Enrollment:Mississippi State University has an enrollment of more than 17,000 on its main campus in Starkville with an undergraduate enrollment of about 13,500.
History:The university was founded on Feb. 28, 1878, as The Agricultural and Mechanical College of the State of Mississippi, one of the national Land-Grand Colleges established after Congress passed the Morrill Act of 1862, according to Leanne Thornton, graduate assistant at the MSU Welcome Center. The first session of school began in the fall of 1880. In 1932, Mississippi legislature renamed the college Mississippi State College, and in 1958, the university took on the name it has today.
Setting:Starkville is a small college town. The university is located in the eastern part of north-central Mississippi, about 125 miles northeast of Jackson and 23 miles west of Columbus. Currently, the campus encompasses about 4,200 acres.
Athletics:Mississippi State football began in 1885. The Bulldogs’ sole Southeastern Conference championship came back in 1941, according to Jay Middleton, assistant director of athletic media relations.
Traditions:The most notable tradition for the Bulldogs is the presence of cowbells at home football games. The tradition began back in the 1940s when MSU was playing rival Ole Miss and the Bulldogs were down at halftime.
During halftime, a cow came onto the field from the barn that was located next door to the stadium.
“Once the cow wandered on the field, we started scoring and won the game,” Thornton said. “For years, they would bring the cow onto the field as a good luck token, but he created a big mess, so we went to just the cowbell.”In the 1970s, a few professors added a bicycle handle to the bell to make it easier to ring, and that caught on to the tradition it is now.
Stadium:Mississippi State’s home stadium, Davis Wade Stadium, is the second oldest in Division I football behind Georgia Tech, as it was built in 1914, according to Middleton. It holds 55,802 people, and its latest addition was the east side upper deck in 2000. The stadium is also home to the second largest high definition video board in college football. It was added to the south end zone at the end of last season.
Tailgating:Middleton said a new tradition of tailgating began around 2006 for the students at Mississippi State. A large tailgating space, known as “The Junction,” was made in front of the stadium for students to tailgate. The space got its name because the spot was where a railroad used to go through campus, and because, before the space was put in, a five road intersection called “Malfunction Junction” was in the spot.”It’s a pretty student-heavy tailgating area,” Middleton said. “On Friday before the games, students start to line up around 11 a.m. or noon to be let in starting at 5 p.m. to put tents up.”
Sights:On Friday night, Mississippi State will host its annual Bulldog Bash, the largest outdoor concert in Mississippi, according to Thornton. She said Third Eye Blind will play at the concert, which is held in downtown Starkville. The bash had an estimated 40,000 people attend last year, Thornton said.
Food:The Cotton District, which is right off campus on Main Street, is a local hot spot for foods, akin to the Northgate area off LSU’s campus. Thornton said it has a variety of local restaurants. She also said downtown Starkville, a little further down Main Street, has more local restaurants, including Mugshots Bar and Grill, which Thornton said has the best hamburgers in town.
Alcohol:Middleton said alcohol laws on campus are not very strict.
“As long as people are cognizant of their behavior and keeping it under control, [the police] are pretty lax, from what I understand,” Middleton said.