FanShot

Mississippi State: Where did the Cowbell use come from?

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Missouri friends, This is thecristilmethod, manager over at For Whom the Cowbell Tolls, your SBNation Mississippi State brethren blog. As I noticed you guys are studying up on us this week to prepare for your move to the ESSS EEEE SEEEE, I wanted to share with you an explanation on our cowbell use. Most fans of schools not named MSU wonder: "why the hell do they ring those annoying cowbells all the time?" Well, you can find the "official" explanation as to where the cowbell tradition came from in the link above. Here's an exert from that link: "The precise origin of the cowbell as a fixture of Mississippi State sports tradition remains unclear to this day. The best records have cowbells gradually introduced to the MSU sports scene in the late 1930s and early 1940s, coinciding with the 'golden age' of Mississippi State football success prior to World War II. The most popular legend is that during a home football game between State and arch-rival Mississippi, a jersey cow wandered onto the playing field. Mississippi State soundly whipped the Rebels that Saturday, and State College students immediately adopted the cow as a good luck charm. Students are said to have continued bringing a cow to football games for a while, until the practice was eventually discontinued in favor of bringing just the cow's bell." If you guys have any questions, shoot them to me! And be sure to come check us out over at For Whom the Cowbell Tolls. [Bumped to the front page.]