Jackson State football fans will never forget the way Kevin Dent roamed the field at free safety. When the ball was in the air, Dent went after it, like the ball was his. It was a thing of beauty. Dent led JSU in interceptions as a sophomore with 10. A three-time All-American, he ranks second behind Lem Barney on the Tigers’ all-time interceptions list with 23.
Dent, 56, was recently selected to The Black College Football Hall of Fame Class of 2024 after being a finalist twice before. He will join a class that includes Joe “747” Adams (Tennessee State); Antoine Bethea (Howard); Waymond Bryant (Tennessee State); Richard Huntley (Winston-Salem State); Lemar Parrish (Lincoln) and coach Eddie Hurt (Morgan State).
The Class of 2024 will be honored at the 15th annual Black College Football Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, presented by the Atlanta Falcons, on June 8, 2024, in Atlanta.
Dent said his wife, Theressa Dent, and his father, Belton Dent Sr., along with daughters, Tyra Kyles, Coriana Dent and Cordacia Dent will be with him when he is inducted.
Dent said he only wishes his mother, Georgia Dent, was alive to share this with him. He said that she was his biggest supporter.
When it was announced he was elected, he was asleep. He found out about being elected to the Black College Football Hall of Fame when one of his daughters told him she saw it on the internet and then showed him.
“I was speechless,” Dent said. “I feel better as a man because I put in hard work. So hard work does pay off, and that’s the key: hard work.”
Dent was a smart football player who studied film obsessively. He was in the right place at the right time because of his film study. He credits his battles in practice against receivers like Jimmy Smith and running back Lewis Tillman and others for getting him ready for games.
Dent said he had teammates on the defensive line like Leon Seals, Jackie Walker and others who would put pressure on opposing quarterbacks, allowing him to gamble and go for the ball.
After college, Dent was signed as a free agent with the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals but did not make the team. He tried out for the Birmingham Fire of the World League of American Football and the Tampa Bay Storm of the Arena Football League, but after running into a wall in a freak accident, he said he felt like God was telling him it was enough and he retired.
The Vicksburg High graduate credits his coaches there, Russ McKay and Jim Sizemore and his defensive backs coach Jim Knox, and teammates for preparing him to play at Jackson State.
Jones also credits JSU defensive backs coach Cardell Jones and head coach W.C. Gordon for teaching him life lessons that went beyond the football field. Things like being on time, being prepared, saying “yes, sir” and “no, ma’am,” being polite and how to become a man and a great family man.
Dent said he is most proud that Jackson State never lost a SWAC football game in which he started in four seasons and that the Tigers won four consecutive SWAC championships.
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“The only regret I have is we never won a national championship,” Dent said. “We could not win the big playoff game. We could not get past the first round. We would win and then run out of gas. At that time, we were playing some powerhouses like Georgia Southern and Tennessee State.”
Dent is the fifth Jackson State player inducted into the Black College Hall of Fame, joining Barney and Walter Payton, who were voted in 2010, and Robert Brazile and Jackie Slater, who were enshrined in 2011.
Dent is also in the Jackson State football Hall of Fame (2018) and the National College Hall of Fame (2006).
“I’m blessed. I can say that,” Dent said. “It is great to be honored in the Black College Football Hall of Fame representing my family, Jackson State and Vicksburg.”
