Video: EMCC LAST CHANCE U: PART 2

SCOOBA, Miss. (WCBI) – East Mississippi Community College is changing the lives of college athletes. That’s the story at the heart of Last Chance U,  a limited documentary series available on Netflix.

The people at EMCC are educators and coaches. We expect them to impact the lives of young adults, but no one could have seen how their story is impacting their community.

Last Chance U is putting Scooba on the map, EMCC in the headlines, and bringing an economic boost to the area.

“We’ve had requests for EMCC gear, Lion gear, online, requesting orders from 30 states. No joke, and we’ve also had a number of people driving down Highway 45 that see Scooba, Mississippi, see the sign that says East Mississippi Community College, and have just stopped to look at the campus,” says EMCC President, Dr. Tom Huebner.

All because of the 6 part Netflix series.

“We have some early indicators of, I mean dozens and dozens of students who have inquired about information, and we’ve even had a number of them who have started the application process as a result of, they tell us having seen the documentary series,” says Huebner.

One thousand students are enrolled at EMCC, but when those lights come on, around 6,000 fans fill the stadium.

“It’s phenomenal for this area because those people, if they’re flying in, they have to fly in to either GTR, or Meridian, or Birmingham, or Jackson. They have to stay in a hotel. That’s generating revenue for the following county, you know, the surrounding areas and counties. I think it’s just going to be a great thing for this area,” says EMCC Athletic Academic Advisor, Brittany Wagner.

Well known sports companies even want to partner with the nationally known football team.

“I had a phone call just this morning from the executives at Adidas, and they want to give us more gear because we’re out there, and they want us to carry their brand as well, so obviously, it’s effecting that really well, and anytime that you can get more Adidas at a corporate business involved in what you’re doing, it’s going to help in recruiting,” says EMCC Head Football Coach, Buddy Stephens.

It’s also going to help in academics.

“They can sit back in a teaching aspect. They can sit back and watch other players, and see how they’ve kind of blown off academics, and you can see what kind of effect it has on them, and those people that really think academics is a priority, you can see their success, and what they’ve done, so I think you know, the documentary gives you all sides, and it gives you so many areas to teach in, and so many teachable moments,” says Stephens.

Life changing is how EMCC President Dr. Tom Huebner best explains the impact.

“Season didn’t end like we liked it. Absolutely did not end like we liked it, but it would’ve been an entirely different series had it ended in the way we wanted it to, but I think it gives us a good, the way it ended gave us as an institution, a good chance to reflect on what’s important to us to think about how we model to our students.”

There hasn’t been any word about if there are plans for a second season of Last Chance U.