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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss Hall of Famer James "Jim" Poole Jr. Passes Away
2/10/2026 | Football
OXFORD, Miss. – James E. "Jim" Poole, Jr., 76, an Ole Miss M-Club Hall of Famer and three-year football letterman, passed away Sunday in Jackson, Mississippi.
A tight end from 1969-71, Poole Jr. was a two-time first-team All-SEC selection and helped lead Ole Miss to a 25-9 overall record and three bowl appearances during his time in Oxford. He carried on the impressive legacy of the Pooles of Ole Miss, an extraordinary family with an athletic linage like no other at the University of Mississippi, earning over 50 athletic letters, and having a street -- Poole Drive -- named in their honor.
Poole Jr. tallied 110 career receptions for 1,196 yards and six touchdowns. During his first varsity season, Poole Jr. was the only sophomore on the team to acquire a first-team All-SEC accolades and set a then Ole Miss record for sophomores by catching 43 passes for 456 yards. He led Ole Miss receivers in the 1970 Sugar Bowl against Arkansas with seven receptions for 70 yards.
As a junior, Poole Jr. ranked second on the 1970 team in scoring with 46 points. He once again excelled in the Rebels' bowl game, hauling in nine receptions for 111 yards and a touchdown in the 1971 Gator Bowl vs. Auburn. Poole Jr. wrapped up his collegiate career by playing in the 1972 Hula Bowl and then signed a free-agent contract with the New York Giants.
Poole Jr. was inducted into the M-Club Hall of Fame in 2025 and recently was honored last fall by the Ole Miss Chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame with its Distinguished American Award.
Following his graduation from the University of Mississippi in 1972, Poole Jr. moved to Jackson and in 1978 married Gayle Smithson. Poole Jr. is survived by Gayle, their three daughters and 10 grandchildren.
Active in the First Presbyterian Church of Jackson, Poole was also involved in the community with several church related ministries. He previously volunteered for Kairos Prison Ministries, an organization devoted to serve incarcerated men, women and youth and to assist those who have been impacted by incarceration. He previously served on the ministry's Central Mississippi Board of Directors and served for over 20 years on the Board of Directors for Cal-Maine Foods, a Mississippi based company that is listed on the NASDAQ.
Poole was a certified public accountant who retired in 2013 as a principal of GranthamPoole, a public accounting firm he co-founded in 1999. GranthamPoole grew into one of the southeastern United States' largest regional accounting firms, driven largely by the firm's recognized expertise designing audit, ethics and governance programs for clients. Poole's service to the firm included Management Committee membership and senior partner and principal roles. His practice focused on identifying clients' key business risks and helping them integrate liability management and insurance strategies into growth-focused operating cultures.
Prior to co-founding GranthamPoole, he founded James E. Poole, CPA, a public accounting firm, in 1985. Under his leadership, the firm quickly scaled its valuation and merger and advisory practices on behalf of corporate clients pursuing growth among other specialty areas. Previously, he co-founded Mississippi Mortgage Company, which focused on low-income housing mortgage origination and syndication. He also built other businesses, including a real estate company focused on residential development in the Florida panhandle in addition to a business dedicated to oil and gas exploration.
Visitation will be held at First Presbyterian Church in Jackson, on Tuesday, Feb. 17, from 10 until 11:30 a.m., with the funeral service immediately following at 11:30 a.m. in the sanctuary. Burial will be at 4 p.m. at Oxford Memorial Cemetery.
