The Mississippi College Choctaws football team represented

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

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

rivals A rivalry is the state of two people or Social group, 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 ...

are

Millsaps College Millsaps College is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, 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 nearby Jackson and

Delta State Delta is a States of Nigeria, state in the South South (Nigeria), South-South geopolitical zone of Nigeria. Named after the Niger Delta—a large part of which is in the state—the state was formed from the former Bendel State, on 27 August 1 ...

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. On November 18, 2024, the school announced the discontinuation of the football program with the conclusion of the 2024 season.

History

The first year of the team was in 1907. The 1921 team was led by College Football Hall of Fame inductee 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, were vacated by the NCAA Committee on Infractions for recruiting violations. On November 18, 2024, the Mississippi College Board of Trustees renamed the college as Mississippi Christian University, and approved dissolving the football program following the 2024 season.

Facilities

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

Clinton, Mississippi Clinton is a List of cities in Mississippi, city in Hinds County, Mississippi, United States. Situated in the Jackson, Mississippi metropolitan area, Jackson metropolitan area, it is the List of municipalities in Mississippi, 10th most populous c ...

, 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, 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 Tourist attraction, attraction devoted to college football, college American football. The National Football Foundation (NFF) founded the Hall in 1951 to immortalize the players ...

. 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.

Postseason appearances

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

appearance Appearance may refer to: * Visual appearance, the way in which objects reflect and transmit light * Human physical appearance, what someone looks like * ''Appearances'' (film), a 1921 film directed by Donald Crisp * Appearance (philosophy), or ...

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 American football teams disestablished in 2024 1907 establishments in Mississippi 2024 disestablishments in Mississippi