NATCHEZ — Before his death on Dec. 16, 1996, Clyde Adams made an impact in the area by coaching on three principles.

“No. 1, he always said you would be a gentleman or a lady,” said Clyde’s daughter Rene Adams. “No. 2 was that you would be a scholar, and No. 3 was that you would be an athlete. I watched my daddy bench top athletes at crucial points in games over this because he meant it.”

Thursday at the 34th annual Miss-Lou Chapter of the National Football Foundation, Clyde’s wife Rosilyn, Rene and his son Richard Adams will accept the “Contributor to Amateur Football Award” in Clyde’s honor.

Clyde was an All-Big Eight Performer on the Natchez High basketball and football teams in the 1950s before going on to find more success through coaching. he led the Trinity Saints basketball team to a 36-0 record in 1974, becoming the first team to ever win the overall state basketball tournament as a Class A school. He repeated that feat in 1978.

That team was a byproduct of Clyde investing his time in the youth. As the head football coach of Natchez High School in 1966, Clyde started coaching third and fourth graders at a local YMCA. By the time that group became old enough, they would be part of history, winning the overall tournament in 1974.

In basketball, Clyde compiled a 172-40 record with the Trinity boys.

Richard said his father always preached team-first, and had the ability to take football teams with only 13 members on the roster and produce memorable seasons.

“He had some extreme talents, but he was always able to take the talent that he had and make the most out of them,” Richard said. “That was his greatest strength.”

Tony Byrne, who played with Clyde in 1953, had multiple stories about Clyde’s athleticism on the football field, which earned him a scholarship to play for Mississippi State. However, Byrne said one story in particular — involving the basketball team — exemplified Byrne’s team-first mantra. After winning the Big Eight the previous season, Byrne said the Natchez High basketball team went into the 1953-54 season confident that they would repeat. The only problem was the team was missing their point guard from the previous year.

“We found out quickly that we were all shooters,” Byrne said. “We lost a couple of games before Christmas and had a meeting to get things corrected. Clyde decided that he would be the one that would facilitate the ball, and because he made that sacrifice we won the Big Eight again. He didn’t earn all-state honors because of that, which was a shame.”

Clyde’s legacy lives on in multiple hall of fames, including the MAIS Hall of Fame and Delta State alumni Hall of Fame. This Thursday, his coaching achievements will be celebrated, and it’s a moment that Richard is unsure he’s prepared for.

“I’m sure I’ll be very emotional,” he said. “It’s just amazing. This man has been gone 19 years, and he’s still being recognized.”