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The Mississippi College Choctaws football team represented Mississippi College. The school's teams are known as the Choctaws. Its major rivals are Millsaps College 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. On November 18, 2024 the school announced it would be discontinuing the football program with the conclusion of the 2024 season.[2]
| Mississippi College Choctaws football | |
|---|---|
| First season | 1907 |
| Last season | 2024 |
| Head coach | Mike Kershaw 1st season, 2–8 (.200) |
| Stadium | Robinson-Hale Stadium |
| Location | Clinton, Mississippi |
| NCAA division | Division II |
| Conference | Gulf South Conference |
| Past conferences | Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association |
| All-time record | 510–472–37 (.519) |
| Conference titles | 5 |
| Colors | Blue and gold[1] |
| Website | GoChoctaws |
The first year of the team was in 1907.[3][4] The 1921 team was led by College Football Hall of Fame inductee Edwin "Goat" Hale.[5]
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.[6]
Robinson-Hale Stadium, a 8,500-capacity stadium located in Clinton, Mississippi, is home to the Mississippi College Choctaws football team.[7][8]
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.[9][10][11] The first game at the stadium was played October 12, 1985. The Choctaws defeated Jacksonville State, 50–3.[12][13]
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, the James E. Parkman Track, was added in 2006.[14] In 2011, the entrance got renovated with a new "Circle of Champions" entrance.[15] The turf at the stadium was upgraded in 2015.[16][17]
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.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | First Round Semifinals |
North Dakota Delaware |
W, 35–15 L, 10–60 |
| 1988 | First Round | Texas A&I | L, 15–39 |
| 1989 | First Round Quarterfinals Semifinals National Championship |
Texas A&I St. Cloud State Indiana (PA) Jacksonville State |
W, 34–19 W, 55–24 W, 26–4 W, 3–0 |
| 1990 | First Round Quarterfinals Semifinals |
Wofford Jacksonville State Indiana (PA) |
W, 70–19 W, 14–7 L, 8–27 |
| 1991 | First Round Quarterfinals |
Wofford Jacksonville State |
W, 28–15 L, 7–35 |
NCAA Division III
The Choctaws made one appearances in the NCAA Division III football playoffs, with a combined record of 1-1.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | First Round Second Round | Huntingdon Wesley | W, 56–35 L, 9–43 |
| Gulf South Conference Champions | 1979, 1988, 1990 |
| American Southwest Conference Champions | 1997, 2009 |
| NCAA Division II Team Playoff Participants | 1979, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991 |
| NCAA Division II Regional Championships | 1989, 1990 |
| NCAA Division II National Championships | 1989 |
| NCAA Division III Team Playoff Participants | 2009 |
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