Dorothy Manuel-Henderson, widow of the late Henry Manuel, accepted the posthumous Jimmy Bellipanni Distinguished Trojan Award during the Mississippi Delta Community College Sports Hall of Fame banquet last Saturday night.
Known to many as Chief Manuel, he attended MDCC from 1981 until 1983, playing football and competing in track and field events.
He would eventually move on to Southwestern College in Winfield, Kansas.
In the fall of 1983, he was named the MVP of the Sunflower Bowl, and he was named an All-Conference player in football in the fall of 1984, and he secured a championship title in the KCAC in track and field the following spring. Manuel would eventually sign a free agent deal with the New Orleans Saints in 1985.
Following his football career, he attended Mississippi Valley State University, where he graduated with a degree in criminal justice. His survivors include his wife, Henry B. Manuel Jr., Marcus Ross, Keith Jackson, Whitney Manuel and Brittany Manuel.
Pictured with Dorothy Manuel-Henderson is MDCC Athletic Director Jason Conner. Photo by Bryan Davis
