1983 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team

1983 Mississippi State Bulldogs football
1983 Mississippi State Bulldogs football
Conference	Southeastern Conference
Record	3–8 (1–5 SEC)
Head coach	Emory Bellard (5th season);
Defensive coordinator	Melvin Robertson (5th season)
Home stadium	Scott Field; Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium
	Seasons ← 1982 1984 →

1983 Southeastern Conference football standings
v t e	Conf					Overall
Team	W		L		T	W		L		T
No. 3 Auburn $	6	–	0	–	0	11	–	1	–	0
No. 4 Georgia	5	–	1	–	0	10	–	1	–	1
No. 6 Florida	4	–	2	–	0	9	–	2	–	1
Tennessee	4	–	2	–	0	9	–	3	–	0
No. 15 Alabama	4	–	2	–	0	8	–	4	–	0
Ole Miss	4	–	2	–	0	6	–	6	–	0
Kentucky	2	–	4	–	0	6	–	5	–	1
Mississippi State	1	–	5	–	0	3	–	8	–	0
LSU	0	–	6	–	0	4	–	7	–	0
Vanderbilt	0	–	6	–	0	2	–	9	–	0

$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

The 1983 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team represented Mississippi State University as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) during the 1983 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by fifth-year head coach Emory Bellard, the Bulldogs compiled an overall record of 3–8, with a mark of 1–5 in conference play, and finished eighth in the SEC.

With a 45–26 win over LSU, Bulldog quarterback John Bond became the first and only quarterback to register four wins over LSU.^[1]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 3	Tulane*	Scott Field Starkville, MS	W 14–9	27,311	^[2]
September 17	Navy*	Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium Jackson, MS	W 38–10	45,211	^[3]
September 24	No. 15 Florida	Scott Field Starkville, MS	L 12–35	31,875	^[4]
October 1	at No. 11 Georgia	Sanford Stadium Athens, GA	L 7–20	82,122	^[5]
October 8	vs. Southern Miss*	Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium Jackson, MS	L 6–31	58,311	^[6]
October 15	No. 10 Miami (FL)*	Scott Field Starkville, MS	L 7–31	29,456	^[7]
October 22	at No. 5 Auburn	Jordan-Hare Stadium Auburn, AL	L 13–28	71,500	^[8]
October 29	at No. 18 Alabama	Bryant–Denny Stadium Tuscaloosa, AL (rivalry)	L 18–35	60,210	^[9]
November 5	Memphis State*	Scott Field Starkville, MS	L 13–30	28,203	^[10]
November 12	at LSU	Tiger Stadium Baton Rouge, LA (rivalry)	W 45–26	74,439	^[11]
November 19	vs. Ole Miss	Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium Jackson, MS (Egg Bowl)	L 23–24	59,758	^[12]
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

^[13]

Personnel

1983 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team roster

Players

Coaches

Offense

Pos.	Name	Class
QB	John Bond	Sr
FB	Rickey Edwards
WR	Danny Knight
RB	Henry Koontz
RB	Elmer Wilson
RB	Lamar Windham

Defense

Pos.	#	Name	Class

Special teams

Pos.	#	Name	Class
K		Artie Crosby

Mike McDonald pos=center

Head coach

Emory Bellard

Coordinators/assistant coaches

Legend

(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible

Injured
Redshirt

References

^ Hicks, Tommy (September 25, 2015). "John Bond reminisces about days as Mississippi State star". GridironNow.com. Archived from the original on October 5, 2015. Retrieved October 11, 2015.
^ "State surprises Tulane with rebuilt defense". Enterprise-Journal. September 4, 1983. Retrieved October 20, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Miss. State overwhelms Navy, 38–10". The Baltimore Sun. September 18, 1983. Retrieved November 3, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Bulldogs lose in fourth quarter". The Sun. September 25, 1983. Retrieved November 3, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Georgia corrals Bond, defeats Mississippi State 20–7". The Macon Telegraph & News. October 2, 1983. Retrieved November 3, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "USM gains momentum with win over State". Enterprise-Journal. October 9, 1983. Retrieved March 26, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Hurricanes breeze 31–7". The Palm Beach Post. October 16, 1983. Retrieved November 3, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Tigers bag Miss State". The Selma Times-Journal. October 23, 1983. Retrieved November 3, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Slow recovery brings Tide win". The Anniston Star. October 30, 1983. Retrieved November 2, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Bellard says he's toblame for loss". The Greenwood Commonwealth. November 6, 1983. Retrieved November 2, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Bulldogs stop streak by swamping LSU". The Commercial Appeal. November 13, 1983. Retrieved November 3, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Rebels edge Bulldogs 24–23". The Tennessean. November 20, 1983. Retrieved November 3, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "1983 Mississippi State Bulldogs Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved November 3, 2023.