The first thing you see upon entering the Hattiesburg Zoo is the golden eagle exhibit, featuring two majestic golden eagles. This is only fitting, as the zoo sits on Kamper Park, a site deeply intertwined with the history of Southern Miss football. The park, which has become a hub for recreation and wildlife appreciation, is Hattiesburg’s oldest park and has become one of the city’s most cherished greenspaces since opening in 1908.
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On Easter Sunday in 1950, Kamper Park saw a new chapter unfold—the opening of the Hattiesburg Zoo. What began as a small collection of native animals gathered by local children evolved into a renowned wildlife conservation center. Over the past 75 years, the zoo has undergone numerous transformations, introducing new exhibits, expanding its educational programs.  Under its leadership, the zoo has expanded its offerings, improved facilities, and strengthened its commitment to conservation and education. The commission has played a crucial role in making the zoo one of the Southeast’s premier family attractions.
To mark its 75th anniversary, the Hattiesburg Zoo has launched a year-long celebration featuring special events, interactive exhibits, and community engagement initiatives. Visitors can explore the zoo’s rich history while enjoying modern attractions, including: Flamingo Habitat ribbon cutting ceremony, educational wildlife programs, and historical exhibits showcasing the zoo’s evolution.
But long before the Hattiesburg Zoo opened its gates, Kamper Park was a hub for sports in Hattiesburg. In the early 1900s, the site was home to Mississippi Normal College’s football team—what would later become Southern Miss. The team played its first games on the fields of Kamper Park from 1912-1931.
The site of the former fields would have been located near where the Africa pavilion is located today extending to where the Serengeti Spring Water Park is today, the newest addition to the Hattiesburg Zoo, which opened in 1924.  100 years ago the forefathers of Southern football played on the same field where Hattiesburg’s resident giraffes Sue Ellen, Elberta and Grace grace today.
Mississippi Normal College Normalites, as they were known then, played their first game at Kamper on Oct 13, 1912. It would be no normal game for the Normalites as their opponent would be the Hattiesburg Boy Scouts. The Normalites won 30-0.
The school would play mostly high schools and military schools during those early years. Poplarville and Perkinston High Schools were frequent opponents to Kamper Park, as well as the Gulf Coast Military Academy Football team. The Normalites would also play against schools such as the Seashore Campground School and Clarke College, which doesn’t even exist anymore.  Football would be suspended for two years during World War I, but after the War the football program and the college would begin to grow, and the quality of opponent would increase as well. By this point the school would change it’s name to Mississippi State College Teacher’s College the football program would welcome such opponents as Ole Miss, Tulane and the Mississippi A&M Maroons, who would become Mississippi State.
A who’s who of future College Football Hall of Famers and some of the early pioneers of college athletics visited Kamper Park during this period.  Dudy Noble, best known for the namesake of Mississippi State’s Dudy Noble Field, coached here in 1916 when his Mississippi College Choctaw thumped the Normalites 75-0. He would visit again in 1922, this time coaching the Mississippi A&M freshmen team to a loss to the Normalites.
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(Above: Dudy Noble during his time at Mississippi A&M)
In 1920 the Tulane Freshmen team visited Kamper Park and would get a win over Mississippi Normal School 19-0. Two future College Football Hall of Famers would be on the field that day for the Green Wave. Head Coach Clark Shaughnessy, famous for inventing the T-Formation and single wing play, was the coach for Tulane that day. He would later coach at Stanford, Pittsburgh and the LA Rams. Another one of Tulane’s Hall of Fame coaches was Germany Schultz, who coached the Offensive Line and was the Athletic Director for Tulane at the time. Schultz was one of the inaugural inductees into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1951. While Schaughnessy was inducted in 1968.
(Above: The 1920 Tulane Football team coached by two future College Football Hall of Famers)
One of the Normalites and State Teacher’s College’s biggest rivals at the time was Mississippi College, who played at Kamper Park four times during those early years. They were coached by George Bohler, who remains one of the few college football coaches to be buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
Another inaugural inductee in the College Football Hall of Fame visited Kamper Park was Homer Hazel, who coached Ole Miss in basketball and football from 1925-1930, and visited Kamper Park in 1925 as his Ole Miss Freshmen team would beat the State Teacher’s College 38-6.  Hazel, was a former All-American running back at Rutgers and one of College Football’s first big time players.
Over the years from 1912-1931 the former Southern Miss football team had a 37-21-8 record at Kamper Park.  During some of those early years students and players would take a train from campus to Kamper Park. The team would play at Kamper Park until 1931 when the need for a bigger stadium would become apparent.
By 1932, Southern Miss football had outgrown Kamper Park, and the team moved to Faulkner Field, which would later become M. M. Roberts Stadium Aka) The Rock. The move marked a new era for the program, allowing for larger crowds and more competitive matchups. However, Kamper Park remains an important part of Southern Miss football history, as the site where the program first took shape.  So, the next time you are at the Hattiesburg Zoo just remember you are walking amongst one of college football most hallowed grounds.
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