With the aroma of slow-roasted chicken and smoked pork lingering across campus from the YMCA building to Allen Hall Saturday prior to Mississippi State University’s game with Troy State University, it was difficult for students and faculty to forget the arrival of Homecoming weekend. Every MSU student knows that tailgaters are never far from the scent of barbecue. A wide band of thunderstorms-plowing through the central United States from Wisconsin to Louisiana-filled with severe weather conditions such as hail and tornadoes-didn’t deter the Mississippi State faithful Saturday.
For 1968 alumnus Larry Wilson of Pascagoula and 1966 alumnus Kenneth Ramsey of Starkville, tailgating prior to MSU games is a tradition. It’s one that nasty weather could never impede.
“We’ve been at this spot since 1976,” Ramsey said, referring to their location across the street from the MSU Media Center and Hull Hall. “This is the way we plan our fall-with MSU football, which is why I moved to Starkville. It’s a long trip to Starkville from Pascagoula.”
Armed with Boston butt pork roast, baked beans and Spanish dip along with chips, both Ramsey and Wilson were prepared for a Saturday of relaxation and football.
Both alumni did admit, however, that the weather didn’t allow them to go all out.
“We had to scale back,” Ramsey said. “We knew (the weather) would be nasty. We usually bring barbecue pits.”
For Kyle Steward, Ned Young, Ken Stripling and their friends and family, “tailgating is a tradition,” said Steward. As the group sat under a tent and watched the raindrops fall to the already soaked earth, Young, a O75 alumnus,commented, “I wanted to be here at 9 a.m.
“I’m a dedicated fan,” Young said. “Tailgating makes it good and fun.”
As the group waited for the arrival of their late-morning meal, it was apparent this group would substitute beautiful weather for an afternoon amongst their friends.
Stripling said, “Under normal conditions, (the appeal) is the camaraderie.”
As the rain continued to dampen the already muddy grass, Stripling said, “Today, I’m not quite sure.