Millsaps Majors The Millsaps Majors is the nickname for the sports teams of Millsaps College in Jackson , Mississippi and their colors are purple and white . They participate in the NCAA ' s Division III and the Southern Athletic Association . Football . Millsaps ' s all time record in football is 380 wins , 356 loses and 36 ties ( . 516 ) . The gridiron Majors have posted two undefeated regular seasons in their history ( 1980 & 2008 ) , earned three NCAA playoff tournament berths ( 1975 , 2006 & 2008 ) and claimed six Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference championships ( 1991 , 1996 , 2006 , 2007 , 2008 & 2009 ) . Prior to 1964 . Millsaps fielded its first intercollegiate football team in 1920 . From 1920 to 1963 the Majors accumulated a 131 - 174 - 30 record over 40 seasons ( no team was fielded in 1942 , 1943 or 1945 ) . Between 1920 and 1959 the Majors met their rival Mississippi College Choctaws in 39 games , constituting the historic Backyard Brawl rivalry between the two schools . During that time the Choctaws claimed a 24 - 9 - 6 lead in the series , which was discontinued after 1959 . The Harper Davis Era ( 1964 - 1988 ) . In 1964 , Harper Davis took over as the Majors ' head coach . A Clarksdale , Mississippi native , Davis had been a four - time All - SEC selection as a Defensive Back at Mississippi State from 1945 to 1948 who went on to a brief professional career . Davis ' s tenure at Millsaps got off to an inauspicious start : The Majors finished 0 - 8 in 1964 , followed by losing seasons in two of the next three years . From there , however , Davis elevated the program to one of the most competitive in the South among the small college ranks , with 19 winning seasons between 1968 and 1988 . In 1975 , Davis guided the team to its first - ever berth in the Division III playoffs where the Majors lost to eventual national champion Wittenberg in the semifinal round to finish the year with a 9 - 2 record . Five years later , in 1980 , the Majors completed their first and only undefeated season to date . With Davis at the helm , the team went 9 - 0 , racking up 350 points ( 38 . 9 / game ) while allowing opponents just 31 ( 3 . 4 / game ) , recorded five shutouts and won four games by more than 50 points each , including setting the school record for points in a game in an 84 - 0 drubbing of Landmark Baptist College . The highlight of the season was an 8 - 7 victory over Central Florida ' s up - and - coming football program , played before 12 , 793 fans at the Tangerine Bowl in Orlando . It was Central Florida who returned to Jackson the following season and snapped the Majors 13 - game winning streak dating back to the final contest of the 1979 season , 13 - 6 . Davis retired after the 1988 season , having guided the Majors to a 140 - 78 - 4 record ( . 631 ) during his 25 year - tenure . All of the Majors ' previous coaches had accumulated just 131 victories in 40 seasons . After Davis ( 1989 - 2005 ) . After Davis stepped down , his longtime assistant , Tommy Ranager , was named to lead the football program . The 1989 season marked the first time the Majors played as a conference affiliate and not an independent team , having joined the expanding Collegiate Athletic Conference . In 1991 , Ranager ' s Majors finished the year 7 - 2 , including a 3 - 1 conference mark that earned Millsaps a share of the first conference championship of the newly restructured and renamed Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference and Ranager conference " Coach of the Year " honors . In 1994 , however , Ranager ' s Majors finished 4 - 6 ( 2 - 2 SCAC ) , marking the team ' s first losing season since 1977 , and followed that with a 2 - 7 ( 0 - 4 SCAC ) campaign in 1995 , prompting the program to seek new direction . Ron Jurney , who succeeded Ranager , guided the Majors to an 8 - 2 ( 4 - 1 ) finish and a share of the program ' s second SCAC championship in his first season in 1996 , earning him conference " Coach of the Year " honors . The Majors snapped Trinity ' s streak of 12 consecutive victories by a 13 - 10 margin in the season finale in Jackson to share the SCAC title with the Tigers . However , Jurney ' s teams over the next three seasons never won more than three games in a season , accumulating a combined record of 8 - 22 ( 2 - 15 SCAC ) , resulting in Jurney being relieved of his post after the 1999 campaign . Former Mississippi State head coach Bob Tyler , who guided the Bulldogs to several successful seasons during the 1970s , was hired to replace Jurney . Under Tyler , Millsaps and Mississippi College renewed their historic Backyard Brawl rivalry in 2000 . The much anticipated game was played at Memorial Stadium in Jackson before more than 10 , 000 fans , with the Majors kicking the winning field goal with 16 seconds left for a 20 - 19 victory . Since the series was renewed , the Majors and the Choctaws have faced off in the opening week of every season except 2005 , when the teams did not meet . Tyler led the team to a . 500 record in 2000 ( 5 - 5 , 2 - 4 SCAC ) and a winning season in 2001 ( 6 - 4 , 3 - 3 SCAC ) , however , when the Majors finished the 2002 season with five consecutive loses , all against conference opponents , resulting in a disappointing 3 - 6 ( 1 - 5 SCAC ) record , the program again opted to make a change . In 2003 , Millsaps hired David Saunders to fill Tyler ' s vacated post , making him the program ' s fourth coach in the fourteen seasons since Harper Davis ' s retirement . Saunders had previously been the Recruiting Coordinator on David Cutcliffe ' s staff at Ole Miss . After three unsuccessful seasons resulting in a combined 7 - 21 record ( 5 - 13 SCAC ) , Saunders returned to the Rebels to join Ed Orgeron ' s staff . Resurgence Under DuBose ( 2006 - 2009 ) . After just one season at Millsaps , Defensive Coordinator Mike DuBose was promoted to Head Coach to replace Saunders in 2006 . DuBose had previously been the Head Coach of Alabama ' s football team from 1997 to 2000 , leading the Crimson Tide to an SEC championship in 1999 . DuBose brought a bright football mind and a new - found confidence and enthusiasm to the program that produced results few could ' ve foreseen . 2006 . DuBose ' s first season got off to a rocky start . The Majors were hammered 52 - 28 by Mississippi College in the season - opening Backyard Brawl game , which returned after a one year hiatus in 2005 . The Majors then lost their next two games in heartbreaking fashion , by a combined total of four points . However , DuBose ' s team managed an incredible turn - around that shocked the SCAC , when the team went on to win their next six games to set up a showdown with perennial SCAC juggernaut Trinity in the season finale . Each team entered the contest at 5 - 0 in conference play , meaning the winner would receive the SCAC ' s automatic playoff bid and claim the SCAC title outright . Trinity , ranked 21st nationally , was heavily favored to end the Majors ' incredible run ; the Tigers had won or shared 13 consecutive SCAC championships dating back to 1993 ( Millsaps and Trinity shared the title in 1996 ) and were winners of five straight contests against the Majors , including a 41 - 0 blowout the previous year in San Antonio . However , the Majors stunned the Tigers 34 - 12 , emerging victorious behind a three touchdown - performance from senior wide receiver Chris Jackson , who returned two punts for scores and caught another . The win gave Millsaps a 6 - 0 final record in conference play ( 7 - 3 overall ) , earning the Majors their third SCAC title ( their first won outright ) and the league ' s automatic playoff bid for the first time . The tournament appearance was just the second in the program ' s history , the first since 1975 . DuBose was named the SCAC ' s 2006 " Coach of the Year " for engineering the Majors ' remarkable turn - around . Sophomore quarterback Juan Joseph was named the league ' s " Offensive Player of the Year " and Chris Jackson was honored as the league ' s " Special Teams Player of the Year " and named a first team All - American for his role as the team ' s return specialist . In all , 20 Majors were named to the All - SCAC first team , second team and honorable mention lists . 2007 . Having established themselves as a force to be reckoned with in the SCAC , DuBose and the 2007 Majors , led by a large group of seniors and returning starters , set their goals high , aiming to repeat as SCAC champions and gain another playoff berth . The season began on a sour note , however , when Millsaps suffered a disappointing loss at the hands of Mississippi College in the Backyard Brawl . Millsaps , having led comfortably for most of the game , took a 26 - 6 advantage into the fourth quarter . However , as the Majors were resting their starters and putting less experienced players into the game , the Choctaws began to find a rhythm . DuBose never returned his starters to the game as his team ' s lead began to dwindle and Mississippi College roared back with three touchdowns in the final quarter to claim a 27 - 26 victory . The Majors managed to rebound from the season - opening loss , though , and by winning their next six games ( by an average margin of over 31 points ; none smaller than 18 ) set up another home showdown with Trinity that was , like the previous year ' s contest , essentially a conference championship game . The events that unfolded that day at Harper Davis Field are now forever etched in football lore , with Trinity claiming a come - from - behind victory on arguably the single greatest play in the history of the sport as time expired . The Majors went on to route their two remaining opponents to earn a share of the SCAC title , but Trinity received the conference ' s lone automatic playoff bid . Had the Majors won against Mississippi College , a 9 - 1 record may have been enough to earn them the first at - large playoff bid ever awarded to a SCAC team , but at 8 - 2 the team was passed over by the NCAA selection committee . As in 2006 , the Majors ' success on the field was reflected in the 2007 all - conference superlatives . Junior quarterback Juan Joseph was the SCAC ' s " Offensive Player of the Year " for the second consecutive season , senior defensive tackle Casey Younger was the league ' s co - " Defensive Player of the Year " and sophomore return specialist John Milazzo was the SCAC ' s " Special Teams Player of the Year . " In all , 19 Majors were named to the All - SCAC first team , second team and honorable mention lists . 2008 . The 2008 season was a very successful season . The Majors rolled through the regular season , going 10 - 0 and outscoring their opponents 442 to 132 . The team avenged 2007 ' s crushing loses at the hands of Mississippi College and Trinity , pummeling the Choctaws 42 - 6 in the eighth edition of the renewed Backyard Brawl and punishing the Tigers 56 - 27 in San Antonio . The Majors captured their third consecutive SCAC championship , winning outright to earn the program ' s third NCAA tournament berth , became the first team in the program ' s history to reach double digit wins and climbed to their highest ever national ranking , # 3 , before finishing the season 11 - 1 and ranked # 12 nationally . Once again , DuBose was named the conference ' s " Coach of the Year " and senior quarterback Juan Joseph was the SCAC ' s " Offensive Player of the Year " for the third consecutive season . Sophomore wide receiver and return specialist Michael Galatas was named the conference ' s " Special Teams Player of the Year " and freshman running back Shane Bowser was the SCAC ' s co - " Newcomer of the Year . " In all , 20 Majors were named to the All - SCAC first team , second team and honorable mention lists . 2009 . In 2009 , the Majors finished 5 - 1 in SCAC play to again earn a share of the conference title . The team ' s fourth conference championship in as many years was added to the accomplishments of the winningest senior class in the program ' s history , who finished their four - year careers with a 33 - 10 overall record . However , the team had hoped to attain another NCAA playoff berth , a cause derailed by three painfully close loses . First , the Majors lost to their rival Choctaws in two overtimes in the season - opening ninth edition of the renewed Backyard Brawl . Millsaps won their next three games , including an emotional 24 - 6 victory over Trinity after a week in which Coach DuBose ' s wife Polly underwent the first of several breast cancer surgeries that took place during the season . The following week Coach DuBose spent limited time with the team while caring for his wife , as the Majors prepared for an important conference road game . The team traveled to Greencastle , Indiana to face DePauw . Coincidentally , the game fell on the first weekend of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month ( October ) , and DePauw had painted a pair of pink ribbon s on their field in support of the event . In a show of outstanding camaraderie and sportsmanship , DePauw had then inscribed " P . D . " in each of the ribbons for Polly DuBose . The Majors put forth a valiant effort in the game , coming from 16 down to within a two point conversion of tying the game with under four minutes to play . The two point attempt failed when running back Shane Bowser could not escape an open field tackle and came up less than a yard short of the endzone . DePauw was able to run out the clock and preserve the victory , handing the Majors only their second conference loss of DuBose ' s tenure in heartbreaking fashion , after the Majors had won 10 straight dating back to that fateful 2007 contest against Trinity . The next week the Majors came up with another disappointing loss , again on the road , this time at the hands of Huntingdon . Millsaps squandered a 36 - 24 third quarter advantage , as Huntingdon ' s potent offense caught fire in the second half . The Majors ' normally powerful offensive unit sputtered as two quarterbacks were forced to leave the game due to injury and the team could only watch as Huntingdon roared back to claim a 47 - 36 victory . The team finished the season on a positive note , handily dispatching of their last four opponents , including a homecoming victory over previously undefeated Centre . A 61 - 7 dismantling of the following week secured the program ' s share of a fourth consecutive conference title . Junior return specialist Michael Galatas was named the SCAC ' s " Special Teams Player of the Year " for the second consecutive season , the fourth consecutive season the award went to a Major , and junior linebacker Will Hawkins was the conference ' s " Defensive Player of the Year " , and a first team All - American . A total of 20 Majors were voted to the all - conference first , second and honorable mention teams . In December , DuBose announced he was leaving Millsaps to join new Memphis coach Larry Porter ' s staff . DuBose ' s tenure ended with 33 victories in four seasons , prior to which the Majors had won just 37 games in 10 years , and DuBose ' s four consecutive conference championships came after the Majors had won only two since joining the SCAC in 1989 . DuBose ' s . 767 winning percentage is the highest of any coach in the school ' s history and only Harper Davis won more games as the Majors ' head coach . After DuBose ( 2010 - present ) . On March 1 , 2010 , Aaron Pelch was named as DuBose ' s successor . Pelch , a former Weber State University player and 2001 graduate , was a defensive assistant for DuBose ' s Majors from 2006 to 2008 , before joining Tom Cable ' s Oakland Raiders staff as a special teams coach in 2009 . 2010 . Pelch guided the Majors to a 7 - 3 ( 5 - 1 ) record in his first season , but the team saw its streak of 4 consecutive SCAC championships snapped by virtue of a 21 - 35 home loss to DePauw , who finished the year 6 - 0 in conference play . The Majors ' 2011 senior class tied the record set by the previous year ' s senior class of most career victories , with 33 in a four - year span . For the 5th year in a row , the Majors ' offense was the SCAC ' s highest scoring unit . Rivalries . The Majors had a fierce football and basketball rivalry with Mississippi College in nearby Clinton through the 1950s before competition was suspended after an infamous student brawl at a basketball game . Campus legend says the brawl was sparked by the alleged theft of the body of Millsaps founder Major Millsaps by Mississippi College students . The rivalry was considered by many as the best in Mississippi , featuring a prank by Mississippi College students who painted " TO HELL WITH MILSAPS " ( sic ) on the Millsaps Observatory . The football rivalry resumed in 2000 as the " Backyard Brawl " , with games being held at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium until 2006 when it was played at Robinson - Hale Stadium on the campus of Mississippi College . The rivalry took a one - year hiatus in 2005 but resumed in 2006 . NFL affiliation . Millsaps was the summer training camp home for the NFL ' s New Orleans Saints in 2006 , 2007 and 2008 .