With a 45-26 win over LSU, Bulldog quarterback John Bond became the first and only quarterback to register four wins over LSU. I got what I knew I would receive if they kept working like they worked.". Here are the highest NFL draft selections in FCS history. View Full Bio, Javier Executives Bud Adams, Scott Pioli, George Halas . "Whenever you get an opportunity to play on a big stage like that, you want to showcase your ability, you want to win that football game, and I remember walking off that field crying like a baby because we lost and it was over. He scored five touchdowns twice that year. That defeat was one of two on the season, however, as the Delta Devils finished 7-2-1. But once we got adjusted to it, it became fun for us.". Anderson, R. Amir Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils Men's, More 1984-85 Mississippi Valley State (Men's) Pages, College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com Blog and Articles. ); : Pirtle, Devin Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? 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The official 2022 Football Roster for the Fort Valley State University Wildcats ", "I knew people had two-minute offenses, but I'd never known them to do it the whole football game," Cooley added. "I was so devastated by that loss," Rice said. The Delta Devils had gone 7-2-1 in 1983, and looked to be even better this year. Rice was named to every 1984 College Football All-America Team, including the Associated Press squad, and finished ninth in Heisman Trophy balloting. All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. Williams, Brandon All rights reserved. Record: 4-7 (76th of 110) (Schedule & Results). Brand Engagement Internship Interest Form, National Anthem and Halftime Entertainment, 2022 Football Single-Game Credential Request, National Anthem & Entertainment Submission Form, Mote Receives Minicamp Invites from Chiefs and Seahawks, Griffin Hebert Signs with Seattle Seahawks, LA Tech Football to Host Spring Game, April 22. 2022 Football Roster # Name Name Ht. They just couldn't handle what we did.". It was just a complete reversal of what we had been doing all year. 1984: Mississippi Valley Time. In 1981, MVSU again fell short of its first winning season since 1965, putting together a 4-5-1 campaign that was followed up by a 5-5 effort in 1982, the first year both Rice and Totten played together. (); : In Mississippi Valley State's first game, against the same D-II Kentucky State team that had shut the Delta Devils out in the season before Cooley got to town, MVSU gained 699 yards with 17 on the ground, on 11 carries and won 86-0. But we weren't trying to get that. Join our linker program. ", Said Rice: "It was standing-room-only and that place was just electrifying. In a 48-36 win over Grambling, Rice caught just eight passes but still managed 174 yards and two scores, while Totten threw for 545 yards overall. Killins, Dejuan All rights reserved. But when Cooley got his first head coaching job in 1980, he took over an ineffective, run-heavy MVSU program that had attempted 133 total passes the entire 1979 season. So if Jerry wanted to stay after practice and catch balls, then we stayed after practice and we'd throw and catch balls. College Football at Sports-Reference.com Blog and Articles. Visit ESPN to view the Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils team schedule for the current and previous seasons Rice would finish the '83 season with a I-AA record 102 catches and 1,450 yards, with a record 24 catches and 279 yards coming in one game, a 31-28 loss to Southern. We did it every day, and all day. "They did a little bit of that back then, but they didn't take it to the extreme like we did. [1] Contents 1 Schedule 2 Personnel 3 Season summary 3.1 Mississippi State "It was kind of like, 'Wow, OK, this is what this offense is going to be about,' " Rice said of those first two games. I'm one of those guys who believes that if you practice a certain way and give 100 percent intensity, it's going to pay off on the field, and it was just a result of those Delta Devils coming together and wanting to make a statement.". Holmes, Zane Teddy Allen. Thirty years ago this fall, however, the action in itty-bitty Itta Bena in a situation not unlike this year in Starkville, 100 miles due east down Highway 82, and Oxford, the same 100 miles northeast, up Interstate 55 put the state of Mississippi at the center of the college football universe. And sometimes, they'd just line up in a traditional set using a conventional formation as an element of surprise. Quinney, Bobby Wilkins, Caleb Fortunately for Rice, that playoff loss was really the beginning, and that game, more than anything, put him on the San Francisco 49ers' radar. ", The defeat was even tougher on Rice, who finished the 1984 season with 112 catches for 1,845 yards and 27 touchdowns. Fred vs. Bethune-Cookman. Mumford Stadium The Gold Standard Helmet Campaign Additional Links FOOTBALL History > Mississippi Valley State FOOTBALL History vs Mississippi Valley State from Sep 30, 1967 - Nov 12, 2022 Magee, Gregory The Delta Devils play in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision as a member of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC). Kendall, Von Now 75, he's just happy to have had the opportunity to be along for the ride as the Delta Devils brought a little excitement and a lot of attention to Itta Bena. "Ever since I was a little kid, I dreamed about maybe playing in the NFL, but I knew that it was going to be a long, difficult road," he said. 1 in Division I-AA and averaging 64 points a game, fell behind by 28-7, but scored 21 straight points in the third quarter and early in the fourth on quick drives. "They didn't know what to do, and we would just eat it up.". The Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils ' Ronnie Thomas signed with the Canadian Football League ( CFL) Calgary Stampeder on Thursday evening . "I remember their coach saying that they knew they couldn't stop our offense in the middle of the field, but they prepared for us from the red zone in," Totten said. After that, teams began to double- and triple-team Rice, sometimes leaving the Delta Devils' other receivers uncovered and allowing them to run roughshod. Mississippi Valley State's head coach Archie "Gunslinger" Cooley led the Satellite Express offense featuring Jerry Rice and Willie "Satellite" Totten to average a remarkable 60.9 points per game . They have to be in condition because they don't have time to stand around and talk and work out situations and things of that nature.". Rice knew he'd be in for a challenge when then-No. The green, white, and red Delta Devils from tiny Itta Bena were nothing short of a national sensation. 1983-84 Jackson State Tigers Men's Roster and Stats Previous Season Next Season Record: 10-18 (5-9, 7th in SWAC MBB ) Coach: Paul Covington PS/G: 63.4 (221st of 275) PA/G: 69.8 (179th of 275) SRS: -14.10 (258th of 275) SOS: -7.28 (250th of 275) Jackson State (Men's) School History Roster & Stats Polls, Schedule & Results On this page: Roster 1984-85 Mississippi Valley State (Men's) Season, Mississippi Valley State (Men's) School History, Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Monday, May 1, 12:49AM. 8/30/2018 11:11:00 AM The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. The 1981 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team represented Mississippi State University during the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season . We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? "Jerry was kind of like the big boy," Totten said. Year Hometown High School Previous School Pos. Known as the "Home in the Woods," Itta Bena, with a population of just over 2,000, prides itself as the birthplace of B.B. Los Angeles, California: Junipero Serra HS: Portland State "He said he was at a double-A school, and Bill was extolling his virtues, that's for sure.". And one can't help but wonder whether any of it would have happened had they not believed in a crazy Gunslinger coach with a gimmicky system to lead them to one of the most exciting seasons football has ever seen. Jerry Rice picking up yards after a catch. Find out more. The letdown wouldn't last long, as Mississippi Valley State beat Alabama State 49-7 the following week, then closed the regular season with an 83-11 win over Langston that saw MVSU lead 41-3 at the end of the first quarter, but the dream of a perfect season was long gone, along with the throng of media that had descended on Itta Bena and the little school that could. His 27 touchdown receptions in that 1984 season set the NCAA mark for all divisions. Or write about sports? The beatdown likely would have been worse, if not for four Totten's interceptions. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. (); : Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. The 1984 Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils team represented the Mississippi Valley State University as a member of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) during the 1984 NCAA Division I-AA football season. But there was also something to be said for the connection between Rice who'd picked up the nickname "World" for his ability to catch anything near him and Totten, a bond that was formed on the football field but stretched far beyond it. "We were scoring so easily, and we hadn't beaten Jackson in so long, that it didn't seem real to me," Cooley said. So my offensive mind grew tremendously simply because I took a lot of pride in doing what I was doing.". For Cooley, though, the lack of recognition isn't an issue. Griffin. Join our linker program. (); : Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. "I believe everything starts with hard work, the time that you put in, the chemistry is going to develop if you're around that person and you work hard," Rice said. : Mississippi Valley State wasn't in the hunt for a national title in 1984, as its neighbors at Ole Miss and Mississippi State are today. "He was the only one out of our group that played (as a true freshman), so he was the big kid on the block and we all kind of did what Jerry did. Johnson, Wyatt These days, however, it's young kids hoping to be mentioned in the same breath as Rice whose name, in addition to being enshrined in Canton, sits along with Totten's on the football stadium at Mississippi Valley State. "It was a lot of fun because it was to the point where I wondered what they were going to play against the offense," Cooley said. That crazy coach was Archie Cooley. Coach made a statement that we needed to get off the bus throwing, and that was actually true. In that game, Rice caught 17 passes for 294 yards, breaking the single-game receiving record he'd set the season before against Southern. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. We'd practice two hours and throw the football all day, and Totten was the only quarterback that we had. Schedule [ edit] [1] Roster [ edit] References [ edit] ^ College Football @ Sports-Reference.com. Betts, Caleb "When we got to the stadium, I guarantee that there were already 30,000 or 35,000 people already in there, and to see that happen, that was something that will always be a great feeling for Mississippi and for Valley nation, that we filled that stadium up," Totten said. San Diego State University, 1980-1982, 1984, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1993-1997 San Francisco State University, 1991, 1994 San Jose State University, 1977-1980, 1984-1986, 1989 You could be forgiven if you passed through the tiny town of Itta Bena, Miss., without even knowing you were there. I remember, I got up that morning with a sore back, but there was no way I was missing that game. "I sort of felt hopeful (coming into Mississippi Valley), but I knew not to be disappointed if I didn't ever get drafted because the most important thing is to go to college and also get a degree. Find out more. 2019 Football Roster - Mississippi Valley State University Athletics Mississippi Valley State University Athletics THE OFFICIAL WEBSITE OF MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS Main Navigation Menu Sport Navigation Menu 2019 Football Roster Go To Coaching Staff Print Download Stat Crew Roster (FRO) Roster Layout: Choose A Season: Mississippi Valley State wasn't in the hunt for a national title in 1984, as its neighbors at Ole Miss and Mississippi State are today. I remember us watching a game I was a Steelers fan, and I think he was a Steelers fan at the time and watching Lynn Swann, watching John Stallworth, and I don't think he ever dreamed that he would be with those guys, and talked about in the same breath as those guys.". To see all of those fans come out, they knew it was going to be a great battle, and I think we went into that ballgame feeling pretty comfortable that we could win. The Braves then added another score with a pick-six of Totten on the next Mississippi Valley possession, sending the Devils to their first defeat, despite eight catches for 134 yards from Rice. A crowd of 63,808 saw the game, which was originally scheduled for Saturday in Mississippi Valley's 10,000-seat stadium at Itta Bena. There was no way around it. You have to develop that chemistry, and I think with Willie Totten, I knew exactly what he was thinking at all times, when he was going to release the football, when I had one-on-one coverage, I knew he was coming my direction.". (); : Hollowell, Zamariyon Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils football, 2023 Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils football team, NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mississippi_Valley_State_Delta_Devils_football&oldid=1134350401, American football teams established in 1953, Official website different in Wikidata and Wikipedia, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 18 January 2023, at 07:13. The game was in such high demand that it was relocated from Itta Bena to Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium in Jackson and rescheduled from Saturday, Nov. 3, to Sunday, Nov. 4, to accommodate for the crowd, which would end up topping 63,000 people to this day one of the largest crowds to fill that stadium. "We could look at the defensive back and know exactly what route to give Jerry, or he knew what signal to give me to let me know what route he was going to run," Totten said. See our list of forfeits and vacated games for more details. Itta Bena, Mississippi Rice-Totten Stadium at Chuck Prophet Field. -- Thirty years ago, Mississippi Valley State was at the center of college football. Tabbed Phi-Lookem-Jukeum, Valley's offense was being referred to as "The Offense of the 1990s" in the mid-1980s. THE OFFICIAL WEBSITE OF MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS, Copyright 2023 Mississippi Valley State University, Rice-Totten Stadium at Chuck Prophet Field. Jerry Rice and Deacon Jones, considered two of the greatest American football players of all time, spent their college days playing . THE OFFICIAL WEBSITE OF MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS, Copyright 2023 Mississippi Valley State University, Thomas Signs with CFL's Calgary Stampeder, HBCU NATIONAL CHAMPION NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL EAGLES AND MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE DELTA DEVILS TO APPEAR IN THE 39TH ANNIVERSARY CIRCLE CITY , 2023 Football Season Tickets are Now on Sale, Delta Devils Announces its 2023 Football Schedule. Oct 22 (Sat) 3 p.m. SWAC. By that point, Mississippi Valley was 7-0 and looked virtually unbeatable. King but is mostly the type of one-stoplight burg that doesn't beg to be noticed. The result was a raw scheme that relied overwhelmingly on passing a good foundation, it would seem, for whenever Cooley got a promotion. Davis, Chris FOOTBALL News Statistics Schedule Roster Coaches A.W. Without question, winning the SWAC was Valley's goal that season. In MVSU's second game, a 77-15 win over Washburn, Rice hauled in 15 passes for 139 yards and a touchdown a low-key output by his standards with Totten completing 36 of 55 passes for 402 yards and six touchdowns. In what was known then as Division I-AA, the Valley's Cinderella season didn't end with a celebration, such as BYU's at the I-A level. "No one was doing the no-huddle I think the only ones doing that was Portland State with Mouse Davis and Neil Lomax," Totten said. But Itta Bena and Mississippi Valley State did have one thing that no one else had: a bricklayer's son and future NFL Hall of Famer named Jerry Lee Rice at wide receiver. Former North Carolina A&T offensive lineman Rio Claytor has committed to MVSU after a stint in the transfer portal. In the 1984 season, it was Mississippi Valley who was applying all the pressure. (); : Then, after Rice won MVP honors in the Blue-Gray game, the 49ers eventually took him with the 16th overall pick in the 1985 draft. Canada, Kobe [15], Rice finished his college career with 301 catches for 4,693 yards and 50 touchdowns. Do you have a sports website? Martin, Cole The two forged such a bond that they mostly communicated via hand and head signals on the field think Peyton Manning as if opposing defenses needed anything else to worry about. "I would save the best five plays that the opponent ran against Tennessee State's defense, when Coach (Joe) Gilliam was the coordinator at the time," said Cooley, who played center and linebacker at Jackson State in the 1950s. "They just dropped eight, and that was something that we weren't accustomed to. I always had that doubt that, 'Maybe I won't get picked.' Mississippi Valley State entered the game ranked fifth in the nation thanks to its high-octane offense. It would certainly be easy to attribute those gaudy stats to the style of offense Cooley was running, and you wouldn't be out of line in doing so. The way he approached the game, he wanted to be the best guy on the field.". You want me to use your people?' Sometimes, though, Rice would line up as the last guy in one of those stack formations, where he would catch a screen pass with the option to either run it or throw it to one of the many streaking receivers sprinting in different directions across the field. Cooley recalled. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. Roster includes most starters and key reserves. 1984-85 Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils Women's Roster and Stats Previous Season Next Season Record: 9-18 ( SWAC WBB ) Coach: Jessie Harris Mississippi Valley State (Women's) School History Roster & Stats Polls, Schedule & Results An ad blocker has likely prevented this video content from loading. "He was spooky the way he could pick out players, I'll tell you, and he spotted him that Saturday night sitting in the hotel room.". Rice caught 17 passes for 199 yards against Southern, 17 for 294 against Kentucky State, and 15 for 285 against Jackson State, in the first win for Mississippi Valley over the Tigers since 1954. 10/24/2014 11:28:00 AM. As a senior in 1984, Jerry Rice broke his own NCAA Division I-AA records for receptions (112) and receiving yards (1,845). "And you're talking about doing this for an hour and a half, two hours straight without even stopping. (); : RUSTON -- In 1984, before the 1999-2001 St. Louis Rams and before the now-commonplace run-and-shoot offense, Mississippi Valley State was college football's original Greatest Show on Turf. Had the MVSU come out on the winning end of its 28-28 tie with eventual SWAC champ Grambling State, it would have finished in a tie with Grambling atop the conference. All of the sudden, after a win over one of the conference's traditional powers in his pocket, Cooley and his offense weren't seen as so gimmicky anymore. Williams, Kendrick The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy. I was going to get on the football field no matter what.". "So we put it in and it did well, and we found that if you do that, it only takes away from the defense.