| Years at Northeast: | 1990, 2004-11 |
| Sports: | Men's Golf |
| Occupation: | Coach/Student-Athlete |
Not many people can claim that their success led to the creation of a brand-new collegiate sports team, but Craig Lauderdale can do just that.
Lauderdale represented Northeast Mississippi Community College by himself at the 1990 National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division III golf tournament in Arizona.
He was recognized as an NJCAA All-American after finishing in 14th place overall with a four-day total of 321. It was the third best score of any entrant from the Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges (MACJC).
His award-winning season resulted in the decision by legendary Northeast athletic director W.B. "Bill" Ward to sponsor an entire team one year later. Hundreds have since followed in Lauderdale's footsteps by donning the black-and-gold on courses across America.
The men's golf program is now in its 28th season of existence. The Tigers have won one state championship and a pair of region titles while sending 15 players to nationals as individual qualifiers.
Lauderdale has been around for each of Northeast's major milestones. He is the longest tenured head coach in program history and also served as a volunteer assistant during the 2020-21 campaign when his son, Austin, and the Tigers captured the conference crown.
The elder Lauderdale got to advise Austin from on the links. He tied for eighth at the state competition in Meridian before eventually concluding his Northeast career at the national tournament just like his dad.
Lauderdale started his eight-year stretch as leader of the Tigers in 2004. He guided Northeast to back-to-back NJCAA Region 23 championships and subsequent berths to the Division III nationals from 2007-08.
His 2008 group carded an eighth place showing during their trip to Jamestown, N.Y., at the Chautauqua Golf Club. Chase Williams came in third individually to become the Tigers' inaugural first-team NJCAA All-American.
Lauderdale supervised Northeast's transition back to an NJCAA Division II affiliate in 2009. The Tigers still found prosperity with a runner-up performance in their initial appearance back at that level.
Northeast rose to as high as No. 13 in the national rankings the following year. All-conference golfers Blake Hatfield and Daniel Singh helped the Tigers finish second at both the MACJC and NJCAA Region 23 postseason events.
Hatfield had a special sophomore campaign under the watch of Lauderdale. He secured medalist honors at the MACJC Tournament on the way to earning first-team All-American distinction after ending in a tie for third at nationals.
Lauderdale originally arrived at Northeast as a men's basketball signee for another hall of fame instructor in Harvey Childers. He was part of the Tigers' undefeated regular season during the 1987-88 school year.
He is currently in his second stint as a basketball coach at his alma mater of Jumpertown High School. Lauderdale has more than 400 combined victories and six divison titles between his boys and girls teams.
Lauderdale, who has also worked with Booneville Golf and Country Club in various roles, was the 2007 NJCAA Region 23 Coach of the Year. His wife, Tara, and daughter, Maria, were both members of Northeast's women's basketball program.