The Mississippi College Choctaws football team represented Mississippi College (now Mississippi Christian University). The school's teams are known as the Choctaws. Its major rivals are Millsaps College in nearby Jackson and Delta State in Cleveland, Mississippi, in the Delta. After a more than 40-year hiatus, MC and Millsaps teams began meeting on the football field again in 2000. The rivalry was dubbed the Backyard Brawl.
On November 18, 2024, the school announced the discontinuation of the football program with the conclusion of the 2024 season.
History
The first year of the team was in 1907. The 1921 team was led by College Football Hall of Fame inductee Edwin "Goat" Hale.
The team won the Division II National Championship in 1989, however, Mississippi College's football tournament participation, along with its NCAA Division II national football championship, were vacated by the NCAA Committee on Infractions for recruiting violations.
On November 18, 2024, the Mississippi College Board of Trustees renamed the college as Mississippi Christian University, and approved dissolving the football program following the 2024 season.
Facilities Robinson-Hale Stadium, a 8,500-capacity stadium located in Clinton, Mississippi, was home to the Mississippi College Choctaws football team.
The stadium was built in 1985 and named after two significant contributors to the program, Stanley L. Robinson, who coached the team from 1920 to 1923 and again from 1928 to 1953, and Edwin Hale, who played for the Choctaws between 1915 and 1921 and was later inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. The first game at the stadium was played October 12, 1985. The Choctaws defeated Jacksonville State, 50–3.
Prior to the 2005 season, the stadium saw major renovations that included the installation of a state-of-the art synthetic playing surface. A running track, the James E. Parkman Track, was added in 2006. In 2011, the entrance got renovated with a new "Circle of Champions" entrance. The turf at the stadium was upgraded in 2015.
Postseason appearances NCAA Division II The Choctaws have four appearances in the NCAA Division II football playoffs, with a combined record of 4–4. This total does not include a vacated national championship in 1989, which included one additional appearance and a 4–0 record.
1979 First RoundSemifinals North DakotaDelaware W, 35–15L, 10–60 1988 First Round Texas A&I L, 15–39 1989 First RoundQuarterfinalsSemifinalsNational Championship Texas A&ISt. Cloud StateIndiana (PA)Jacksonville State W, 34–19W, 55–24W, 26–14W, 3–0 1990 First RoundQuarterfinalsSemifinals WoffordJacksonville StateIndiana (PA) W, 70–19W, 14–7L, 8–27 1991 First RoundQuarterfinals WoffordJacksonville State W, 28–15L, 7–35
NCAA Division III The Choctaws made one appearance in the NCAA Division III football playoffs, with a combined record of 1–1.
2009 First RoundSecond Round HuntingdonWesley W, 56–35L, 9–43
Program achievements Gulf South Conference Champions 1979, 1988, 1990 American Southwest Conference Champions 1997, 2009 NCAA Division II Team Playoff Participants 1979, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991 NCAA Division II Regional Championships 1989, 1990 NCAA Division II National Championships 1989 NCAA Division III Team Playoff Participants 2009
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