The Mississippi College Athletics Department had photos taken on Tuesday, July 26, 2022, in the A.E. Wood Coliseum on the school’s campus in Clinton, Miss.

John Bland

JOHN BLAND SEASON-BY-SEASON RECORDS

RECRUITING AREA: Arkansas, Hinds Community College

On January 2, 2014, John Bland was announced as the 15th head football coach in Mississippi College history.
 
The 2018 season saw the Choctaws get off to a fast start with a pair of wins over Clark Atlanta and Southwest Baptist. The season-opening win over the Panthers saw Elijah Rogers pick off a pass in the final minutes to seal a 31-30 victory. MC thoroughly dominated SBU to the tune of a 34-9 victory. The Choctaws then went into the teeth of a tough Gulf South Conference schedule and came away with a 37-24 victory over Shorter to wrap up the year at 3-7. The offense saw an uptick in 2018, improving their scoring (25.1 ppg) by over 10 points and total yardage (363.9 ypg) by nearly 100 yards. Quarterback Detric Hawthorn was a First Team All-GSC selection, while offensive lineman Cordell Birge and running back Tiberias Lampkin earned Second Team honors. Senior Lawrence Guyot became the 5th player in school history to earn CoSIDA Academic All-American honors.

In 2017, the Choctaws dropped their season-opener in heart-breaking fashion, falling in overtime to Clark Atlanta, 32-29. MC would come back at the end of the year and grab a heart-stopping victory with a 30-29 win over Shorter on "Senior Day". Senior Greg Nickles hit a field goal as time expired to give MC the triumph. Freshman Darius Young earned All-GSC and All-Region honors for his efforts as a kick returner, setting a school record with 194 return yards against rival Delta State.

The 2016 Choctaws opened the season with a 28-16 win over Point University and improved to 2-2 with a last-second, 27-26 victory over Cumberland (TN) on September 24th. MC also collected their first Gulf South Conference victory since 1995 in a 32-0 shutout against Shorter. Senior wide receiver Marcel Newson was named an AFCA All-American and also earned All-GSC honors as a receiver and kick returner.

In 2015, the Choctaws took a big step forward, dropping their scoring differential from 27 points in 2014 to just seven points in 2015. MC opened the season with a 61-6 victory over Texas College and moved to 2-1 with a 42-21 victory over cross-town rival Belhaven on September 19th. Seven Choctaws earned All-NCCAA honors, led by wide receiver Marcel Newson, who was a finalist for the C Spire Conerly Trophy, recognizing the top four-year college football player in the State of Mississippi.

In his first season at MC in 2014, he led the Choctaws in their first season back in NCAA Division II and the Gulf South Conference. Five Choctaws were named to the National Christian College Athletic Association All-American list. The team rushed for 1,719 yards and 14 touchdowns in their first year running an option attack.

Bland came to Mississippi College after an eight-year career at the University of the Cumberlands in Williamsburg, Ky.  There, he went 70-21 with five Mid-South Conference championships ('07, '08, '09, '10, '13).  He was also named MSC Coach of the Year five times, while having 103 players earn all-conference selections in his tenure.

In 2013, the Patriots went 13-1 and advanced to the NAIA national championship game after being ranked #1 in the country for the final two weeks of the season.  Cumberlands spent most of the season ranked as the #1 or #2 team in all of NAIA.  The Patriots had one of the top offenses in the nation, leading all of NAIA in rushing offense (4,978 yards), rushing offense per game (355.6 ypg) and scoring (616 points).  Cumberlands also led the nation in third-down conversion percentage (53.2%).

Prior to his time at Cumberlands, Bland spent five seasons as the quarterbacks coach at Rice University in Houston, Texas.  In 2001, the Owls went 8-4, gaining the most wins at the school since the 1953 season.  Rice ranked sixth in the nation in rushing in 2002, second in 2003 and led the country in 2004.  The Owls' quarterbacks accounted for one-third of the team's rushing totals during that time and in 2003, his signal-caller was the first in school history to rush and pass for 2,000 yards in a career.

Before his five seasons at Rice, Bland coached at Division II Southern Arkansas University for seven years.  He was an assistant coach from 1994-99 and was promoted to the head coach for the 2000 season.  While with the Muleriders, the offense broke several school and conference records and led the Gulf South Conference in scoring in 1998 and 1999.  In 1997, SAU won the GSC and were ranked 10th in the country.

Prior to his time at Southern Arkansas, Bland served as an assistant coach at Central High School in Columbia, Tenn.  He was a graduate assistant under Pat Dye at Aubrn University and served as a student assistant at the University of Arkansas following his playing career.

Bland was a four-year letterman at the University of Arkansas as a quarterback.  While in Fayetteville, the Razorbacks went to four straight bowl games, making appearances in the Holiday, Liberty, Orange and Cotton Bowls.  He as named a permanent captain for the 1988 Southwest Conference Champions that compete in the Cotton Bowl.

Coach Bland holds a master's degree in Kinesiology from Auburn University and a bachelor's degree, also in Kinesiology, from the University of Arkansas. Originally from Knoxville, Tennessee, Bland is a graduate of Farragut High School where he was an All-State recipient playing at the quarterback and defensive back positions.

Coach Bland and his wife, Candis, have three children, Shreve, Jade, and Bo.