The more you know.

     I will be continuing on with the history and traditions of Mississippi State University, this week's blog will cover "rivalries" I was totally unaware of. Of course, when I came to State I was well aware of my new found hatred of Ole Miss. In my defense, I never liked Ole Miss, even as an Auburn fan. When I was about ten or so, I went to an Auburn vs. Ole Miss game and needless to say their fans are not very nice. I am sure that like any sports team some fans just make all of them look tacky collectively, but these people were awful. I was sloshed with beer, sworn at, and just plain offended by these, grown adults. Have some class Ole Miss. Anyway, when I ventured out to Mississippi I was told I needed to learn to hate Ole Miss, as much as I hate the University of Alabama. I am not sure if I'll ever hate anything as much as I hate "Bamers"...but I'm trying. Since everyone knows about the "battle of the golden egg" I will move on to the rivalries I did not know existed.

     Apparently, Mississippi State and Alabama are rivals. I had no idea, being from Alabama myself, and being around the biggest rivalry in college football I didn't know Alabama had a rivalry with anyone, but Auburn and Tennessee. To my discovery I get to have yet another reason to hate on Bama, and love a cow college.The battle for highway 82, seems absurd, why would you ever want highway 82 it's boring and the worst part of my drive home to Montgomery. Keep 82 Bama, I don't like it anyway. Of course, sadly, the wins/losses records between us are not great, but that won't keep us down. We are winning when it comes to number of fans that actually went to this school, or have ever even been to Starkville, or its campus. So there Alabama, you might win the game, but your fans are strictly bandwagon, also they are rednecks. 

     The next rivalry I had no idea that we are supposed to be rivals with the University of Kentucky. As far as basketball goes, us Mississippi State fans are rivals of everybody, because we are good. Aside from a basketball rivalry with Kentucky, apparently there is a football rivalry too. This rivalry is one I'm not really on board with. Of course I will pull for my school, but as far as any dislike I cannot dislike them. My mother's entire family are all from Kentucky, and are huge fans. If I would still like to be cool with my great-grandparents I better show up in my UK sweatshirt at Christmas. It is humorous to me that all of my family in Kentucky thinks that I go to Ole Miss. My cousins and extended family continue to ask me every time I see them how life in Oxford is, and I always answer,
      "I don't know, I've never been there." Since, my family doesn't even know that there is more than one school in Mississippi, I would hardly consider this Kentucky thing a rivalry. 

     The final listed rivalry is with Texas A&M. I actually had heard that us State people were rivals with Texas A&M. This year State will be playing them in the "Snow Bowl" or that's what I hear it's called. I do consider this rivalry to actually make sense, because the school are both agricultural & engineering. We also share the same colors, once had the same mascot, and both had Jackie Sherrill as head football coach. In my opinion, we are more like siblings than rivals, we share everything, but we don't like it...or at least that's what I hear. 

     

   

Enjoy.

After my wordy lengthy posts about the traditions of Mississippi State, I will be taking this week to give you guys something you can actually enjoy.

Also an update on this week in Mississippi State sports, we are undefeated. Just in case you haven't turned on ESPN all weekend.

Go dawgs.

     Yesterday, during the Mississippi State vs. Auburn football game. I found my myself wondering why State chose "Bully" the English bulldog as the mascot. Of course, many people know that Mississippi State University was not always known as the bulldogs. Before changing its mascot to the brown and white English bulldog during the early years of Mississippi A&M College the mascot was the "Aggies." In 1932, Mississippi A&M College changed its name to Mississippi State College and adopted the mascot the "Maroons," which thankfully did not stick around for too terribly long. Finally, in 1961 the English bulldog mascot was adopted for all Mississippi State University athletics. The nickname of bulldogs actually dates back to 1905 for Miss. State. November 30, 1905 the State football team beat Ole Miss 11-0 in a major victory for the team that year. The university reflector wrote an article that read:

"After the game, filled with that emotion that accompanies every great victory, there was nothing left for the cadets to do but to complete the great victory by showing sympathy for the dead athletic spirit of the University, by having a military funeral parade. A coffin was secured, decorated with University colors and a bulldog pup placed on top. It was then placed on the shoulders of a dozen cadets, and the procession started down Capitol Street, preceded by the brass band playing a very pathetic funeral march."

     Soon after this, Mississippi State was commonly referred to as "bulldog" even though it was not the actual mascot of the school. In 1935, the bulldog did become the official mascot for games. Coach Ralph Sasse went to Memphis to get a bulldog puppy for his team, Ptolemy. Later, Ptolemy's litter mate was selected to be "Bully" and he was killed by a campus bus in 1939. Following Bully I's death he was placed in a glass coffin on campus. The band performed a funeral precession, and he was buried under the bench of the fifty yard line. The following "Bully's" are buried by dorms, fraternity houses, and the football stadium. Bully's used to live on campus in frat houses and in the vet school. Sadly, a few Bully's were kidnapped by other rivalry teams. Ole Miss shockingly being amongst the most popular thieves. The current bulldog, "Champ" aka Bully 20, is the son of "TaTonka Gold" aka Bully 19. Champ took over his reigns as the mascot in 2009 when "TaTonka Gold" was getting a little old. Tonka died on June 11, 2011. As students we truly honor and love our bulldog mascot. He is the pinnacle of tradition  for our university. Go DAWGS. 

Ring my bell.

     Last week I discussed something about Mississippi State University that is an outrage, but this week I would like to write about something wonderful about my university, the traditions. There is a crisp feeling in the Starkville that started floating in on Saturday...football season. With a season opening win under our belts, from now until December in this town there will be cowbells ringing, and the stadium singing. I have been to numerous collegiate campuses, larger and smaller than MSU's, but there are not many places quite as atheistically impressive as fall in Starkville. Some of the traditions that us State students very seriously are cowbells and football season.
     The tradition of the loudly ringing cowbell made its way to State during university's very successful football years in the 1930s and 40s, appropriately called the "golden age." Legend has it that a Jersey cow walked onto the field during a football game, so cattle and the bell became a trademark for good luck. By the time the 1950s rolled around the cowbell had become pretty common at Mississippi State sporting events. In 1974, the cowbell and other artificial noise makers were banned from the Southeastern Conference, not to say rules weren't broken. In 2010, the probationary period for the cowbell's official comeback at home football games was introduced. There are bell rules that supposed to be followed, but most students and fans consider those "guidelines" about as seriously as the campus speed limit. Another tradition associated with the cowbell  is for students to never buy a cowbell for yourself, a cowbell is always a gift. The traditions of the cowbell may seem silly to some, but the Mississippi State family will be ringing loudly and proudly for many years to come. Hail State, and ring responsibly.

For more information on Mississippi State University traditions...
http://www.alumni.msstate.edu/s/811/index.aspx?sid=811&gid=1&pgid=761