Est. 1905
The first intercollegiate athletic contests were in baseball. Baseball had become very popular on campus, and from the nucleus of interested athletes, a team was organized to play match games with neighboring organizations and institutions of higher learning. In the beginning there was some opposition to the introduction of this type of activity on the college campus, but it gradually demonstrated its value, and the trustees and the Baptist Convention gave their approval to the program.
1907
Intercollegiate football was introduced in Mississippi College in 1907. Previously, MC had never participated in intercollegiate football, but this season was one in which marked progress was made “in this popular form of athletics.” The first game was played in 1907 against Chamberlain-Hunt Academy, which ended in a score of 6-0 in MC’s favor. Robertson was the coach, and the names of the players were as follows: Rush, McMorris, Proby, Ashley, Jackson, Buchanan, Gates, St. John, Smith, Milton, Trotter, Field, Pritchard (captain) and Davis (manager).
1908
The next year Mississippi College lost the game played with the University of Mississippi, but no score was given. The sports writer for the L’Allegro said that though MC was on the low end of the score, the game was a real success because its team was so new. This year witnessed the turning point in athletics in Mississippi College, “and from an incidental feature of the college work, it rises to be a permanent, potent influence, dominating the spirit of the college to a degree heretofore unknown."
The next game was with Mississippi A&M College (now Mississippi State), which the MC team lost, 23-0. Dale E. Chadwick was the coach at the time, and once again the game was acclaimed a victory for Mississippi College because it was one of their first efforts, whereas A&M has been participating in intercollegiate football for several years.
Est. 1909
The necessity for regulation of intercollegiate athletic contests led to the trustees’ approving membership in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association (SIAA). The organization provided uniformity of regulation and some protection against professionalism in the athletic program.
1911
By 1911, Mississippi College had fielded intercollegiate teams in football, baseball, basketball, track and golf. The varsity football team boasted a total of 15 players, only one of whom had previous experience. Each of the classes sponsored football teams and from them was picked the varsity squad. Coach Chadwick was the only full-time coach employed by the college.
1914
The fortunes of Mississippi College on the gridiron received great momentum when Dana Xenophon Bible joined the staff as the director of athletics in 1914. Under his tutelage, the team won five of eight games. The students dedicated the 1916 annual to Bible, declaring that “through his wonderful personality and ability has so raised the standard of our department of athletics at home and abroad.” Bible’s success at MC resulted in his being attracted to another institution. He was succeeded by C.R. “Dudy” Noble, who came to Mississippi College from Mississippi State University (Mississippi A&M). In 1917, the team won six out of nine games, with a victory over Mississippi A&M the greatest achievement.
Est. 1918
The involvement of the United States in World War I resulted in the elimination of intercollegiate athletics.
1920
In 1920, the program received a boost in the employment of Stanley L. Robinson as head coach. Robinson came to MC after a successful career as an athlete at Colgate University in New York. He had briefly coached at the University of Vermont and then joined the staff of Mississippi A&M College. It was from this post that a group of students headed by E.D. Kenna persuaded him to consider the appointment as head coach at Mississippi College. In his tenure at MC, Robinson introduced intersectional football and international football as Mississippi College was the first institution in the state to play an institution in a foreign country (University of Mexico, 1929) and second in the nation.
1921
The football team of 1921 was the most successful in Robinson’s career. In that year, MC defeated Tulane 14-0, Louisiana College 68-0, Union University 35-0, Birmingham-Southern 27-6, University of Mississippi 26-7 and Millsaps 56-0. Mississippi College tied the University of Florida 7-7, and their only two losses were to Mississippi A&M (14-13) and Baylor University (26-0). The star of that team was Edwin “Goat” Hale, who was the captain and halfback. His legendary exploits on the gridiron won for him election to the National Football Hall of Fame in 1963. Hale was also elected into the Mississippi Football Hall of Fame in 1961.
1927
The intercollegiate athletic program reached its highest point in 1927-28 when coach George M. Bohler (1924-28) led Mississippi College to an undefeated football record. Only Birmingham-Southern was able to score on MC. In the same year, the basketball team won the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association championship. This team won 24 of 25 games, scoring 1,325 points to just 725 for the opponents. The team included four men who were named to the All-SIAA team. It was also in 1927-28 that Mississippi College fielded a co-educational basketball team, with them winning six of their 10 games.
1942
In February of 1942, the Board of Trustees decided that intercollegiate football and baseball should be discontinued for the duration of World War II. In 1945, MC President, Dr. D.M. Nelson listed two of the most important decisions that affected the college during the war as dealing with athletics. He said that building a grandstand on the athletic field and suspending football for the duration of the war were crucial to the school. One of the first decisions made by the Board of Trustees during peacetime was the reinstate intercollegiate programs, including football.
1961
Coach Stanley L. Robinson retired in 1961 after 36 years of service to Mississippi College. He was elected to the Mississippi Football Hall of Fame. His official coaching record was 124-84-14 from 1920-54 when he gave up coaching to become the athletic director.
1962
In 1962, the University of Mexico flew to Jackson to play Mississippi College in football. MC students elected Miss Janet West of Nashville as the Fiesta Queen to co-reign with Senorita Sales, University of Mexico football queen, as the international game on September 15. Memorial Stadium in Jackson was beautifully decorated with flags and had more than 40,000 spectators. The football team returned the favor in 1963 when they team flew to Mexico City for a game scheduled for November 23, 1963. The assassination of President John F. Kennedy prevented the game. The Mexican government officials admired the president so much that they called the game off out of respect for him.
Est. 1963
Mississippi College officially added men's cross country.
1972
In 1972, Mississippi College became a part of NCAA Division II and was admitted to the Gulf South Conference (GSC). MC planned to compete in football, basketball, baseball, cross country, track and golf. The Choctaws won eight championships in the conference with three in football and track and field and two in men’s basketball.
1973
The MC Sports Hall of Fame was established in 1973 with the charter members being as follows: Coach Stanley L. Robinson, James Corbett Edwards, Hal Burnham Lee, and Harry Francis Craft. Lee was an ex-major league baseball player, while Craft was a former major league manager and player. Edwin “Goat” Hale was inducted into the MC Sports Hall of Fame in 1976. He was the only former player to be inducted into the National Football Hall of Fame. He had been called the “greatest back ever to grace a Mississippi gridiron.”
1974
Mississippi College had excelled in football, basketball and baseball for many years, but until 1972, all of these athletes had been men. Women’s basketball began to gain national attention and the Lady Choctaws advanced to the semi-finals of the Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) National Tournament. In 1974, a team filled with freshmen and sophomores finished second in the nation as they went down to two-time national champion, Immaculata College of Pennsylvania. MC advanced to the NCAA Tournament after winning Region III of AIAW with a 103-100 double-overtime victory over Mercer College. The members of the historic team were Glenda Carpenter, Glenn Schmidt, Freda Craft, Carolyn Rogers, Rita Easterling, Connie Smith, Jan Sojourner, Angelia Ramsey, Sybil May and Jackie Cooper. Ed Nixon was the head coach and the team manager was Jane Cooper. In 12 years of coaching, Nixon recorded 213 wins to just 124 losses.
1975
The MC men’s track and field team won the GSC Championship.
1976
Larry Myricks won the NCAA Championship for the long jump in 1976 and had the second longest jump at the Olympic Trials that year. He advanced to the finals of the event in the Montreal Olympics, but a broken foot held him out of medal contention. In 1978, he was ranked 1st in the world in the long jump after winning another NCAA title, along with U.S. National and World Cup titles. He competed on the 1980, 1984 and 1988 Olympic teams, winning the bronze medal in the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea. Myricks set a career record with a jump of 28’ 8 ¼”. He finished third at the 1987 and 1991 World Championships and competed in the 200m dash at the 1983 World Championships. As a 200m runner, Myricks ranked 5th in the world in 1983. He was inducted into the USA Track & Field Hall of Fame in 2001.
1977
The men’s basketball team went 22-7 and finished the season ranked #8 in the country in 1977-78 on their way to their first GSC championship. That season, Tyler Thompson averaged a double-double to lead the Choctaws. The 1977-78 team is ranked 3rd in school history with a .516 field goal percentage.
The MC men’s track and field team won the GSC Championship.
1979
The football team won their first GSC championship in 1979 and advanced to the semi-finals of the NCAA Division II Tournament.
The MC men’s track and field team won the GSC Championship.
1982
Mississippi College officially added women's cross country to their athletic program in 1982. The Lady Choctaws finished 4th in the 1982 and the 1983 Gulf South Conference Championships.
1985
In the fall of 1985, Mississippi College added softball and women’s tennis to their department. That was quickly followed by the addition of volleyball in 1986.
1989
MC shared the GSC championship in 1988, but in 1989 the Choctaws advanced all the way to the Division II National Championship Game.
1990
Head Coach John M. Williams closed out his 19-year coaching career with a GSC Championship in 1990, also advancing to the semi-finals of the NCAA Tournament. To this day, coach Williams is tied with coach Stanley L. Robinson for the most wins in MC history with 124. Head coach Terry McMillan took over in 1991 and led the Choctaws to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division II Tournament.
In 1990, standout running back Fred McAfee closed out his career with 1,205 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns. He is still the career-leader at MC with 811 rushing attempts for 4,416 yards and 38 touchdowns. McAfee was drafted in the 6th round of the 1991 NFL Draft by the New Orleans Saints and led the team in rushing as a rookie. He was a Pro Bowl selection in 2002 and was a voted a Football Digest Second Team All-Pro.
1994
MC won their second GSC championship in 1994, ending the season with a 21-10 record. Corey Speech led the team with 19.1 points per game and MC scored 2,463 points, which is the 4th most in school history. Both teams advanced to the NCAA Division II Regional Tournaments, but the highest ranking for the men’s basketball team during those seasons came in 1989-90 when they reached #4.
1995
Following the 1995-96 season, the Mississippi College administration felt that it was in the best interest of the school to make the move to become an NCAA Division III school. The Choctaws were one of the eight charter members of the American Southwest Conference, based out of Richardson, Texas. The Choctaws rank third in the league with 30 conference titles led by men’s and women’s cross country with eight each. MC won their first ASC titles in 1997 when men’s and women’s cross country and football finished at the top of the league. Mississippi College added men’s and women’s soccer to their department in 1997.
The Choctaws own more East Division championships than anyone in the league with 31. Men’s basketball leads the way with nine championships, including winning five in-a-row from 2004-08 and winning nine of 10 from 1999-2008. The Choctaws also won six conference championship tournaments and advanced to the “Sweet 16” of the Division III Tournament in four seasons. The 2005-06 season saw the Choctaws set a school record with 29 wins and just two losses. MC led all of Division III in points allowed in 2006-07, only giving up 57.0 points per game on the season.
The football and men’s tennis team each have two ASC Championships, while baseball, men’s soccer, women’s basketball and women’s tennis each have a title. The football team won their second championship in 2009 when they Choctaws went to the Division III playoffs for the first time in school history. The baseball team came within one game of the Division III World Series in 2010, including setting a school record with 39 wins and just 11 losses. The 2012-13 season has seen the Choctaws win conference championships in women’s cross country and men’s soccer. The men’s soccer team advanced to the second round of the NCAA Division III Tournament. Women's cross country has now won nine ASC Championships, more than the rest of the conference, combined.
