Mississippi State head coach Dan Mullen is attempting to generate as much fan interest and involvement as possible in the spring game, the football portion of Super Bulldog Weekend.
“The spring game is kind of a big deal,” Mullen said. “It’s different than a regular game; it’s like a celebration on campus.
At Mullen’s request, MSU will sponsor the first Scott Field Student Games at halftime of the spring game.
“I think it will be entertaining for all the fans that come to the game,” he said. “It allows the students to have a fun activity and to take ownership and be able to cheer for their specific teams or organizations.”
Teams will compete in four events, including a dizzy bat relay, an egg toss and an over/under relay. A uniform change relay will also be held, in which teams take turns putting on football pads.
Teams will consist of eight members each, with four males and four females.
Participants are asked to e-mail [email protected] with the name of their organization, team captain and contact information by April 14.
Each organization is limited to one team.
MSU spokesman Joe Galbraith said prizes will be awarded to the winners but have not been determined yet.
“You always want the fans, especially here on campus, involved in their football team,” Mullen said. “I take a lot of pride in every organization here on campus. Any time that Mississippi State succeeds, whether it’s in athletics or academics or socially around campus, I take a lot of pride in those things.”
In addition to the Scott Field Student Games, one lucky fan will have an opportunity to coach one of the teams in the football game, determined by an online auction.
That fan will have a role in drafting the white team, giving the pregame speech and take part in tough gameday decisions for his team.
“This is another way to try to get our fans involved in this program and let them be a part of what we hope will be a very special team,” Mullen said. “The fans have been so supportive everywhere we’ve been and I have no doubt this will be a great success.”
Mullen called the auction a great way to drum up excitement in the fanbase.
“One of the things we want to do is really create that excitement in the fanbase to let a fan come out and give that pregame speech and be a head coach for a day,” Mullen said. “I want to make sure we’re giving the fans and all the people that support our program the opportunity to really embrace our program and hopefully we succeed.”
Galbraith said the purpose of the push for fan involvement is two-fold.
“The whole emphasis of the athletic department is to show off this football team for the fans to get an opportunity to see the hard work [it has] put in throughout spring practice,” he said.
He also said the weekend is a big recruiting tool.
“We expect all of the state’s top recruits to be on campus that day,” Galbraith said. “The passion and the fan support that Mississippi State students have go a long way to show these recruits why they should come to Mississippi State. As Coach Mullen has said time and time again, you don’t have to be a great coach if you have great players.”