Mississippi State Bulldogs Mississippi State Bulldogs is the name given to the athletic teams of Mississippi State University , in Starkville , Mississippi . The University is a member of the Southeastern Conference and competes in NCAA Division I , fielding 16 varsity team s in 10 sports : Varsity Teams . Men ' s basketball . Throughout its history , Mississippi State has been a competitive force in men ' s basketball . The Bulldogs have accumulated 10 conference regular season championships , 4 conference tournament championships , 7 divisional championships , and 10 NCAA Tournament appearances , including 3 trips to the Sweet Sixteen and a Final Four appearance in 1996 . Mississippi State has also made 7 appearances in the National Invitation Tournament ( NIT ) . In 1963 , the team made history by defying an order from then Governor of Mississippi , Ross Barnett , not to play in the NCAA tournament , because the team they faced , Loyola University of Chicago , had African - Americans on its squad ( 4 of them were starters ) . ( The " Jackson Daily News " also tried to intimidate the Bulldogs against playing the Ramblers by prominently featuring pictures of the 4 black players on the front page of the paper . ) Coach Babe McCarthy sneaked the team out of Starkville to travel to East Lansing , Michigan , to face Loyola , only to lose to the Ramblers , who went on to win the title that year . This was one of the first times that an all - white school faced a team with black members , and it is considered to be a watershed moment in the Civil Rights era . Boston Celtics great Bailey Howell played at Mississippi State and is the only MSU player to be in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame . The 1995 – 96 team reached a pinnacle in MSU ' s basketball history , winning a second - straight SEC Western Division title , claiming a first - ever SEC Tournament Championship over top - ranked and eventual national champion Kentucky , and gaining a berth in the NCAA ' s national championship Final Four . That team earned its national championship ticket with impressive regional wins over No . 1 seed Connecticut and No . 2 seed Cincinnati . State ' s 26 wins that season were the most in school history at the time . Mississippi State ' s Humphrey Coliseum is the largest on - campus basketball arena in the state of Mississippi . Opened in 1975 , Humphrey Coliseum remains one of the premier basketball venues in the Southeastern Conference , with a seating capacity of 10 , 500 . On February 16 , 2010 , a crowd of 10 , 788 fans watched the Bulldogs play host to # 2 Kentucky , breaking the coliseum ' s attendance record . In 2011 , The Mize Pavilion , a new basketball practice facility and atrium entrance , opened in front of the coliseum . The Bulldogs have sold out of season tickets for the fourth year in a row . Women ' s basketball . The Lady Bulldogs have shown marked improvement over the last decade . Nine Lady Bulldogs have made the All - SEC team 16 times , and even more impressive , the women have earned 28 SEC honor roll memberships since 1990 . Football . Mississippi State University , then Mississippi A & M , began playing football in 1895 under the nickname " Maroons " . The sport continues to be a favorite among the Bulldog faithful . Home games are played at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field , the second oldest football stadium in NCAA Division I - FBS , which has a seating capacity of 55 , 082 . The largest crowd was recorded on November 12 , 2009 , as the Bulldogs hosted # 3 Alabama , at 58 , 103 . Over its history , Mississippi State has produced an SEC championship team in 1941 and a divisional championship team in 1998 , along with 16 postseason bowl appearances . The Bulldogs represented the SEC Western Division in the 1998 SEC Championship Game , falling to # 1 Tennessee 14 - 24 . Jackie Sherrill , who was the head coach of the Bulldogs from 1991 to 2003 , is MSU ' s all - time winningest coach . Sherrill led MSU to 6 postseason bowl games and an appearance in the SEC Championship Game in 1998 . Allyn McKeen , who led the Bulldogs to its first and only SEC championship in 1941 , has the highest winning percentage ( . 764 ) . Some also credit McKeen with a national championship in 1940 . The Bulldogs finished off a 9 - 0 - 1 season with a tenth victory over Georgetown 14 - 7 in the Orange Bowl , and finished at no . 9 in the AP poll , although some gave national title recognition to MSU . The University does not claim nor acknowledge this feat . In 2003 , MSU became the first school to hire an African - American head football coach in the SEC . In 2007 , Croom led the Bulldogs to regular season wins over Auburn , Alabama , and Ole Miss before defeating C - USA Champion UCF 10 - 3 in the Liberty Bowl . Croom was also named the 2007 SEC Coach of the Year . Overall , Mississippi State has produced 38 All - Americans , 171 All - SEC selections , and 124 NFL players , including 11 first - round draft picks . Mississippi State competes in the annual Battle for the Golden Egg against in - state archrival Ole Miss , while also maintaining rivalries with Alabama and Kentucky . The team is currently coached by Dan Mullen , former Florida offensive coordinator , who led the 2006 and 2008 Gators to national championships . During his time at MSU , Mullen has led the Bulldogs to two consecutive bowl victories in 2010 and 2011 , and one loss in 2012 to in - state rival Ole Miss since his hiring . Tennis . One of the greatest Bulldog success stories since 1990 has been a tennis program firmly established among the nation ' s elite . The program has finished in the final top 25 rankings 12 times in that stretch ( 1990 – 2001 ) and in the top 10 seven times in that span . Under the guidance of former Bulldog and current head coach Sylvain Guichard the past three seasons , State ' s netmen have continued that steadfastness in the national title hunt , making their 12th , 13th , and 14th straight appearances in the NCAA Championship , one of only seven schools nationally to have done so . State has made the round of 16 or better in the tournament in 10 of those 14 seasons , one of only nine schools nationally to do so . State has also claimed one SEC title ( 1993 ) , two regular season league championships and an SEC tournament crown ( 1996 ) during the past decade and a half . The Bulldogs made school - best NCAA semifinal appearances in 1994 and 1998 and have been national quarterfinalists five times . The netmen have won nearly 70 % of their matches since 1991 , scored the third - most SEC wins by any SEC member since 1990 , and have been ranked as high as third in the country . Individually , Bulldogs have been fixtures in the national rankings . Four State players have been ranked No . 1 in the nation in singles — Daniel Courcol in 1992 – 93 , Laurent Orsini in 1993 – 94 , Thomas Dupré in 1996 – 97 , and Marco Baron in 2000 – 01 . Dupre was the National Player of the Year following the 1997 season , and he and Baron were SEC Players of the Year in ' 97 and ' 01 , respectively . Laurent Miquelard and Joc Simmons captured the 1994 NCAA doubles championship . Club Sports . Mississippi State University through the University Rec Sports office also fields several club sports which compete against several other SEC universities . MSU Club Sports include rugby , cricket , men ' s ice hockey , lacrosse , disc golf ( Club Team acquired first national championship in school history ) , fencing , tactical airsoft , paintball , men ' s soccer , women ' s soccer , volleyball , ultimate , ballroom dance , table tennis , aikido , and yoga . Notable Club Sports accomplishments have come from the Men ' s Soccer club , Men ' s Cricket club and Men ' s Disc Golf club . The soccer club received a bid to the 2006 National Intramural Recreational Sports Association ' s national tournament . MSU cricket club beat Vanderbilt University to win the mega event of 3rd annual Bulldawg Championship Trophy 2008 , held at Mississippi State University . The disc golf club won the 2009 National Championship at the Collegiate Disc Golf Championship in Augusta , Ga . , winning by seven strokes over runner - up Arkansas . Certain club sports , such as men ' s ice hockey , have a significant fan base . In 2008 the ice hockey club garnered more than 1 , 200 fans at their first ever home games in Tupelo , MS at the BancorpSouth Arena , and followed in 2009 with nearly 5 , 000 in attendance for a series with Ole Miss . Founded in 1977 , the Mississippi State rugby team plays in the Southeastern Collegiate Rugby Conference against traditional SEC rivals such as Ole Miss . The Bulldogs are led by head coach Randy Pannell . Championships . Since 1895 , Mississippi State has been affiliated with three different athletic conferences , including the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association , the Southern Conference , and the Southeastern Conference . Overall , the Bulldogs have won 28 conference regular season championships and 12 tournament championships . Rivals . In football , Mississippi State and Mississippi meet each year in the Egg Bowl . The game was first played in 1901 , with the Rebels currently leading the all - time series 60 – 42 – 6 . MSU has won three straight and 4 of the last 5 . In basketball , MSU leads the series over Mississippi 138 – 105 and has won 16 of the last 20 and 20 of the last 26 . In baseball , Mississippi State now leads the series 241 – 196 – 5 . Over the last 30 years , the Bulldogs are 90 – 52 against the Rebels . For the " Big 3 " sports ( football , men ' s basketball , and baseball ) , head - to - head Mississippi State leads Mississippi 421 – 361 – 11 . Traditions . The school colors are maroon and white . The Bulldog became Mississippi State ' s official mascot in 1961 . The mascot is lovingly named " Bully . " Past mascots have been the Aggies and the Maroons . Cow bell s are a significant part of any Mississippi State University experience . The tradition began after a jersey cow wandered on to the football field in the early 1900s , disrupting a game . Subsequently , State won the football game , and the cow became a symbol of good luck . Eventually , the cow was replaced with just the cow ' s bell . Handles were welded onto the bells to ease ringing , and cowbells are now manufactured and sold specifically as athletic noisemakers . Clanging cowbells rung by many of the State fans is a part of the tradition of MSU football games , despite the Southeastern Conference ' s banning of " artificial noise - makers , which was lifted at the beginning of the 2010 season . Ringing of cow bells is now permitted at designated times such as halftime , time - outs , and after touchdowns . " The school ' s fight song is " Hail State , " which is played by the Famous Maroon Band . Hall of Fame . MSU has honored many athletes with induction to its Mississippi State University Sports Hall of Fame .