For more than a hundred years, Saturdays in Clinton, Mississippi, were all about Choctaw football. From that first kickoff back in 1907 to the final snap in 2024, Mississippi College built a reputation on small-school toughness and the occasional brush with national recognition. Robinson–Hale Stadium, with its close-knit 8,500 seats, was the hub of it all—a place where alumni, students, and locals came together to cheer on their team. For generations, the Choctaws offered Mississippi a proud small-college counterpoint to the state’s bigger SEC programs. That’s why the news in November 2024 came as such a shock: the school announced it would be dropping football as part of its shift to become Mississippi Christian University in 2026, closing the book on 117 seasons of tradition.
The early decades of Choctaw football were defined by pioneers who put the school on the national map. None shone brighter than Edwin “Goat” Hale, a halfback who starred from 1915–1921. Known for lowering his head and charging through defenders, Hale became Mississippi College’s first true folk hero, earning induction into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame in 1961, and the College Football Hall of Fame in 1963. He carried the Choctaws to recognition well beyond Mississippi, proving that a small Baptist school could produce talent equal to any in the South.
(Goat Hale, above, was one of Mississippi’s first true college football superstars)
Another enduring figure was Stanley L. Robinson, who coached the program from 1928–1953 and racked up 127 victories along the way. Robinson’s disciplined teams carved out a reputation for toughness, and his consistency earned him a spot in the College Football Hall of Fame in 1980, cementing his status as the architect of the Choctaws’ early modern era.
In the program’s formative decades, while in the Dixie Conference and Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Mississippi College wasn’t afraid to line up against the biggest names in Southern football. The Choctaws scheduled and faced Ole Miss, Mississippi State, and even LSU, showing a willingness to punch above their weight. The SIAC was even the precursor for what would become the powerful Southeastern Conference (SEC).
These matchups also helped forge the team’s identity — scrappy, fearless, and determined to prove that a small Baptist college could hang with the region’s football royalty. This era laid the foundation for a football culture that would eventually find its most natural home in the small-college ranks. As the SEC schools grew into national powers with larger enrollments, stadiums, and budgets, Mississippi College carved its niche by leaning into the Division II landscape, where its size and resources were better matched.
By the 1970s and 1980s, Mississippi College had fully embraced its role as a Division II power. Under head coach John M. Williams, the Choctaws rose to prominence, winning Gulf South Conference titles in 1979, 1988, and 1990. Williams’ teams became perennial playoff contenders, highlighted by the unforgettable 1989 NCAA Division II Championship Game, where MC toppled Jacksonville State 3–0. Though the NCAA later vacated the title in 1993, Choctaw fans still celebrate that defensive masterpiece as the pinnacle of the program’s history. That era also produced one of the school’s most celebrated players—running back Fred McAfee, whose speed carried him from Clinton to a long NFL career and a Super Bowl ring with the New Orleans Saints.
(Before he was an All-Pro Special Teams player for the Saints, Fred McAfee, Above, was a standout running back for the Choctaws in the late 80’s. And was a key factor for the Choctaws 1989 D2 National Championship.)
A big part of this surge was the opening of Robinson–Hale Stadium in 1985. Named after Stanley L. Robinson and Goat Hale, the on-campus facility gave the Choctaws a true home field advantage. With seating for over 8,500, it was one of the larger Division II venues in the South. The roar of the crowd inside Robinson–Hale created an electric atmosphere, especially in playoff runs and rivalry games, and the stadium quickly became one of the Gulf South’s most intimidating stops.
Closer to home, nothing captured the spirit of Choctaw football quite like the Heritage Bell Classic against Delta State. First played in 1935, the matchup quickly grew into one of Mississippi’s fiercest small-college rivalries, fueled by bragging rights, proximity, and a shared passion for the game. When the series was revived during the modern Division II era, it became a staple of both schools’ schedules, drawing large and spirited crowds from Clinton to Cleveland. The bell trophy itself was more than just hardware—it was a symbol of pride, grit, and tradition, changing hands in hard-hitting battles that carried the same intensity as the SEC rivalries Mississippi College once chased in its early years. Fittingly, the rivalry also marked the program’s final chapter. In November 2024, before a charged crowd, Delta State edged the Choctaws 20–14, claiming the bell one last time as MC’s football story came to a close.
The Choctaws sent several names to the professional ranks over the course of 117 seasons:
- Fred McAfee (RB, 1987–1990)
Fred McAfee is widely considered the greatest player in Mississippi College history. A shifty, explosive running back, he was a finalist for the Harlon Hill Trophy and the offensive spark behind the Choctaws’ 1989 national championship run. Drafted in the 6th round by the New Orleans Saints in 1991, McAfee carved out a remarkable 16-year NFL career, earning Pro Bowl honors as a special teams ace. He later returned to the Saints as a team executive, remaining one of the most respected figures in the franchise.
- Larry Evans – The Biloxi native was a hard-hitting linebacker who was a standout on the Choctaw defense during the 1970s. His relentless style of play caught the attention of the NFL, where he was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the 14th Round of the 1976 NFL Draft. Evans became part of the legendary “Orange Crush” defense that carried Denver to Super Bowl XII.
- Joel Hitt – Joel Hitt was a true Renaissance athlete for Mississippi College in the 1930s. A standout quarterback on the gridiron, he was just as talented on the hardwood, later playing professional basketball in the early National Basketball League — a forerunner of the NBA. Hitt’s versatility made him one of the most decorated all-around athletes in school history. He was also drafted by the Cleveland Rams in the 1939 NFL Draft and played three game for the Rams making him one of the rare people to both play in the NFL and the precursor for the NBA. His legacy proved that the Choctaws could produce stars in multiple sports.
- Charlie Armstrong – A halfback of the 1930s who carried Choctaw pride against larger programs. Armstrong was taken by the Chicago Cardinals in the 12th round of the 1941 NFL Draft, selected 103rd overall, but his professional career was put on hold when he entered military service. He spent the war years in the South Pacific during World War II before returning to football in 1946 with the Brooklyn Dodgers of the All-America Football Conference. That season he appeared in 10 games, starting twice, and finished with 78 rushing yards on 22 carries.
On November 18, 2024, Mississippi College leaders delivered news that shook the Clinton community and alumni base alike: the school would rebrand as Mississippi Christian University in 2026, and as part of that transition, football would be discontinued. While the rebrand itself carried weight, it was the decision to shutter the gridiron program that drew the deepest reaction. Administrators pointed to the mounting financial pressures of college athletics in the modern NIL and transfer portal era, explaining that even well-established Division II programs now faced unsustainable costs.
For the Choctaws, the announcement marked the close of a story that began in 1907 and stretched across 117 seasons. The program’s identity had been built on players who balanced academics with athletics, on rivalries that defined local autumn Saturdays, and on the rare but unforgettable moments of national spotlight, like the 1989 Division II national championship run.
The end of Choctaw football was more than the loss of a team—it was the closing of a cultural chapter. For alumni, the announcement meant the fading of a tradition that connected generations, a shared bond stretching from players of the 1930s to the stars of the 1980s and 1990s, like Fred McAfee, who carried the program’s name onto the NFL stage. And for Mississippi’s football landscape, it meant the disappearance of one of the state’s proudest small-college alternatives.
Though the Choctaws’ final whistle blew in 2024, the program leaves behind a a century-long legacy woven into the fabric of Mississippi sports history.
Mississippi College Football – NCAA Division II Playoff History
All-Time Record: 9–6
- 1979 (Semifinals, 1–1 record)
- Defeated Delaware 35–15 (First Round)
- Lost to North Dakota State 60–10 (Semifinals)
- 1988 (First Round, 0–1 record)
- Lost to Texas A&I 39–15
- 1989 (National Champions*, 4–0 record)
- Defeated Texas A&I 34–19 (First Round)
- Defeated St. Cloud State 55–24 (Quarterfinals)
- Defeated Indiana (PA) 26–14 (Semifinals)
- Defeated Jacksonville State 3–0 (Championship Game)
- *Title later vacated by NCAA
- 1990 (Semifinals, 2–1 record)
- Defeated Wofford 70–19 (First Round)
- Defeated Jacksonville State 14–7 (Quarterfinals)
- Lost to Indiana (PA) 27–8 (Semifinals)
- 1991 (Quarterfinals, 1–1 record)
- Defeated Wofford 28–15 (First Round)
- Lost to Jacksonville State 35–7 (Quarterfinals)
Summary
- Playoff Appearances: 5 (1979, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991)
- Overall Record: 9–6
- Deepest Runs: 1979 (Semifinals), 1989 (Won Championship on the field), 1990 (Semifinals)
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