday School.