Question for you coasties...

[DistrictDawg92]

I was down on the MS coast this weekend and it got me thinking, about what percentage would you say folks down there are fans of State/Ole Miss/USM and LSU. I have always kinda thought that many were LSU fans but I really have no clue.

[BeardoMSU]

I'd say most are either USM or LSU fans. The typical 'MS coast LSU fan' has never taken a single class at LSU, though. OS has a pretty large OM contingent; they're not bad people though, as most are friends of mine.

[reddog]

we sell more tags than ole miss in harrison co. but like above a lot of corn doggers here

[SignalToNoise]

Majority is USM and LSU. State and OM after that.

[Goat Holder]

If what has been said in this thread is true, wow. We need to fix that shit. We talk about owning 'Our State', but we aren't number 1 in the most wealthy area of said state? Whatever the case, I know Mullen/Cohen have put emphasis on it, our recruiters and Alumni Association need to follow suit. The Coast and B'ham seem to me to be the most underutilized 'gold mine' regions for MSU IMO. We work Memphis and Jackson pretty well.

We need to at minimum put a dent in the USM loyalists.

[BeardoMSU]

If what has been said in this thread is true, wow. We need to fix that shit. We talk about owning 'Our State', but we aren't number 1 in the most wealthy area of said state? Whatever the case, I know Mullen/Cohen have put emphasis on it, our recruiters and Alumni Association need to follow suit. The Coast and B'ham seem to me to be the most underutilized 'gold mine' regions for MSU IMO. We work Memphis and Jackson pretty well.

We need to at minimum put a dent in the USM loyalists.

I don't know if you can do much about it. At my high school, the majority of people I knew went to either Perk (community college south of Hattiesburg), the JC (community college in Gautier), or USM....all of which because they couldn't stand being away from home for too long. All the people I knew who did end up going to either State or OM generally dropped out or just went home after a semester or so. It's pretty strange.

[Goat Holder]

I feel you, and yet another problem to me is that USM fans are fans of.....USM. That crap doesn't happen in Alabama. Troy/UAB at minimum have dual loyalties. The answer to this is obviously winning, but still, the blueprint to advancing MSU is simple. It's the execution that's tough.

[Johnson85]

I feel you, and yet another problem to me is that USM fans are fans of.....USM. That crap doesn't happen in Alabama. Troy/UAB at minimum have dual loyalties. The answer to this is obviously winning, but still, the blueprint to advancing MSU is simple. It's the execution that's tough.

Not really. There are more USM fans that are primarily USM fans than there are UAB fans that are primarily UAB fans, but most USM fans are either LSU fans or don't really care about college sports all that much. The bigger issue is that people that go to USM generally are not state (or Ole Miss) fans, but are LSU if they're from the coast or picayune or maybe alabama fans if they're from laurel or meridian.

[BeardoMSU]

Not really. There are more USM fans that are primarily USM fans than there are UAB fans that are primarily UAB fans, but most USM fans are either LSU fans or don't really care about college sports all that much. The bigger issue is that people that go to USM generally are not state (or Ole Miss) fans, but are LSU if they're from the coast or picayune or maybe alabama fans if they're from laurel or meridian.

I disagree, man. USM graduates are incessant with their talk in everything USM. Every USM graduate I've ever conversed with believes that their program of study is one of the best available; it's funny how that's always the case. I always make a point to remind them that a large number of their programs were in danger of losing their accreditation in 2003 or '04. Their school sucks. I would go to OM before I went to that shithole, especially considering you'd have to live in Hattiesburg.
The same thing goes with their sports. Those Fedora years they were insufferable. All of that "the only BCS ranked team in MS" shit was hilarious, especially considering how far they fell when he bolted for greener grass.

[Johnson85]

I disagree, man. USM graduates are incessant with their talk in everything USM. Every USM graduate I've ever conversed with believes that their program of study is one of the best available; it's funny how that's always the case. I always make a point to remind them that a large number of their programs were in danger of losing their accreditation in 2003 or '04. Their school sucks. I would go to OM before I went to that shithole, especially considering you'd have to live in Hattiesburg.
The same thing goes with their sports. Those Fedora years they were insufferable. All of that "the only BCS ranked team in MS" shit was hilarious, especially considering how far they fell when he bolted for greener grass.

Are you around younger or older fans? Most of the USM 'fans' I'm around are older, 40's if not 50's and older. Maybe it's the difference in ages? But tou would think it woudl be the opposite, and their older fans that went there before MSU and UM separated themselves from USM would be more hardcore, so maybe my experience is just not representative.

[BeardoMSU]

Are you around younger or older fans? Most of the USM 'fans' I'm around are older, 40's if not 50's and older. Maybe it's the difference in ages? But tou would think it woudl be the opposite, and their older fans that went there before MSU and UM separated themselves from USM would be more hardcore, so maybe my experience is just not representative.

Mostly people in their 30's and early 40's, with a few in their mid to late 20's.

[Todd4State]

USM has a major issue with their alumni and students pulling for and supporting other schools- whether that's MSU, Ole Miss, Alabama, or LSU. Because what's happening is they are going to USM for college, but then they are going to above schools football games and wearing above schools apparel.

They're bigger than Ole Miss enrollment wise but they have always had trouble drawing people to games. Even when they were good. That's one reason why we stopped playing them in football- because a ton of our fans would show up and they would get a ton of money from it.

And of course, yes, they do have some die hards who actually are all in on USM. But so does UAB, Troy, whoever else.

[Todd4State]

If what has been said in this thread is true, wow. We need to fix that shit. We talk about owning 'Our State', but we aren't number 1 in the most wealthy area of said state? Whatever the case, I know Mullen/Cohen have put emphasis on it, our recruiters and Alumni Association need to follow suit. The Coast and B'ham seem to me to be the most underutilized 'gold mine' regions for MSU IMO. We work Memphis and Jackson pretty well.

We need to at minimum put a dent in the USM loyalists.

That's why I like playing USM in football. Now, we don't need to do it every year. But playing them will market us to South Mississippi and the Gulf Coast. If we beat them and show that we are dominant- it will help our case as well. That's why I also like playing the in state SWAC schools when we play a I-AA team. We can assert dominance over them.
It helps to promote us to the black community in the state as well.

[BeastMan]

Biggest is LSU. USM and MSU are about equal IMO and it's likely b/c the MSU coast contingent has more passion about the university than the USM crowd. Ole miss is waaay behind everyone. But you have to understand how strong the LA presence is on the MSGC, particularly west MSGC. Where our place is in Pass Christian, the majority of the owners are from New Orleans. My cousins from BR have a place in Timber Ridge (also in Pass Christian). That neighborhood is 60% LA residents. We are talking about secondary residences but the coast LSU presence is strong. It's real LSU people too, nothing like the pathetic Bama trailer park crowd in the golden triangle.

[BeachDawg]

Most of the USM alumni are also LSU fans.

[drunkernhelldawg]

One thing that hurts us is that you seldom hear us on the radio. USM and LSU will be on three or four different stations. Ole Miss is always on at least one. State is hit or miss, often preempted by another team having higher priority. This is horrible in basketball and baseball. Not quite as bad in football, but we're even not on the air sometimes in football.

I don't know about others, but I like to listen to MSU games when I'm driving.

[Goat Holder]

I disagree. There's nearly zero 'Troy' fans. There's a bunch of true Buzzards.

[blacklistedbully]

I was a Coast-rat prior to going to MSU in 1980. Seems to me the majority of folks then were split mostly between MSU & OM, with USM coming in 3rd, despite being the closest of the 3. They just weren't considered, "big time". I don't recall there being an especially large number of LSU fans back then. If it matters, I was from Gulfport.

[Goat Holder]

One thing that hurts us is that you seldom hear us on the radio. USM and LSU will be on three or four different stations. Ole Miss is always on at least one. State is hit or miss, often preempted by another team having higher priority. This is horrible in basketball and baseball. Not quite as bad in football, but we're even not on the air sometimes in football.

I don't know about others, but I like to listen to MSU games when I'm driving.

This is something else that needs to be fixed, quick like.

[FISHDAWG]

well there's about to be one more down there