Pierson hanging up whistle after 21 seasons at WJ
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By Josh “The Guru” Nichols
Special to the Leader-Call
I became sports editor at the Leader-Call in the spring of 2012. My first interview with West Jones head football coach Scott Pierson occurred later that summer as we prepared for the first edition of the now popular LL-C KICKOFF football magazine.
It was my first time meeting him and, of course, my first interview with him. I was nervous as all get out. Pierson was — and still is — one of the most respected high school football coaches in Jones County. Luckily, I made it through that first interview and too many more to count.
However, on Thursday, I had my final interview with Pierson. He announced that he was retiring from coaching and will no longer lead the charge of the Mustangs.
“I have had kids that have played for me, and then, down the road, I coached their kids,” Pierson said. “That’s really special. I still have former players from here at West and from Bay Springs that I still keep in touch with. Winning is great, but it pales in comparison to helping lead high school boys into becoming young men.”
Pierson decided to get into coaching while attending the University of Southern Mississippi. His first stint as a head coach began in 1997 at Bay Springs High School, where he led the Bulldogs to a 7-5 record. Pierson coached at Bay Springs from 1997-2001, leading the Bulldogs to a 44-18 mark. He got them to a state championship game in 1999, but fell short 17-12 to Booneville.
In 2002, Pierson began what will be regarded as his legacy as a head coach when he took over the West Jones program from coach Mike Taylor, who guided the Mustangs from 1975-2001.
Pierson became the winningest coach in West Jones history, but it wasn’t all about winning.
“I’m very competitive and I want to win at anything I compete in,” Pierson said. “But I found out quickly that it wasn’t the winning that kept me coaching as long as I did. It was all about the kids.”
Pierson spent 21 years on the sidelines and practice field at “The Shoe” with a countless number of boys who became young men. However, outside of the fulfilling enjoyment of helping boys become men, he praises those who allowed him to do that.
“It is truly heartfelt and deeply meaningful of all the mommas, daddies and grandparents that entrusted me with their boys,” he said. “I cannot thank them enough for allowing me to do that. It is something I will cherish for the rest of my life.”
Pierson also praised the support offered by Mustang Nation.
“The support that has always been offered by this community in my tenure at West Jones was just phenomenal,” Pierson said. “One of the reasons we have been able to be so successful in my time here is because of all of their support. And I will cherish that, as well.”
Another thing that Pierson will miss is the relationships that he shared with his other coaches.
“I would never have achieved most of what I have as a football coach if it wasn’t for the other coaches I have had around me,” he said. “I have been very blessed to have worked with some really great coaches, some who even went on to become head coaches themselves. I have so many great memories with so many different coaches that I worked with over the years. I thank all of them for the time we spent together and all the hard work and dedication that each one of them put in.”
When it came down to his decision to retire, it was one simple answer.
“It was just time,” Pierson. “I know I will miss it, especially when this season rolls around, but for me, it was time to step away.”
The 2023 season for the West Jones Mustangs will be different without Pierson on the sidelines on Friday nights, but change is not always a bad thing. But make no mistake about it, Pierson didn’t spend 26 years as head coach just for those Friday nights and trying to win football games.
“I know I have already said this, but the greatest satisfaction I got from coaching football wasn’t the winning, it was always about the kids,” he said. “They are what is most important, even if it meant going to pick one up for practice or dropping one off afterwards. The joy of watching so many kids find out that they could achieve so much more than they thought they were capable of is something that will stick with me forever.
“I have been blessed over the years to be able to help some of them out when they didn’t come from much. But at the end of the day, winning will always come in second to just being able to coach so many great kids and watch them grow into young men and then go on and become contributors to society. It will always be about the kids.”
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