1953 Mississippi State Maroons football team

The 1953 Mississippi State Maroons football team was an American football team that represented Mississippi State College (now known as Mississippi State University) as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) during the 1953 college football season. In their second year under head coach Murray Warmath, the team compiled an overall record of 5–2–3, with a mark of 3–1–3 in conference play, and placed sixth in the SEC.^[1]

1953 Mississippi State Maroons football
Conference	Southeastern Conference
Record	5–2–3 (3–1–3 SEC)
Head coach	Murray Warmath (2nd season)
Home stadium	Scott Field Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium
Seasons ← 1952 1954 →

1953 Southeastern Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 13 Alabama $	4	–	0	–	3			6	–	3	–	3
No. 8 Georgia Tech	4	–	1	–	1			9	–	2	–	1
No. 16 Kentucky	4	–	1	–	1			7	–	2	–	1
Ole Miss	4	–	1	–	1			7	–	2	–	1
No. 17 Auburn	4	–	2	–	1			7	–	3	–	1
Mississippi State	3	–	1	–	3			5	–	2	–	3
Tennessee	3	–	2	–	1			6	–	4	–	1
LSU	2	–	3	–	3			5	–	3	–	3
Florida	1	–	3	–	2			3	–	5	–	2
Vanderbilt	1	–	5	–	0			3	–	7	–	0
Georgia	1	–	5	–	0			3	–	8	–	0
Tulane	0	–	7	–	0			1	–	8	–	1
$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

This would be the last season for head coach Murray Warmath, who was hired by Minnesota after the season,^[2] and for quarterback Jackie Parker, who went on to have a long career in the CFL. Parker would win his second SEC "Player of the Year" award by the Nashville Banner.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 19	at Memphis State*		Crump Stadium Memphis, TN	W 34–6		^[3]
September 26	at No. 17 Tennessee		Shields–Watkins Field Knoxville, TN	W 26–0	25,000	^[4]
October 3	North Texas State*	No. 11	Scott Field Starkville, MS	W 21–6	15,000	^[5]
October 10	Auburn	No. 13	Scott Field Starkville, MS	T 21–21	23,000	^[6]
October 17	at Kentucky	No. 20	McLean Stadium Lexington, KY	L 13–32	36,000	^[7]
October 24	at Alabama		Denny Stadium Tuscaloosa, AL (rivalry)	T 7–7	28,000	^[8]
October 31	Texas Tech*		Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium Jackson, MS	L 20–27	16,000	^[9]
November 7	at Tulane		Tulane Stadium New Orleans, LA	W 21–0		^[10]
November 14	at LSU		Tiger Stadium Baton Rouge, LA (rivalry)	W 26–13	32,000	^[11]
November 28	Ole Miss		Scott Field Starkville, MS (Egg Bowl)	T 7–7	34,920	^[12]
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

References

1. "1953 Mississippi State Bulldogs Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
2. AP (March 17, 2011). "Murray Warmath, former Mississippi State football coach, dies at age 98". gulflive.com. Gulf Live.
3. "Maroons top Memphians in 34–6 rout". The Clarion-Ledger. September 20, 1953. Retrieved September 21, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Maroons maul Vols". Kingsport Times-News. September 27, 1953. Retrieved March 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "State tops North Texas State". The Clarion-Ledger. October 4, 1953. Retrieved November 5, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "Auburn rally ties Maroons". The Chattanooga Times. October 11, 1953. Retrieved October 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Cats have no respect for Mississippi State". The Commercial Appeal. October 18, 1953. Retrieved October 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
8. Watkins, Edwin (October 25, 1953). "Near-record crowd sees Tide tie State 7 to 7". The Tuscaloosa News. p. 1. Retrieved October 31, 2012.
9. "Raiders upset Maroons, 27–20". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. November 1, 1953. Retrieved October 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
10. "Maroons defeat Tulane". The Clarion-Ledger. November 8, 1953. Retrieved September 19, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
11. "Parker hurt as Maroons down LSU, 26–13". The Knoxville Journal. November 15, 1953. Retrieved October 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
12. "Parker-led State sandbags Rebs; 7–7 tie denies Ole Miss SEC title". The Birmingham News. November 29, 1953. Retrieved October 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.