Southaven Names Jimmy Blann Tribute Hall Honoree

The city selected the former world karate champion, known as "The Jet," for its Tribute Hall honor.

Updated on Nov. 11, 2026 in Awards

Empty martial arts training hall with polished wooden floor, a rolled navy karate mat against a pale wall, and warm afternoon light through a high window. — Southaven officials named former world karate champion Jimmy Blann the next honoree in the city's Tribute Hall, recognizing his 1980s title runs and decades of local instruction. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

The City of Southaven named Jimmy Blann the next honoree in Tribute Hall, recognizing the Southaven native's karate career. Blann, who opened his first karate school in 1980, won the K.I.C.K. World Welterweight Championship in 1987 and regained the title in Southaven in 1989.

Why it matters

The honor recognizes a local figure whose martial arts career and school have shaped Southaven's karate community. It places his record of championships and students within the city's public tribute tradition.

Blann's school has produced eight world champions in various divisions, 200 national champions and 409 black belts. The source does not indicate how these figures compare with other schools, and the induction timing has not been specified.

The players

Jimmy Blann

A former karate champion from Southaven, Mississippi, who won the K.I.C.K. World Welterweight Championship and later founded a karate school that bears his name.

The details

Blann opened his first karate school at Millbranch/Town & Country on July 1, 1980. He lost a distance decision challenging for the Karate International Council of Kickboxing World Championship on May 16, 1987, then won the K.I.C.K. World Welterweight Championship on September 26, 1987. He lost the title in Kamloops, British Columbia, in 1988, regained it in a Southaven rematch on December 9, 1989, and retired in March 1990.

July 1, 1980: Blann opens his first karate school.
May 16, 1987: Blann loses a distance decision in a title challenge.
September 26, 1987: Blann wins the K.I.C.K. World Welterweight Championship.
December 9, 1989: Blann recaptures the world title in Southaven.
March 1990: Blann retires.

Culture Shift

Blann's induction follows the pattern of cities using local halls of honor to recognize athletes whose community institutions outlast their competitive careers. His karate school's record of champions and black belts illustrates how such recognition connects individual achievement to local training culture.

Residents can learn about Blann's karate career through the city's Tribute Hall honor. Families interested in martial arts training can look to the school he founded as an example of the local programs that have produced champions and black belts.

The takeaway

Local halls of honor can preserve the records of community athletes and trainers. Blann's career shows how a single school can develop national and world champions over decades.