Certain years stand out in the hearts, minds and souls of Bulldog fans. Very few years stand above 1996 and the highs experienced by the teams wearing the Maroon and White
Now for the final game of the first round of the Greatest Game Voting on For Whom the Cowbell Tolls:
1996: Basketball Mississippi State vs. #1 Kentucky SEC Tournament vs. 1996:Football Mississippi State vs. #8 Alabama
Mississippi State 84 vs #1 Kentucky 73
Mississippi State and Kentucky seemed destined to meet in the finals of the 1996 SEC tournament. The teams won their respective divisions, and had squared off in a tight battle just a few weeks prior. Neither disappointed as they stacked up double digit wins in each of their games on the way to the final.
Amazing things broke out that Sunday in the Superdome in New Orleans. The Bulldogs led by players such as Dontae Jones, Erick Dampier and Darryl Wilson took the Wildcats to school in what was to many a surprising result against the nation's number one team. The victory handed MSU their first ever SEC tournament championship.
Perhaps most importantly, this game served as the springboard to success that Mississippi State experienced in the NCAA tournament, and it is the reason Bulldog fans always hope for a big SEC tournament run to launch into March Madness.
1996 SEC Tournament Championship Game: Mississippi State vs Kentucky (via sparky39762)
Mississippi State 17 vs. #8 Alabama 16
One of the most frustrating things as a Mississippi State fan is Alabama. It seems that the Bulldogs always have to play second fiddle to the Tide, and it gets old. The Tide are around plus 60 in the win column over Mississippi State. Before 1996, the Bulldogs had never beaten Alabama at Scott Field. Of course, they were rarely playing the Tide there.
On that magical day, the Bulldogs, who would finish with a 5-6 record, took care of business and defeated the Crimson Tide, starting a run where MSU would take 4 of 5 games against Alabama.
The game, played on Saturday night on ESPN, saw Alabama only needing a win to take the SEC West, but MSU made them wait a bit longer. Neither team got off to a great start in the first quarter, but when halftime reached, Mississippi State held a 14-13 lead.
We all know what happened next.
Mississippi State vs. Alabama, 1996 (via BulldogOzzy)