Editor’s note: On Saturday, Mississippi State plays Ole Miss in a football game that goes back a century-plus. Dispatch columnist Slim Smith writes here about his favorite Egg Bowl memory.
In the 1960s, Tupelo was an Ole Miss town. This was especially true in east Tupelo, my part of town, and Lawhon Elementary school, where I attended first through eighth grade.
I started school in 1965 at Lawhon as a devoted Bulldog fan. I was the youngest of six children. The year I was born, my eldest brother, Stan, was about to enter his senior year at Mississippi State. By 1965, two brothers had graduated from State and another was on the way there. So being a Bulldog fan was a natural affection for me, the runt of the litter who grew up idolizing those older brothers.
But it was not a particularly good place or time to be a Bulldog fan. From the year I entered first grade until I had reached fourth grade, MSU didn’t score a point in the rivalry, let alone win.
What I didn’t realize at the time was that Ole Miss was still in its era of football glory, a legitimate national championship contender, while my Bulldogs were pretty much an afterthought in the college football world. I wish someone would have explained this to me back then. It would have spared me a fair amount of self-inflicted grief.
All of my little classmates – at least the ones who expressed any interest in the subject – were Rebel fans. And they were especially vocal in support of the Rebels because of one more factor. One of our teachers, Mrs. Parham, had a son, David, who was offensive lineman on the Ole Miss team. Sometimes, he would show up at school, where he was treated like a Roman general returning from some triumphant campaign. The boys would swarm to him. The girls would swoon. I kept my distance.
Each November, as the Egg Bowl approached, I would confidently proclaim a Bulldog victory and would be quickly shouted down. I was not dissuaded by that, though. “You just wait until the game and you’ll see!” I would tell my classmates on the Friday before the Egg Bowl.
Then, the game was played and the Bulldogs would get humiliated.
Those Mondays after the Egg Bowl were hell. It was like delivering a really bad report card in reverse. And my classmates were unmerciful.
There was a glimmer of hope on the horizon, though. In my fourth grade year, the Bulldogs somehow stumbled into a 17-17 tie, which didn’t feel like a loss, exactly, but at least made that Monday a bit more tolerable.
Of course, things returned to form the following year. Ole Miss won, 48-22, behind the play of quarterback Archie Manning, whose popularity was only exceeded in my little world by Elvis Presley, who also grew up in Tupelo and went to Lawhon. So back to hell I went that next Monday.
And that leads to my most memorable Egg Bowl, which was played in 1970, also known as the year I arrived at school extra early on the Monday after the Egg Bowl.
I do not remember many of the details of that game, which was played on Thanksgiving Day. I remember that Manning was injured and didn’t play (like that could have possibly affected the outcome, right?) and the Rebels were led instead by the curiously-named Shug Chumbler. I remember that the State quarterback was a guy from Rhode Island named Joe Reed. As a footnote, Reed would go on to play for the Lions and 49ers in the NFL for a few years. He also had an interesting side career. In 1974, he cut at album of “old standards” with members of the 49ers cheerleaders.
Ole Miss may have football-player-turned-singer Jim Weatherly (“Midnight Train to Georgia”) but the Bulldogs had Joe Reed singing Sinatra backed by shapely pom-pom girls. Advantage Bulldogs.
What I most remember about the 1970 game was the final score: Mississippi State 19, Ole Miss 14. I also remember the front page of the sports section in the newspaper that Sunday morning, which featured a large photo from the game with a bold headline that read, “Rebels get Turkey Day Stuffing.” I still consider this the Greatest Headline Ever Written, purely for sentimental reasons.
I tore out that front page and taped it to my bedroom wall. It stayed there for years.
Curiously, I don’t remember that glorious Monday after the Egg Bowl. I am sure I was appropriately insufferable, though.
I do remember that I was convinced that the tide had turned. We had finally gotten rid of that Manning guy for good. The Bulldogs’ world suddenly seemed full of wonderful possibilities.
Until the next year, that is. Ole Miss 48, MSU 0.
State went 1-6-1 in Egg Bowls during my years at Lawhon.
Those were some of the worst Mondays of my life.
Slim Smith is a columnist and feature writer for The Dispatch. His email address is [email protected].
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 37 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.