1963 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team

1963 Mississippi State Bulldogs football
Liberty Bowl champion
Liberty Bowl, W 16–12 vs. NC State
ConferenceSoutheastern Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 11
Record7–2–2 (4–1–2 SEC)
Head coach
Home stadiumScott Field
Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium
Seasons
← 1962
1964 →
1963 Southeastern Conference football standings
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

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]

  1. ^ "You can't measure heart". HailState.com. October 15, 2013. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016.
  2. ^ "1963 Liberty Bowl champs to celebrate 50th anniversary Saturday". 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