Mississippi State Bulldogs
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| Mississippi State Bulldogs | |
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| University | Mississippi State University |
|---|---|
| Conference | Southeastern Conference |
| NCAA | Division I |
| Athletics director | Gregory Byrne |
| Location | Starkville, MS |
| Varsity teams | 16 |
| Football stadium | Davis Wade Stadium |
| Basketball arena | Humphrey Coliseum |
| Mascot | Bully |
| Nickname | Bulldogs (Dawgs) |
| Fight song | Hail State |
| Colors | Maroon and White
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| Homepage | www.mstateathletics.com |
The Mississippi State Bulldogs are the athletic teams of Mississippi State University. They participate in NCAA's Division I in the competitive 12-member Southeastern Conference under the mascot Bulldogs and the school colors of maroon and white. Mississippi State competes in the NCAA in football, basketball (men's and women's), baseball, softball, tennis (men's & women's), golf (men's & women's), soccer (women's), volleyball, track and field (men's outdoor & women's indoor & outdoor), and cross country running (men's & women's).
Over all sports, MSU has earned 28 SEC Championships.
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[edit] Football
[edit] Men's Basketball
In basketball, Mississippi State has won SEC Championships in 1959, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1991, and 2004, and SEC Tournament Championships in 1996 and 2002. The Bulldogs have played in the NCAA Basketball Tournament in 1963, 1991, 1995, 1996, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2008 and in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) in 1974, 1990, 1999, 2001, and 2007. In 1996, MSU made it to the NCAA Final Four before losing in the national semi-finals to the Syracuse Orangemen.
In 1963, the team made history by defying an order from the Governor of Mississippi not to play in the NCAA tournament, because the team they faced, Loyola University of Chicago, had African-Americans on its squad (4 of them were starters). Coach Babe McCarthy sneaked the team out of Starkville to travel to East Lansing, Michigan, to face Loyola, only to lose to the Ramblers, who went on to win the title that year. This was one of the first times that an all-white school faced a team with black members, and it is considered to be a watershed moment in the Civil Rights era.
Boston Celtics great Bailey Howell played at Mississippi State and is the only MSU player to be in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
The 1995-96 team reached a pinnacle in MSU's basketball history, winning a second-straight SEC Western Division title, claiming a first-ever SEC Tournament Championship over top-ranked and eventual national champion Kentucky, and gaining a berth in the NCAA's national championship Final Four. That team earned its national championship ticket with impressive regional wins over #1 seed Connecticut and #2 seed Cincinnati. State's 26 wins that season were the most in school history at the time.
Mississippi State's Humphrey Coliseum is the largest on-campus basketball arena in the state of Mississippi. Opened in 1975, Humphrey Coliseum has undergone many modifications during recent years to rank as one of the finest multi-purpose facilities in the Southeastern Conference. The arena seats 11,000 fans.
[edit] Women's Basketball
The Lady Bulldogs have shown marked improvement over the last decade. Nine Lady Bulldogs have made the All-SEC team 16 times, and even more impressive, the women have earned 28 SEC honor roll memberships since 1990.
[edit] Baseball
[edit] Tennis
One of the greatest Bulldog success stories since 1990 has been a tennis program firmly established among the nation's elite. The program has finished in the final top 25 rankings 12 times in that stretch (1990-2001) and in the top 10 seven times in that span.
Under the guidance of former Bulldog and current head coach Sylvain Guichard the past three seasons, State's netmen have continued that steadfastness in the national title hunt, making their 12th, 13th, and 14th straight appearances in the NCAA Championship, one of only seven schools nationally to have done so. State has made the round of 16 or better in the tournament in 10 of those 14 seasons, one of only nine schools nationally to do so.
State has also claimed one SEC title (1993), two regular season league championships and an SEC tournament crown (1996) during the past decade and a half. The Bulldogs made school-best NCAA semifinal appearances in 1994 and 1998 and have been national quarterfinalists five times. The netmen have won nearly 70% of their matches since 1991, scored the third-most SEC wins by any SEC member since 1990, and have been ranked as high as third in the country.
Individually, Bulldogs have been fixtures in the national rankings. Four State players have been ranked No. 1 in the nation in singles -- Daniel Courcol in 1992-93, Laurent Orsini in 1993-94, Thomas Dupré in 1996-97, and Marco Baron in 2000-01. Dupre was the National Player of the Year following the 1997 season, and he and Baron were SEC Players of the Year in '97 and '01, respectively. Laurent Miquelard and Joc Simmons captured the 1994 NCAA doubles championship.
[edit] Rivals
Mississippi State's main rival is The University of Mississippi (the "Rebels"), also known as just "Ole Miss." Many also feel that a few other teams in the Southeastern Conference, such as Alabama and LSU, serve as rivals in specific sports.
The Bulldogs and Rebels close each football season with the Egg Bowl, with the victor receiving possession of the Golden Egg Trophy. Mississippi leads the series, one of the south's most played, 59-38-6, dating back to 1901. In 2005, Mississippi State blew out Mississippi 35-14; however, in 2006, the Rebels came back to beat the Bulldogs 20-17, despite MSU outgaining the Rebels in both rushing and passing. The 2007 contest saw the Bulldogs score 17 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to overcome a 14-0 Rebel lead, guaranteeing the first winning season for Mississippi State since 2000. Over the past 16 Egg Bowls, Mississippi State and Mississippi have each won 8.
In basketball, MSU leads the series 133-103 and has won 11 of the last 13 and 15 of the last 19.[1][2] MSU's biggest rival in basketball, (though a common misconception), is not Ole Miss but in fact Alabama. MSU and Alabama commonly compete for the top spot in the western division of the SEC. These two schools are also closer in proximity than any other SEC schools at around 90 miles apart.
In baseball, Mississippi State now leads the series 231-186-5. Over the last 30 years, the Bulldogs are 88-50 against the Rebels. The current Mississippi State head baseball coach, Ron Polk, is 85-49 against Mississippi.
For both schools, football, men's basketball, and baseball are the three most attended and discussed ,and they are known together as the "Big 3 Sports." All-time against each other in the Big 3 Sports, Mississippi State leads the Rebels 403 to 348, a 55-game lead.
[edit] Traditions
The school colors are maroon and white.[3] The current mascot is the Bulldog.[4] The mascot is lovingly named "Bully." Past mascots have been the Aggies and the Maroons.
Cowbells are a significant part of any Mississippi State University experience. The tradition began after a jersey cow wandered on to the football field in the early 1900s, disrupting a game. Subsequently, State won the football game, and the cow became a symbol of good luck. Eventually, the cow was replaced with just the cow's bell. Handles were welded onto the bells to ease ringing, and cowbells are now manufactured and sold specifically as athletic noisemakers. Clanging cowbells rung by many of the State fans is a part of the tradition of MSU football games, despite the Southeastern Conference's banning of "artificial noise-makers."[5]
The school's fight song is "Hail State."[6]
[edit] Hall of Fame
MSU has honored many athletes with induction to its Mississippi State University Sports Hall of Fame.
[edit] See also
- Rick Stansbury - Men's basketball coach
- Sylvester Croom - Football coach
- John Cohen - Baseball Coach
- Egg Bowl
[edit] References
- ^ www.olemisssports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=12840&SPID=739&DB_OEM_ID=2600&ATCLID=777103. Retrieved on 2007-07-11.
- ^ www.mstateathletics.com/index.php?s=&url_channel_id=16&url_subchannel_id=&url_article_id=8333&change_well_id=2. Retrieved on 2007-07-11.
- ^ www.mstateathletics.com/index.php?s=&change_well_id=2&url_article_id=6080#mw. Retrieved on 2007-07-11.
- ^ www.mstateathletics.com/index.php?s=&change_well_id=2&url_article_id=6080#bulldog. Retrieved on 2007-07-11.
- ^ www.mstateathletics.com/index.php?s=&change_well_id=2&url_article_id=6080#cowbell. Retrieved on 2007-07-11.
- ^ www.mstateathletics.com/index.php?s=&change_well_id=2&url_article_id=6080#fight. Retrieved on 2007-07-11.
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