vs Central St. 9/2 . Visit ESPN to view the Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils team roster for the current season You want me to use your people?' "They did a little bit of that back then, but they didn't take it to the extreme like we did. Through seven games of the '84 season, Rice wasn't just the best player on the field, but perhaps the best receiver in football, his name suddenly being thrown into conversations about more prominent wideouts like Al Toon, Eddie Brown and Jessie Hester. By then, though, the Delta Devils had started to show some promise, especially from Rice, a star in the making who followed up a 30-catch freshman year by hauling in 66 passes for 1,134 yards and seven touchdowns as a sophomore. "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. Unfortunately, there wasn't a whole lot Rice or anyone on the Delta Devils offense could do early, as Alcorn State was able to pressure Totten a rarity with Mississippi Valley's gigantic "Tons of Fun" offensive line usually giving him plenty of room and time to work. 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. We were just trying to do what this crazy coach came up with, execute it and make it work.". I remember, I got up that morning with a sore back, but there was no way I was missing that game. He didn't mind working, and Totten didn't mind either. Smith, Deontez Wt. Jerry Rice and Deacon Jones, considered two of the greatest American football players of all time, spent their college days playing . Fortunately for Rice, that playoff loss was really the beginning, and that game, more than anything, put him on the San Francisco 49ers' radar. This article about a sports team in Mississippi is a stub. 1984 Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils football team, Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils football, 1984 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings, NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll, NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee Poll, "Mississippi Valley State cuts through Washburn 77-15", "QB Totten tosses for 4 TDs as Devils roll", "Qualls captures spotlight as Braves rip Delta Devils", "Valley flood rips Langston in 8311 rout", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=1984_Mississippi_Valley_State_Delta_Devils_football_team&oldid=1148910991, ^ NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant, This page was last edited on 9 April 2023, at 01:25. So we gave them just enough, but not enough to prepare for it.". 2023 Football Roster - Mississippi Valley State University Athletics Mississippi Valley State University Athletics THE OFFICIAL WEBSITE OF MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS Main Navigation Menu Sports Delta Devils Baseball Basketball Cross Country Football Tennis Track and Field Devilettes Basketball Cross Country Soccer Softball Tennis Hide/Show Additional Information For Alabama State - October 15, 2022. Looking back, it was even more ahead of its time than that. Or write about sports? Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. 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. Magee, Gregory We'd practice two hours and throw the football all day, and Totten was the only quarterback that we had. THE OFFICIAL WEBSITE OF MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS. You'd have guys who'd throw up or guys who'd collapse, but it was part of the process, getting your body ready to be able to endure four quarters of going at a very high tempo where you basically wear out your opponent. Totten finished with nine touchdown passes, five to Rice. "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. 10/24/2014 11:28:00 AM. Mississippi Valley (7-1, 3-1), ranked No. Without question, winning the SWAC was Valley's goal that season. 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 Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. Totten had already thrown for 3,500 yards and a division-record 43 touchdowns, and Rice had nearly 1,400 yards and 21 scores of his own. Cooley recalled. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. Homecoming. Find out more. 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.". That crazy coach was Archie Cooley. Lacy, Clarence Football | March 30, 2023 View Archives HBCU NATIONAL CHAMPION NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL EAGLES AND MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE DELTA DEVILS TO APPEAR IN THE 39TH ANNIVERSARY CIRCLE CITY But ultimately neither complaint could change the outcome on the field. "Every year that I spent at Mississippi Valley State was special to me, but I think that '84 showed that we had come together as a team and we felt really comfortable with Archie and what he was trying to do as a football team on the field," Rice said. Totten played college football at Mississippi Valley State and was as the starting quarterback at Delta Devils. Before the game, which locals touted as the "Game of the Century," Alcorn State linebackers coach Theo Danzy was asked by Sports Illustrated one of many national publications that made the trip how you stopped Cooley's offense, to which he replied:"You don't stop it. Starters are marked with an asterisk (*). 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. We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here. Former North Carolina A&T offensive lineman Rio Claytor has committed to MVSU after a stint in the transfer portal. After that, teams began to double- and triple-team Rice, sometimes leaving the Delta Devils' other receivers uncovered and allowing them to run roughshod. (); : 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. The Delta Devils play in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision as a member of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC). Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. Holmes, Zane Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. Main Navigation Menu. : The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. We present them here for purely educational purposes. 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. Added Rice: "That was going to be the speed of play during the actual football game, so you had to condition yourself a certain way, and we did that during training camp. 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. All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. Rice had nine catches for 155 yards, including a memorable 64-yard touchdown catch-and-run on the last play of the second half, and by chance, Niners coach Bill Walsh happened to be watching from a hotel across the state in New Orleans the night before San Francisco was set to play the Saints. (); : Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. 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. Mississippi Valley State entered the game ranked fifth in the nation thanks to its high-octane offense. 1984 Mississippi State Bulldogs Roster | College Football at Sports-Reference.com via Sports Logos.net About logos 1984 Mississippi State Bulldogs Roster Previous Year Next Year Record: 4-7 (76th of 110) ( Schedule & Results ) Conference: SEC Conference Record: 1-5 Coach: Emory Bellard (4-7) Points For: 198 Points/G: 18.0 (81st of 110) Do you have a blog? It was just a complete reversal of what we had been doing all year. And it was during that wild ride of a 1984 season that Rice and an unheralded quarterback named Willie Totten perfected an innovative offensive scheme that came years before its time, rewriting the NCAA record books with the whole world watching. We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy. The Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils ' Ronnie Thomas signed with the Canadian Football League ( CFL) Calgary Stampeder on Thursday evening . Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. 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.". ); : This would continue until either the MVSU offense reached the goal line at which point it would turn around and start over again or until it made a mistake, which required everyone to start over from the beginning. Football (); : ); The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy. Offensive Guard: Florida Atlantic Monterio Hunt: Wide Receiver: Rutgers Jerrick Reed II: Defensive Back: New Mexico Devonte Lloyd [1] Contents 1 Schedule 2 Personnel 3 Season summary 3.1 Mississippi State Of course, in order to outwork the other team, that meant Mississippi Valley State had to be in better shape. Executives Bud Adams, Scott Pioli, George Halas . "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. Killins, Dejuan The official 2022 Football Roster for the Fort Valley State University Wildcats Use of this website (including any and all parts and components) constitutes your acceptance of these. There is no additional information to display. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. "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. And sometimes, they'd just line up in a traditional set using a conventional formation as an element of surprise. (); : Recap. "They just dropped eight, and that was something that we weren't accustomed to. Cooley and them started that at Mississippi Valley State.' The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. All rights reserved. Other times, Cooley would call for a triple-stack, with one guy in the slot, occasionally putting someone in the backfield with Totten. We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here. "Sometimes we'd even (run routes) it in front of the cafeteria, just hanging around the dormitory. I was going to get on the football field no matter what.". The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy. After getting that long awaited taste of success in 1983, Cooley made it his mission to transform a feared offense into one that was totally unstoppable, and by the start of training camp in 1984, the Gunslinger had a playbook of more than 200 whimsical, schoolyard-inspired plays that utilized any and every imaginable formation Cooley thought might give him a chance to fool an opponent. About logos 1983-84 Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils Men's Roster and Stats Previous Season Next Season Record: 15-13 (6-8, 5th in SWAC MBB ) Coach: Lafayette Stribling PS/G: 77.1 (30th of 275) PA/G: 74.5 (246th of 275) SRS: -5.76 (192nd of 275) SOS: -8.03 (255th of 275) Mississippi Valley State (Men's) School History Roster & Stats burlington ct obituaries, juliette lewis seinfeld,

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