The Mississippi State Bulldogs college football team represents Mississippi State University in the West Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The Bulldogs compete as part of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision. The program has had 35 head coaches since it began play during the 1895 season. [1]
The team has played more than 1,050 games over 111 seasons. [2] In that time, eleven coaches have led the Bulldogs in postseason bowl games: Ralph Sasse, Allyn McKeen, Paul E. Davis, Bob Tyler, Emory Bellard, Jackie Sherrill, Sylvester Croom, Dan Mullen, Joe Moorhead, Mike Leach, and Zach Arnett. [3] McKeen led the Bulldogs to their lone conference championship as a member of the SEC in 1941. [2]
Sherrill is the leader in seasons coached and games won, with 75 victories during his 13 years with the program. [2] McKeen has the highest winning percentage of those who have coached more than one game, with .764. [2] W.M. Matthews and J.B. Hildebrand have the lowest winning percentage of those who have coached more than one game, with .000. [2] Of the 35 different head coaches who have led the Bulldogs, Bernie Bierman, [4] McKeen [5] and Darrell Royal [6] have been inducted as head coaches into the College Football Hall of Fame in South Bend, Indiana.
General | Overall | Conference | Postseason [A 1] | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. | Order of coaches [A 2] | GC | Games coached | CW | Conference wins | PW | Postseason wins |
DC | Division championships | OW | Overall wins | CL | Conference losses | PL | Postseason losses |
CC | Conference championships | OL | Overall losses | CT | Conference ties | PT | Postseason ties |
NC | National championships | OT | Overall ties [A 3] | C% | Conference winning percentage | ||
† | Elected to the College Football Hall of Fame | O% | Overall winning percentage [A 4] |
No. | Name | Term [A 6] |
GC | OW | OL | OT | O% | CW | CL | CT | C% | PW | PL | PT | DC [A 7] |
CC | NC | Awards |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | W. M. Matthews | 1895 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
2 | J. B. Hildebrand | 1896 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 2 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | — |
3 | L. B. Harvey | 1901 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0.500 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0.333 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | — |
4 | L. Gwinn | 1902 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0.250 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0.100 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | — |
5 | Daniel S. Martin | 1903–1906 | 24 | 10 | 11 | 3 | 0.479 | 5 | 9 | 3 | 0.382 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | — |
6 | Fred Furman | 1907–1908 | 16 | 9 | 7 | 0 | 0.563 | 5 | 6 | 0 | 0.455 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | — |
7 | W. D. Chadwick | 1909–1913 | 43 | 29 | 12 | 2 | 0.698 | 19 | 12 | 2 | 0.606 | 1 | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | — |
8 | Earl C. Hayes | 1914–1916 | 25 | 15 | 8 | 2 | 0.640 | 10 | 8 | 0 | 0.556 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | — |
9 | Stanley L. Robinson | 1917–1919 | 21 | 16 | 5 | 0 | 0.762 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 0.786 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — |
10 | Fred Holtkamp | 1920–1921 | 17 | 9 | 7 | 1 | 0.559 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 0.577 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — |
11 | Dudy Noble | 1922 | 9 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 0.444 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0.400 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — |
12 | Earl Abell | 1923–1924 | 18 | 10 | 6 | 2 | 0.611 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0.545 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — |
13 | Bernie Bierman† | 1925–1926 | 17 | 8 | 8 | 1 | 0.500 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 0.300 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — |
14 | John W. Hancock | 1927–1929 | 24 | 8 | 12 | 4 | 0.412 | 3 | 9 | 1 | 0.269 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — |
15 | Chris Cagle | 1930 | 9 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 0.222 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0.666 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — |
16 | Ray G. Dauber | 1931–1932 | 16 | 5 | 11 | 0 | 0.313 | 0 | 9 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — |
17 | Ross McKechnie | 1933–1934 | 20 | 7 | 12 | 1 | 0.375 | 1 | 10 | 1 | 0.125 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — |
18 | Ralph Sasse | 1935–1937 | 32 | 20 | 10 | 2 | 0.656 | 8 | 7 | 0 | 0.533 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — |
19 | Spike Nelson | 1938 | 10 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 0.400 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0.200 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — |
20 | Allyn McKeen† | 1939–1942 1944–1948 |
87 | 65 | 19 | 3 | 0.764 | 29 | 16 | 2 | 0.638 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | — |
21 | Arthur Morton | 1949–1951 | 27 | 8 | 18 | 1 | 0.315 | 5 | 15 | 0 | 0.250 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — |
22 | Murray Warmath | 1952–1953 | 19 | 10 | 6 | 3 | 0.605 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 0.536 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — |
23 | Darrell Royal† | 1954–1955 | 20 | 12 | 8 | 0 | 0.600 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0.500 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — |
24 | Wade Walker | 1956–1961 | 56 | 22 | 32 | 2 | 0.411 | 8 | 30 | 2 | 0.225 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — |
25 | Paul E. Davis | 1962–1966 | 50 | 20 | 28 | 2 | 0.420 | 9 | 22 | 2 | 0.303 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | AP SEC Coach of the Year (1963) [11] |
26 | Charles Shira | 1967–1972 | 63 | 16 | 45 | 2 | 0.270 | 5 | 32 | 2 | 0.154 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | AP SEC Coach of the Year (1970) [11] |
27 |
Bob Tyler [A 8] |
1973–1978 | 67 | 21 | 44 | 2 | 0.328 | 7 | 30 | 0 | 0.189 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — |
28 | Emory Bellard | 1979–1985 | 79 | 37 | 42 | 0 | 0.468 | 15 | 27 | 0 | 0.357 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — |
29 | Rockey Felker | 1986–1990 | 55 | 21 | 34 | 0 | 0.382 | 5 | 28 | 0 | 0.151 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — |
30 | Jackie Sherrill | 1991–2003 | 152 | 75 | 75 | 2 | 0.500 | 43 | 59 | 1 | 0.422 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — |
31 | Sylvester Croom | 2004–2008 | 59 | 21 | 38 | — | 0.356 | 10 | 30 | — | 0.250 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
AP SEC Coach of the Year (2007)
[11] SEC Coach of the Year (2007) [11] |
32 | Dan Mullen | 2009–2017 | 115 | 69 | 46 | — | 0.600 | 33 | 39 | — | 0.458 | 5 | 2 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | AP SEC Coach of the Year (2014) |
Int | Greg Knox | 2017 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 1.000 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
33 | Joe Moorhead | 2018–2019 | 26 | 14 | 12 | — | 0.538 | 7 | 9 | — | 0.438 | 0 | 2 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
34 | Mike Leach | 2020–2022 | 36 | 19 | 17 | — | 0.528 | 11 | 15 | — | 0.423 | 1 | 1 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
35 | Zach Arnett | 2022–2023 | 11 | 5 | 6 | — | 0.455 | 1 | 6 | — | 0.143 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
Int | Greg Knox | 2023 | 2 | 1 | 1 | — | 0.500 | 0 | 1 | — | .000 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
36 | Jeff Lebby | 2024–present | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | – | 0 | 0 | — | – | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
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