The Mississippi College Choctaws football team represents

Mississippi College Mississippi College (MC) is a private Baptist university in Clinton, Mississippi. Founded in 1826, MC is the second-oldest Baptist-affiliated college or university in the United States and the oldest college or university in Mississippi. Histor ...

. The school's teams are known as the Choctaws. Its major

rivals A rivalry is the state of two people or groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each participant o ...

are

Millsaps College Millsaps College is a private liberal arts college in Jackson, Mississippi. It was founded in 1890 and is affiliated with the United Methodist Church. History The college was founded in 1889–90 by a Confederate veteran, Major Reuben Webster M ...

in nearby Jackson and Delta State in Cleveland, Mississippi in the Delta. After a more than 40-year hiatus, MC and Millsaps teams began meeting on the football field again in 2000. The rivalry is dubbed the Backyard Brawl.

History

The first year of the team was in 1907. The 1921 team was led by Hall of Famer Edwin "Goat" Hale. The team won the Division II National Championship in 1989, however, Mississippi College's football tournament participation, along with its

NCAA Division II national football championship The NCAA Division II Football Championship is an American college football tournament played annually to determine a champion at the NCAA Division II level. It was first held in 1973, as a single-elimination tournament with eight teams. The tourna ...

, were vacated by the NCAA Committee on Infractions for recruiting violations.

Facilities

Robinson-Hale Stadium, a 8,500-capacity stadium located in

Clinton, Mississippi Clinton is a city in Hinds County, Mississippi, United States. Situated in the Jackson metropolitan area, it is the tenth largest city in Mississippi. The population was 28,100 at the 2020 United States census. History Founded in 1823, Clinto ...

, is home to the Mississippi College Choctaws football team. The stadium was built in 1985 and named after two significant contributors to the program, Stanley L. Robinson, who coached the team from 1920 to 1923 and again from 1928 to 1953, and

Edwin Hale Edwin Whitfield "Goat" Hale (January 29, 1896 – March 25, 1983) was an American football player for the Mississippi College Collegians who was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame. After playing, he served many years as a coach. Earl ...

, who played for the Choctaws between 1915 and 1921 and was later inducted into the

College Football Hall of Fame The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and interactive attraction devoted to college football. The National Football Foundation (NFF) founded the Hall in 1951 to immortalize the players and coaches of college football that were vote ...

. The first game at the stadium was played October 12, 1985. The Choctaws defeated Jacksonville State, 50–3. Prior to the 2005 season, the stadium saw major renovations that included the installation of a state-of-the art synthetic playing surface. A

running track An all-weather running track is a rubberized, artificial running surface for track and field athletics. It provides a consistent surface for competitors to test their athletic ability unencumbered by adverse weather conditions. Historically, v ...

, the James E. Parkman Track, was added in 2006. In 2011, the entrance got renovated with a new "Circle of Champions" entrance. The turf at the stadium was upgraded in 2015.

Playoffs

NCAA Division II

The Choctaws have four appearances in the NCAA Division II football playoffs, with a combined record of 4-4. This total does not include a vacated national championship in 1989, which included one additional appearance and a 4-0 record.

NCAA Division III

The Choctaws made one appearances in the NCAA Division III football playoffs, with a combined record of 1-1.

Program achievements

References

External links

* {{Gulf South Conference football navbox American football teams established in 1907 1907 establishments in Mississippi