Hall of Fame
Tabbed “Big Play Babs” for repeated big plays at crucial times during his nine-year career in the National Football League, one could argue that Jordan Babineaux was deserving of that moniker during his collegiate playing days at Southern Arkansas.
A native of Port Arthur, Texas, Babineaux came to Magnolia in 2000 and after seeing playing time in seven games as a true freshman in the Muleriders’ secondary, Babineaux’s solid sophomore and junior seasons set the table for one of the most dominant senior campaigns in program history.
Babineaux’s final season was a memorable one as the senior earned NCAA All-America First-Team honors as both a cornerback and kick returner to go along with NCAA All-Region First-Team and All-GSC First-Team honors as a cornerback. He registered 68 tackles, including 40 unassisted and defended 14 passes, recovered three fumbles and picked off five passes, while providing several big plays on special teams.
That season was Babineaux’s first as a kick returner and it was nothing less than electric as he averaged 28.6 yards per return in 17 opportunities. His most memorable performance came in mid-October in Cleveland, Mississippi, as he returned three kicks against Delta State for a then-SAU and a then-GSC single-game record 208 yards, which included a pair of touchdowns to tie the Division II record; one of which he returned 100 yards to tie the league and national records as well.
Babineaux’s remarkable senior campaign helped the Muleriders to a 9-2 regular season record and a trip to the NCAA Division II playoffs for the second time in program history. The Muleriders would come up short in their opening round game against No.2-ranked North Alabama. That playoff berth in 2003 was the last time that the Mulerider football team has advanced to the NCAA playoffs
In all, Babineaux finished his collegiate career with 213 career tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, and three sacks in addition to defending 29 passes, recording 10 interceptions (5th All-Time) for 124 yards (9th All-Time), and recovering six fumbles (T3rd All-Time), while forcing two more during his four year career.
His success collegiately led the cornerback to sign as an undrafted free agent with the Seattle Seahawks in 2004. His aforementioned nine-year career saw him spend his first seven pro seasons with the Seahawks, before playing his final two years with the Tennessee Titans. Of his 600 career NFL tackles, his most notable stop came in Seattle’s 2006 NFC Wild Card game with the Dallas Cowboys that saw “Big Play Babs” take down Tony Romo after a botched snap on a potential game-winning field goal.
Additionally, Babineaux defended 41 passes, which included a dozen interceptions, forced eight fumbles, recorded four sacks and scored a pair of defensive touchdowns in 131 career NFL games, which included Super Bowl XL.
