Former Southern Miss quarterback and radio color analyst Vic Purvis dies at 82

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Former Southern Miss football quarterback and radio color analyst James Victor "Vic" Purvis died on May 31 following a years-long battle with Alzheimer's. He was 82.

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"He was a great person," Purvis' longtime broadcast partner John Cox told The Hattiesburg American. "He would do anything for anybody. The guys he played with always told me he was a great teammate. He was a great guy to be around."

Purvis was born on Nov. 17, 1943, in Rankin County, Mississippi. He attended Puckett High School and played football, basketball and baseball excelling in all three. Purvis, the quarterback for Puckett, stood out the most in football, earning all-state honors and a scholarship to play at Southern Miss.

"We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of former Golden Eagle Vic Purvis," Southern Miss football wrote on social media. "Vic was an outstanding football player and radio analyst at Southern Miss. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family during this difficult time."

Purvis spent five years with the Golden Eagles, redshirting his second season. Purvis started at quarterback in all but one game Southern Miss played in from 1963-65. In 1964 and 1965, Purvis led Southern Miss in rushing, running for 422 yards and 633 yards, respectively. Also in 1964, Purvis threw for a career-high 802 yards and five touchdowns.

In 1965 against Memphis, Purvis ran for 238 yards, which remains the third-most rushing yards in a single game by any Southern Miss player. The next week, he ran for 203 yards against Richmond.

He had a brief professional stint in the American Football League, playing defensive back and special teams for the then-Boston Patriots. After two seasons, a shoulder injury put an end to his playing days. He finished his professional career with 228 return yards as a punt and kick returner.

Purvis returned to Hattiesburg and started his radio career with Southern Miss' radio network, appearing on air with former play-by-play man Bill Goodrich for a few games in 1974. He started as the full-time color analyst for the Golden Eagles in 1975 and continued until his retirement in 2014.

"He was very knowledgeable about the game of football," Cox said. "One because he played at Southern Miss and two because he continued to do it professionally. He was very prepared. Even as the game changed from when he played in the '60s, he kept up and new the nuances of the game.

He was a part of 471 broadcasts over his career, many of which were alongside Cox. Cox also joined the booth in 1974, acting as a spotter for Purvis and Goodrich, and officially took over play-by-play duties in 1979.

"There was no doubt, when you listened to Vic, that he was a Southern Miss guy and rooting for the Golden Eagles," Cox said. "Not overboard where he'd be a homer, but you could tell by the way he did ballgames that he would hurt when the team wasn't winning, and he would enjoy it when the team was winning. He loved Southern Miss."

Funeral services were June 3 at his longtime church, Temple Baptist. Instead of requesting flowers, Purvis' family asked for donations directed to the Southern Miss Athletic Department.

He is survived by his wife of 41 years, Gaye Purvis and his brothers Don and Russell. Purvis was also the father of four daughters, Kim Purvis Speed, Staci Purvis Maddox, Bari Purvis Oglesbee and Victoria Purvis Miles.

"He always talked about his family," Cox said. "He was always proud of any accomplishments that his daughters would have. When we were on road trips together, he'd keep us up to date on what his girls were doing and he'd let us know if there were new members of his family coming along. His family was a big part of his life."

Davis Wilson covers Southern Miss athletics and Hattiesburg news for the Hattiesburg American. Email him at [email protected] or find him on X at @Davis_Wilson.

This article originally appeared on Hattiesburg American: Former Southern Miss football QB and radio color analyst Vic Purvis dies at 82

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