Maroon and White Nation
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Mississippi State football: the history of Davis Wade Stadium

By Josh Barnhill

Nov 14, 2015; Starkville, MS, USA; A general view of Davis Wade Stadium during a game between the Mississippi State Bulldogs and Alabama Crimson Tide game. The Crimson Tide defeated the Bulldogs 31-6. Mandatory Credit: Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 14, 2015; Starkville, MS, USA; A general view of Davis Wade Stadium during a game between the Mississippi State Bulldogs and Alabama Crimson Tide game. The Crimson Tide defeated the Bulldogs 31-6. Mandatory Credit: Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports /
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Nov 28, 2015; Starkville, MS, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs mascot Bully greets fans in the Junction before the game against the Mississippi Rebels at Davis Wade Stadium. Mississippi won 38-27. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 28, 2015; Starkville, MS, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs mascot Bully greets fans in the Junction before the game against the Mississippi Rebels at Davis Wade Stadium. Mississippi won 38-27. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports /

1936-1947

This era featured concrete stands on the West side and steel bleachers on the East side for a total capacity of 20,000. This time is often referred to as the ‘golden years’ of MSU football (or Mississippi State College as it was known at the time).

Aerial view of the stadium at this time

The inaugural year of the newly expanded Scott Field was a tremendously successful one.  Scott Field played was host to a 26-6 win over Mississippi to end a 10-game winless streak vs. the (newly named) Rebels. A 7-2-1 record led the Maroons to their first bowl invitation: the Orange Bowl (loss to Dequesne 13-12).

Ralph Sasse was head football coach from 1935-1937.

The Maroons opened this new era 13-0 in home games at Scott Field. The first loss came to Centenary (LA) in 1938.

In 1939, Allyn McKeen took over as head coach. He is without a doubt Mississippi State’s most successful coach in football history going 65-19-3 (.764).

Not too many big games were played at home in McKeen’s first two years, but when he got his first chance at a ranked team at home he beat #11 Ole Miss 19-0 in 1940. That team still holds the only undefeated season in school history as they finished 10-0-1 with an Orange Bowl victory over #9 Georgetown. Tennessee finished the year undefeated and untied for the SEC crown. State was one of just five undefeated teams in the country, however, we finished 9th in the final AP poll.

1941 is considered by many to be Mississippi State’s best season. Perhaps adding to the justification of a national championship banner, the Maroons only played three home games that year – and only one of them was a SEC game (Florida). State beat Alabama 14-0 on the road, however, the Tide claim a national title. Our team was 8-1-1 but unable to travel to a bowl game due to the travel conditions after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, thus Alabama was able to play Texas A&M in the Cotton Bowl despite Mississippi State’s SEC championship that year.

Close up view of the stadium just prior to a game.

The next few years were really good, however, they did not feature many big games at Scott Field. In fact, only four SEC games were played in Starkville despite playing in 25 conference games during this span. And three of those four home SEC games were against Ole Miss.

  • 1942: 8-2
  • 1944: 6-2
  • 1945: 6-3
  • 1946: 8-2
  • 1947: 7-3

*no games were played in 1943 due to World War II.

These “golden years” under Allen McKeen were exceptional. A 61-15-2 record from 1939-1947. The program won six games vs. ranked opponents during this time, and was ranked in the top 20 in six of the eight years, but only 1940’s win over #11 Ole Miss occurred at Scott Field. It’s a shame that the student body and fans alike were unable to see such great Mississippi State teams play on their home field in the biggest games.

Next: 1948-1985

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