Joe Collingwood, a native of McComb, led the McComb High School basketball teams from 1951-1953, finishing his prep career with 1,031 points. He set a single-season scoring record of 591 points in 1952-53 and tallied a single-game record of 39 points, a mark which stood for 20 years. Collingwood’s contributions helped the Panthers achieve a McComb record 22 victories in ’52-53 against only two losses. In 1951-52, McComb won the district tournament and became the only Panthers’ squad in over 30 years to advance to regional play.

Collingwood was a fullback and end during his high school football career. Following his stellar McComb career, Collingwood played as a fullback on the Bluffton College football team. He also scored a team-high 329 points for the Beaver’s cage team, hitting a game high 35 points in a 1953-54 game against Huntington, Indiana