1963 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team

The 1963 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team represented Mississippi State University during the 1963 NCAA University Division football season. Although the Bulldogs were picked to come in last in the SEC in the preseason, they finished 4–1–2 in the conference and qualified for the Liberty Bowl,^[1] the first nationally televised game in school history. The Liberty Bowl, played in 15-degree weather, was described by longtime radio broadcaster Jack Cristil as "colder than a pawnbroker's heart."^[2] Head coach Paul Davis was named SEC Coach of the Year in honor of the team's surprise success.^[3]

1963 Mississippi State Bulldogs football
Liberty Bowl champion
Liberty Bowl, W 16–12 vs. NC State
Conference	Southeastern Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 11
Record	7–2–2 (4–1–2 SEC)
Head coach	Paul E. Davis (2nd season)
Home stadium	Scott Field Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium
Seasons ← 1962 1964 →

1963 Southeastern Conference football standings

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

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 21	Howard (AL)*	Scott Field Starkville, MS	W 43–0	11,000	^[4]
September 28	at Florida	Florida Field Gainesville, FL	T 9–9	36,000	^[5]
October 5	at Tennessee	Neyland Stadium Knoxville, TN	W 7–0	24,500	^[6]
October 12	Tulane	Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium Jackson, MS	W 31–10	20,000	^[7]
October 19	Houston*	Scott Field Starkville, MS	W 20–0	27,000	^[8]
October 26	at Memphis State*	Crump Stadium Memphis, TN	L 10–17	31,650	^[9]
November 2	at No. 7 Alabama	Denny Stadium Tuscaloosa, AL (rivalry)	L 19–20	43,000	^[10]
November 9	No. 5 Auburn	Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium Jackson, MS	W 13–10	35,000	^[11]
November 16	LSU	Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium Jackson, MS (rivalry)	W 7–6	46,500	^[12]
November 30	No. 3 Ole Miss	Scott Field Starkville, MS (Egg Bowl)	T 10–10	35,218	^[13]
December 21	vs. NC State*	Philadelphia Municipal Stadium Philadelphia, PA (Liberty Bowl)	W 16–12	8,309	^[14]
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

^[15]

References

1. . HailState.com. October 15, 2013. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016.
2. . MSState.edu. October 7, 2013. Archived from the original on December 27, 2015. Retrieved December 26, 2015.
3. 2011 Mississippi State Football Media Guide, p. 116
4. "Miss. State mows Howard down 43–0". The Birmingham News. September 22, 1963. Retrieved October 13, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Mississippi State rallies to deadlock Florida 9–9". Tallahassee Democrat. September 29, 1963. Retrieved October 12, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "Mississippi State Bulldogs edge Volunteers, 7–0". Johnson City Press. October 6, 1963. Retrieved May 7, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Miss. State rips Tulane by 31–10". The Clarion-Ledger. October 13, 1963. Retrieved September 20, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "State dazes Houston in bruising 20–0 win". The Commercial Appeal. October 20, 1963. Retrieved October 13, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "Memphis State downs Maroons". Monroe Morning World. October 27, 1963. Retrieved October 13, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
10. "Tide's Bryant proud after Alabama rally". The Montgomery Advertiser. November 3, 1963. Retrieved October 13, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
11. "State field goal upsets Auburn". The Dothan Eagle. November 10, 1963. Retrieved October 13, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
12. "State picks off Bengals, 7–6". The Atlanta Journal & Constitution. November 17, 1963. Retrieved October 13, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
13. "Sugar Bowl for Ol' Miss on 10–10 tie". The Des Moines Register. December 1, 1963. Retrieved October 13, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
14. "Mississippi State stymies N.C. State rally to win, 16–12". The Philadelphia Inquirer. December 22, 1963. Retrieved October 13, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
15. "1963 Mississippi State Bulldogs Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 13, 2023.