Soccer’s History Shaped our Futures

Items/Images provided by Dickens Fournet.

As mentioned in the MSC Podcast, Episode 2, summer soccer in Mississippi really revolves around ID camps, summer team camps, USL League Two action and other summer team leagues for both boys and girls, men and women.

When I had the chance to sit and talk with Dickens Fournet, it went from a “happenstance” to a treasure trove of Mississippi soccer history.

Once I made contact with Dickens and scheduled a time to talk with him, I had a feeling I was going to get a few stories, but what he provided was much more than that.

Along with the pictures and programs he’d brought, providing such strong primary documents to support the anecdotes he shared, he brought an excitement with him to help open the time capsule of what Mississippi soccer was close to half a century ago.

What the average person could easily pass off as an encounter with a CPA in his office was actually an example of how the beautiful game shapes the young men and women who have ever played the game.

The level of professionalism, pride in performance and respect for others the game teaches was very present in Dickens Fournet.

Throughout our conversation, this former soccer all-star played down his own talents in order to shine a light on those with whom he played.

There were names like the Kevin Topik, Jamie Greer, Brian Hutson, Gates Weaver and Raul Sierra that made a lasting impression on Dickens that shows to this day.

Even when the recording was over, he continued remembering names like Liza Jabaley, the only girl on the St. Joe 1981 State High School Soccer Championship team. It just so happened that “girl soccer player” ended up becoming a doctor.

He even starting speaking about people he’s worked with like Avery Hederman and her sister Erin who played at Jackson Academy and then at Mississippi College. These sisters were All-American players.

Now, just like Dickens and countless other soccer stars of the past, they have utilized what they learned on the pitch, both good and bad, and have used it to continue their own pursuit of greatness in the corporate world.

What my ramblings are getting to is this: The history of the game allows for those of us who played to stake a claim on a time period, remembering what the smell of the grass was like, what it was like to strike a ball and the glorious feeling when we were soccer players.

The 2026 World Cup has allowed us all to see records broken and old memories unearthed, but the memories of the game don’t solely belong to the greatest tournament in the world.

We are allowed to remember those Mississippi days where soccer was smaller than it is now but bigger than it was before, and all the players, coaches, parents, fans, organizations and associations get to bask in the knowledge that we were part of what was and helped shape what was to be.

Pictures or it Didn’t Happen

I’ve included some pictures below of the history I discovered when I gave into traveling down that rabbit hole. They were provided by Dickens Fournet as well as “purloined” from the Mississippi State Alumni post made on Facebook referenced in the MSC Podcast, Episode 2.

In case you’re wondering, Dickens is the player on the top row on the far right standing next to Coach Raul Sierra. Liza Jabaley can be found in that same picture on the front row in the middle. Dickens can also be found in the 1983 All Star Picture on the back row, fifth from the right. You might be able to point him out in one of the pictures below, shirtless, featured in the Jackson Daily News.