Mississippi A&M College, as it was known then, dabbled in the nascent sport with limited success until 1903. Enter Daniel S. Martin, a coach poached from rival Ole Miss, who ignited a spark. His Aggies tasted victory, laying the foundation for a program rooted in grit and determination.
Over the next three decades, the Aggies faced a revolving door of coaches and uneven results. Still, moments of brilliance emerged, like the 1914 season under E.R. Jones, where MSU claimed their first conference championship.
The school transitioned to Mississippi State College in 1932, and with it came a change in mascot. The Aggies officially became the Bulldogs, though the "Maroons" nickname had already been unofficially adopted after a 1905 victory over Ole Miss, where a bulldog pup was buried to symbolize the Aggies' spirit.
