Alabama Football: Cowbells and Coaches in Tide-Bulldogs history

Alabama football and the Mississippi State Bulldogs go back to 1896. The 101 game history makes the Bulldogs the Tide’s most frequent opponent.

Alabama football leads the long series with 81 wins, 17 losses and three ties. The two SEC foes have played every season going back to 1948. The current Alabama football win streak of nine games is far short of the longest run of Crimson Tide dominance.

From 1981 through 1995, the Crimson Tide beat the Bulldogs in 15 straight games. In the Bryant era, from 1958 through 1979, Alabama football won 22 consecutive games. The streak ending loss in 1980 was historic, explained in more detail below.

The most success for the Bulldogs against the Tide has been two three-game win streaks in 1912-1914 and 1996-1998. The Bulldogs actually won four of five games during 1996-1999.

No conversation about Mississippi State football can be complete without mention of the ubiquitous cowbells. Bulldogs fans love them and the fan base of every other school hates them. Mississippi State lore claims the cowbell craze began after a cow wandered onto the football field during a 1930’s game with Ole Miss. The Bulldogs won and the cowbell was embraced as a good luck charm.

The cowbell noise more than annoyed opponents who found it hard to hear because of them. After many years of complaints, the SEC banned the cowbells from games from 1974-2010. The ban limited but did not stop the cowbells.

Since 2011, the cowbells have not been banned but the SEC mandates cowbell noise must cease once the opposing team center places his hands on the ball before a play. Enforcement of the mandate is not absolute.

Coaching Connections

Given the geographical proximity of the two schools, it is not surprising there have been many direct coaching connections. There is one indirect connection that is also noteworthy. The modern wishbone was mostly a creation of Emory Bellard who later became the Mississippi State head coach from 1979-1985. Former Texas head coach, (and also Miss. State head coach from 1954-1955) Darrell Royal learned the wishbone from Bellard. Royal and his staff secretly taught Paul Bryant and his staff the wishbone in 1971.

Other Coaching Connections

• Mississippi State head coaches Paul Davis (1962-1966) and Rocky Felker (1986-1990) were Alabama football assistant coaches in their careers.
• Jackie Sherrill (1991-2003) is the winningest head coach in Mississippi State history. Sherrill played on two Paul Bryant national championship teams at Alabama.
• Sylvester Croom, Mississippi State head coach (2004-2008) was the first African American head football coach in the SEC. Croom won SEC Coach of the Year in 2007 and was fired after the 2008 season to make room for Dan Mullen. Croom as an Alabama football All-American, and an Alabama football assistant coach for nine seasons before moving to the NFL.

Important Games

November 1, 1980 – Jackson, MS; Mississippi State 6 – Alabama 3

Alabama football was riding a 28 game winning streak and trying to win its third straight national championship. The aforementioned Emory Bellard was coaching the Bulldogs and the inventor of the wishbone knew more than how to run it. He knew how to stop it. The Bulldogs held the Tide’s wishbone offense to only 116 yards rushing.

At the Mississippi State three-yard line with 25 seconds left the game, the Tide squandered a game-winning drive when quarterback Don Jacobs fumbled. The Bulldogs fumble recovery marked one of the darkest moments in Alabama football history. To this day, some Tide fans blame cowbell noise for the late fumble.

November 4, 2006 – Tuscaloosa, AL; Mississippi State 24 – Alabama 16

Mississippi State struggled in 2006, winning only three games and only one SEC game. That one win came in Bryant-Denny stadium. Mississippi State head coach Sylvester Croom had been a finalist for the Alabama football head job when Mike Shila was hired. He was bitterly disappointed when his alma mater overlooked him.

The 2006 game featured two teams who were not very good offensively. Most disturbing to many fans in Bryant-Denny stadium that Saturday was the obvious fact that Croom’s Bulldogs physically whipped the Tide. If Mike Shula had any chance of being retained, that chance was lost by his team’s performance against the Bulldogs.

The Current Streak

The current Tide streak of nine wins includes a 0-8 record for Dan Mullen versus Alabama football. For all his acknowledged acumen for developing quarterbacks, Mullen has one of the worst records for opposing coaches facing Alabama football.

Somewhat whimsically we documented those coaches who have most frequently lost to Alabama football. Instead of Greatest Coaches of All-Time (GOATS) we called them the Worst Coaches of All-Time (WOATS), Dan Mullen in our WOAT list.

Mullen is not a ‘worst coach’ by any measurement except his record against Alabama football. Still, at some point, futility against Alabama could become a problem for Mullen.

Next: 30 Greatest Games in Tide Football History

The Mississippi State defense has improved under defensive coordinator, Todd Grantham. Last summer ESPN writer Edward Aschoff described Todd Grantham as having “a chip on his shoulder.” Saturday’s game may well get chippy in Starkville.