 |  |  |  |  |  |
Cowbells. A massive, incredibly massive state of the art high definition video board,
These are just two of the signature elements of the game day experience at Davis
Wade Stadium, home of the Mississippi State Bulldogs.
Located in Starkville, Mississippi, this is one of the oldest venues in division 1-A
college football, originally opened in 1914, although later construction and expansion
projects added a concrete grandstand and more seating capacity. The most recent
renovation, completed in 2002, added 50 suites, 1700 club leverl seats and a second
upper seating deck to increase capacity to just over 55,000 seats.
But it is the 111x47 new high definition board in the south end zone that catches the
eye here. Upon walking up to the stadium, you can’t help but see it as it can be easily
spotted even from the highways beyond the campus.
The tailgate area which is a must visit here is an area called “The Junction”. It is
named after a defunct railroad line that used to run through this area, and later, a
convergence of streets called :The Malfunction Junction” where 6 streets converged
onto one spot on the campus. Today it is a pedestrian park just beyond the south wall
of the stadium, and here thousands of fans converge t tailgate via a maze of tents and
canopies laid out in street grid fashion, without any cars or traffic. It is actually a
planned area, with another tradition, “The Dawg Walk”, a parade where the marching
band and players and coaches come through this area three hours before game time,
cheered on by thousands of fans who are here to party.
With the SEC banning noisemakers in all of their venues, the Bulldogs had to get
special permission to allow cowbells into the stadium. To do so, the ringing of the
bells can only take place at specific times, and they do a great job with the video board
exhorting fans as to ring their bells, even involving the head coach into the process.
On our visit it was the Auburn Tigers, a nationally ranked team in town taking on
Mississippi State. Down 17-14, the Bulldogs had the ball in the last two minutes and a
chance for the tying or winning score, but their drive fell short at the opponents’ 40 yard
line and Auburn managed to run out the clock.
These are just two of the signature elements of the game day experience at Davis
Wade Stadium, home of the Mississippi State Bulldogs.
Located in Starkville, Mississippi, this is one of the oldest venues in division 1-A
college football, originally opened in 1914, although later construction and expansion
projects added a concrete grandstand and more seating capacity. The most recent
renovation, completed in 2002, added 50 suites, 1700 club leverl seats and a second
upper seating deck to increase capacity to just over 55,000 seats.
But it is the 111x47 new high definition board in the south end zone that catches the
eye here. Upon walking up to the stadium, you can’t help but see it as it can be easily
spotted even from the highways beyond the campus.
The tailgate area which is a must visit here is an area called “The Junction”. It is
named after a defunct railroad line that used to run through this area, and later, a
convergence of streets called :The Malfunction Junction” where 6 streets converged
onto one spot on the campus. Today it is a pedestrian park just beyond the south wall
of the stadium, and here thousands of fans converge t tailgate via a maze of tents and
canopies laid out in street grid fashion, without any cars or traffic. It is actually a
planned area, with another tradition, “The Dawg Walk”, a parade where the marching
band and players and coaches come through this area three hours before game time,
cheered on by thousands of fans who are here to party.
With the SEC banning noisemakers in all of their venues, the Bulldogs had to get
special permission to allow cowbells into the stadium. To do so, the ringing of the
bells can only take place at specific times, and they do a great job with the video board
exhorting fans as to ring their bells, even involving the head coach into the process.
On our visit it was the Auburn Tigers, a nationally ranked team in town taking on
Mississippi State. Down 17-14, the Bulldogs had the ball in the last two minutes and a
chance for the tying or winning score, but their drive fell short at the opponents’ 40 yard
line and Auburn managed to run out the clock.
DAVID WADE
STADIUM
Starkville,
Mississippi
September 9,
2010
Auburn
Tigers
at
Mississippi
State
Bulldogs
STADIUM
Starkville,
Mississippi
September 9,
2010
Auburn
Tigers
at
Mississippi
State
Bulldogs
| Amherst, New York |
Davis Wade Stadium
