Beating D-II cupcakes was impressive, sure, but the true test of just how effective this offense could be came in Week 3, when the Delta Devils brought the Satellite Express to Jackson State for an annual rivalry game that was really only one in name, as Mississippi Valley hadn't beaten the Tigers in 27 years. And one can't help but wonder whether any of it would have happened had they not believed in a crazy Gunslinger coach with a gimmicky system to lead them to one of the most exciting seasons football has ever seen. Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils Men's, More 1984-85 Mississippi Valley State (Men's) Pages, College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com Blog and Articles. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. After that, teams began to double- and triple-team Rice, sometimes leaving the Delta Devils' other receivers uncovered and allowing them to run roughshod. "Improvement wasn't something I worried about," Cooley said. They just couldn't handle what we did.". 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 we still just felt like we needed to keep tuning that offense, that system and that speed of play, and we felt we'd be able to do great things on the football field.". But ultimately neither complaint could change the outcome on the field. Roster includes most starters and key reserves. We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here. Do you have a blog? The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy. Thompson, Eli "We could look at the defensive back and know exactly what route to give Jerry, or he knew what signal to give me to let me know what route he was going to run," Totten said. Starters are marked with an asterisk (*). 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. Green, Tre And I know if someone else wants to claim it and rename it and get the credit, there's somebody who's going to be sitting in that room who's going to say, 'No, no, no, you didn't do that. Find out more. Stadiums "He was the only one out of our group that played (as a true freshman), so he was the big kid on the block and we all kind of did what Jerry did. Or write about sports? Killins, Dejuan Mississippi Valley State wasn't in the hunt for a national title in 1984, as its neighbors at Ole Miss and Mississippi State are today. vs Central St. 9/2 . Regular Season. San Diego State University, 1980-1982, 1984, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1993-1997 San Francisco State University, 1991, 1994 San Jose State University, 1977-1980, 1984-1986, 1989 All rights reserved. (And if you can't), then you take a three-point stance and say, 'Our Father, who art in heaven .'". Join our linker program. Jerry Rice picking up yards after a catch. "Then the next morning, when we were having our pregame meal, he came down and was all excited, and he said, 'I just saw probably the best receiver in the country,' " recalled John McVay, then the GM of the 49ers, in an interview with FOX Sports. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? The selection was a dream come true for Rice, long before he turned out to be a dream come true for the Niners. "They didn't know what to do, and we would just eat it up.". That's the way we felt, and that's the way it worked.". "We didn't worry about all the attention that was coming," Rice told FOX Sports of the '84 MVSU team, which went 9-2 and averaged 640 yards and nearly 61 points per game in the regular 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 Led by fifth-year head coach Archie Cooley, the Delta Devils played their home games at Magnolia Stadiumnow known as RiceTotten Stadiumin Itta Bena, Mississippi. "We were hungry, we wanted to win and we had great players that came to work every day. Mississippi Valley State has just added another piece to its offensive line as it prepares for the 2022 season. "We weren't trying to set records or get the national attention. "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. Football Anderson, Cayden THE OFFICIAL WEBSITE OF MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS, Copyright 2023 Mississippi Valley State University, Rice-Totten Stadium at Chuck Prophet Field. "When we got to the stadium, I guarantee that there were already 30,000 or 35,000 people already in there, and to see that happen, that was something that will always be a great feeling for Mississippi and for Valley nation, that we filled that stadium up," Totten said. Mississippi Valley finished the season with an overall record of 92 and a mark of 61 in conference play, placing second in the SWAC. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. Lacy, Clarence "I had coaches walk up to me at halftime and say, 'Cooley what are you trying to do, get me fired? I'm sure of that.". The key to Cooley's Frankenstein offense, see, was that defenses would never know what was coming, even when the right call seemed obvious. The 1984 Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils team represented the Mississippi Valley State University as a member of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) during the 1984 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Sometimes, though, Rice would line up as the last guy in one of those stack formations, where he would catch a screen pass with the option to either run it or throw it to one of the many streaking receivers sprinting in different directions across the field. Rice's work ethic would go on to become the stuff of legend during his 20 seasons in the NFL, but the first real glimpse into the type of student of the game and gym rat he was came at MVSU. Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Sunday, April 30, 6:46AM. Wade, Jeremy We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here. Teddy Allen. Recap. We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. Former North Carolina A&T offensive lineman Rio Claytor has committed to MVSU after a stint in the transfer portal. Oct 22 (Sat) 3 p.m. SWAC. "We knew we had to have something special to do it against Jackson, so we did a smaller amount of (our offense) against Washburn and Kentucky State," Cooley said. A majority of the plays were designed to have Rice lined up on one side of the field, with four receivers set up on the opposite side, often in a straight line, like dominoes. "I remember their coach saying that they knew they couldn't stop our offense in the middle of the field, but they prepared for us from the red zone in," Totten said. Itta Bena, Mississippi Rice-Totten Stadium at Chuck Prophet Field. Read more about our data coverage. Shanklin, Jaydyn 1984-85 Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils Men's Roster and Stats Previous Season Next Season Record: 18-11 (8-7, 3rd in SWAC MBB ) Coach: Lafayette Stribling PS/G: 78.2 (17th of 282) PA/G: 72.1 (210th of 282) SRS: -2.25 (165th of 282) SOS: -7.29 (261st of 282) Mississippi Valley State (Men's) School History Roster & Stats "We got very good at it and all the receivers that I had were good. Of course, in order to outwork the other team, that meant Mississippi Valley State had to be in better shape. Schedule [ edit] [1] Roster [ edit] References [ edit] ^ College Football @ Sports-Reference.com. The official 1984 Baseball schedule for the Mississippi State University Bulldogs Jerry Rice and Deacon Jones, considered two of the greatest American football players of all time, spent their college days playing for the team. Had the MVSU come out on the winning end of its 28-28 tie with eventual SWAC champ Grambling State, it would have finished in a tie with Grambling atop the conference. Hollowell, Zamariyon So my offensive mind grew tremendously simply because I took a lot of pride in doing what I was doing.". Chestnut, Jaxson And not for spurts or as an occasional change of pace or during the two-minute drill but for the entire game in other words, 60 minutes of chaos. Pirtle, Devin 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. Rice would finish the '83 season with a I-AA record 102 catches and 1,450 yards, with a record 24 catches and 279 yards coming in one game, a 31-28 loss to Southern. The '84 Delta Devils had the best season in program history by going 9-2 and finishing 6th in the D-1AA (now FCS) polls. Mississippi Valley State's head coach Archie "Gunslinger" Cooley led the Satellite Express offense featuring Jerry Rice and Willie "Satellite" Totten to average a remarkable 60.9 points per game . Franklin, Donavin Against Prairie View A&M, the floodgates opened for everyone, with Totten throwing for 599 yards and eight touchdowns, as Rice caught 10 passes for 198 yards and another five scores. Or write about sports? There is no additional information to display. (); : Led by quarterback Willie Totten and legendary receiver Jerry Rice, the Delta Devils annihilated opposing teams en route to a 9-2 record. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. We thought Coach Cooley was crazy because we were running, running, running up and down the field, up and down the field, and guys had to get adjusted to it. Williams Sr. Marlon Parker, Markwan This article about a sports team in Mississippi is a stub. Record: 4-7 (76th of 110) (Schedule & Results). The only chance for true redemption would come in the playoffs, where Mississippi Valley met Louisiana Tech in the first round, but a dream of a I-AA national championship died hard and fast, with the Bulldogs cruising to a 66-19 home win, ending the Devils' season. The Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils are the college football team representing the Mississippi Valley State University. 1986-87 Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils Men's Roster and Stats Previous Season Next Season Record: 13-15 (9-5, 2nd in SWAC MBB ) Coach: Lafayette Stribling PS/G: 80.6 (39th of 289) PA/G: 83.9 (280th of 288) SRS: -10.88 (248th of 290) SOS: -7.29 (254th of 290) Mississippi Valley State (Men's) School History Roster & Stats To see all of those fans come out, they knew it was going to be a great battle, and I think we went into that ballgame feeling pretty comfortable that we could win.