NATCHEZ — Ron Roberts and Ed Reed are both familiar names to Mississippi sports fans, and the two of them will be in Natchez Thursday night.

Roberts will be the featured speaker at the Miss-Lou Chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame’s 31st annual awards banquet Thursday night. Reed, meanwhile, will be honored for his contributions to amateur football.

The banquet will present six local athletes from area schools with scholarships with funds that will be raised at the Joe Fortunato Celebrity Golf Classic later this spring.

Roberts was the head football coach at Delta State University from 2007-11 before taking the same position at Southeastern Louisiana University after the 2011 season. Even though he’s no longer at Delta State, former Miss-Lou chapter president Terry Estes said Roberts decided to honor his commitment to speak.

“He agreed to speak, and about the same time, he took the job at Southeastern,” Estes said,

At Delta State, Roberts won an NCAA Division II championship in 2010 and won four conference titles in his time there. Delta State made it to the title game against this past season, losing to Pittsburg State University 49-23.

“He’s a pretty good coach,” Estes said.

Reed, who was the head coach at South-Natchez High School for 12 years, was selected because of his many coaching accolades, said currently Miss-Lou chapter president Freddie Sandel. He won a state championship at South-Natchez in 1981 and coached in Mississippi for 30 years, and in Alabama for 10 years.

Reed also won numerous conference championships in Mississippi during his time at West Point city schools, Rolling Fork High School, Lumberton High School, Provine High School in Jackson, Picayune High School and South Natchez. In addition, Reed coached at Central High School in Tuscaloosa, Ala., for 10 years, making the postseason each year.

“If you look at his record, he’s one of the best high school coaches in Mississippi and Alabama,” Sandel said. “(All of his accolades) tell you what kind of coach he is — he’s the best.”

The event is open to the public, and tickets are $20. They can be purchased at Estes’ office at 35 Seargest S. Prentiss Drive, or by calling Sandel at 601-442-9246.