By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

Mississippi State has been playing college football for 130 years.
And still, to this day, the biggest win in Bulldog history came 45 years ago this week, and a large contingent of prep products from the “Southern Six” were involved in the historic outcome.
On Saturday, Nov. 1st, 1980, MSU stunned perennial national power Alabama 6-3 at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium in Jackson.
The top-ranked Crimson Tide came in unbeaten and in search of their third straight National Championship and on a 28-game win streak. Legendary head coach Bear Bryant’s Alabama squad had not lost a conference game since the first week of October 1978, and were a three touchdown favorite over the Bulldogs.

“Man, I was there and I still can’t believe it happened,” Moss Point High graduate Chuck Ward, who still resides in Jackson County, said. Ward is a MSU alumnus and a longtime Bulldog fan.
“There have been a few other big wins for State over the years, but I still think that win was the biggest ever for the football team,” Ward added. “It was shocking.”
Mississippi State head coach Emory Bellard took over the defensive play calling that day as the Bulldogs prepared for the mighty Alabama wishbone offensive attack. But Bellard knew something about that powerful scheme, as Bellard was the father of the wishbone after implementing it at Texas in the late 1960s as an assistant. Bellard even tutored Bryant on the finer points of the wishbone before Alabama adopted it in the early 1970s.
“We have the horses to annihilate this offense, and I know what I’m talking about because I invented the wishbone,” Bellard reportedly told his defensive players, who held the nation’s highest-scoring team without a touchdown and to just 180 total yards.

And Bellard counted on quite a few solid State defenders from the “Southern Six” to pull out the close win.
Defensive tackle Earnie Barnes from Moss Point was in the Bulldog starting line-up that day, as was his former Tiger teammate in linebacker Don Edwards. George County’s Rusty Martin was another starting linebacker, but his day ended early due to an injury.
Also suiting up defensively for MSU in that game were Moss Point’s Kenny Ray Johnson, Dennis Zinnimon and Melvin Dott along with Bobby Junkin of Picayune and East Central High product Donald Nelson.

Defensively, the stout Bulldog unit featured ends Tyrone Keys and Billy Jackson along with Glenn Collins at tackle with Barnes. MSU All-SEC standout middle linebacker Johnie Cooks, who was flanked by Edwards and Martin, was one of the most ferocious defenders in the league.
“Coach Bellard gave us a good game plan on how to stop the wishbone,” Edwards told The Mississippi Press amidst a big victory celebration. “He invented it, so he ought to know how to stop it.”

Offensively, MSU managed only two field goals by Bulldog placekicker Dana Moore in the game, but that proved to be enough. Up front, Bulldog offensive tackle Roman Grace of Gulfport High started and combined with MSU fullback Fred Collins of Gulfport East High were part of that offensive unit that put MSU in place to register those two key kicks.
MSU running back George Wonsley of Moss Point, along with Gulfport High products Bobby Miketinas and Bill Bell were offensive linemen on that MSU team.

The Bulldogs were led on offense by quarterback John Bond, tailback Michael Haddix and wingback Mardye McDole, among others.
A sellout crowd of 50,891 — the largest ever to see a sporting event in the state of Mississippi at the time — witnessed the historic game There was no SEC rule in those days against artificial noisemakers, and the clanging Mississippi State cowbells were deafening according to published reports.