Meetings total 37 | Trophy Heritage Bell | |
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First meeting October 26, 1935Mississippi College 33, Delta State 0 All-time series Delta State leads 20–15–2 | ||
The Delta State–Mississippi State football rivalry, commonly known as the Heritage Bell Classic, is an college football rivalry game between two public universities in the U.S. state of Mississippi, Delta State University Statesmen and the Mississippi College Choctaws. The current winner is Delta State, who won, 61–31, on September 29, 2016. Delta State leads the all-time series, 20–15–2.
Background: 1935–1994
The Delta State Statesmen were co-founding members of the Gulf South Conference in 1970. Mississippi College joined the conference in 1972 and played 34 straight games with the Statesmen before the Choctaws left the conference in 1996 which halted the series. The Choctaws left the conference and NCAA Division II to compete at the NCAA Division III level until 2014, when they rejoined the conference and continued the series with Delta State.
The annual battle between Delta State and Mississippi College was one of the most anticipated contests in the "Magnolia State" from 1973 to 1995.