Bell- Dowsing Plaza to be introduced at the Egg Bowl

[Todd4State]

For those who don't know the backstory, Frank Dowsing and Robert Bell were the first two African American football players in MSU football history in 1969. They joined the varsity in 1970- that was back in the days of freshman football and only sophomores and above played on the varsity. That year, MSU went 6-5 and beat an all white Ole Miss football team in Oxford 19-14 and Dowsing had a key interception late in the game to seal the victory for MSU.

This Ole Miss team was Archie's senior year- he did not play in the Egg Bowl due to an injury and it was also the year Vaught had a heart attack. They were still a pretty good team and went to the Gator Bowl and beat Alabama and Georgia.

I'm assuming the plaza is the area in front of the Leo Seal Center but I'm not 100% sure on that. There is a ceremony at 4 PM on Egg Bowl gameday.

I think it's great that we are honoring these two players and it shows how forward thinking MSU is.

[Commercecomet24]

That is awesome! MSU truly is the people?s University!

[bostondawg]

It just occurred to me that the last time Ole Miss was relevant in football, they didn't even allow African Americans on the team. I always thought you guys were joking when you said things like "championships since integration."

Mississippi has a troubled history. But I take so much damn pride in MSU's efforts to make MS the best state in can be. That's a wonderful story Todd, thanks for sharing. Really happy to see MSU honor pioneers like this.

[Goldendawg]

I was only 14 in '69. Dowsing was a very good player and Robert Bell became a force in the D line. State had white buttons with Maroon lettering for fans that said "Give em Hell, Robert Bell.

[IMissJack]

Got to meet Mr. Bell at an alumni golf tournament in Houston when Croom was coach.

[ScoobaDawg]

http://www.hailstate.com/news/2017/11/16/football-msu-to-dedicate-dowsing-bell-plaza-in-ceremony-prior-to-egg-bowl.aspx

"The ceremony will begin at 4 p.m. at the north end plaza of Davis Wade Stadium"

So I assume it will be on the North end of the stadium.

[IMissJack]

Probably where the shape of MS is on the sidewalk.

[oldjoedawg]

We lost Frank way too early in his life......

[TaleofTwoDogs]

I remember interviewing Frank for "Player of the Week" for the Reflector. The guy was a class act - an All-SEC player on the field and in the class room. RIP Frank.

[Reason2succeed]

Love to hear that!

From the title though I thought we were getting one of these shaped like a cowbell.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWfRO7LB5iI

[Todd4State]

It just occurred to me that the last time Ole Miss was relevant in football, they didn't even allow African Americans on the team. I always thought you guys were joking when you said things like "championships since integration."

Mississippi has a troubled history. But I take so much damn pride in MSU's efforts to make MS the best state in can be. That's a wonderful story Todd, thanks for sharing. Really happy to see MSU honor pioneers like this.

Ole Miss has done much of this to themselves going way back. Vaught was a good coach- but integration was not a good thing for them. They definitely compounded it by making other mistakes as well such as not hiring Bob Tyler to replace Vaught and not playing a more difficult schedule like Bear Bryant and Alabama started to do in the early 70's.

To me, Dowsing and Bell were the first step for MSU getting out of their dark ages of football and eventually becoming what we are now. I'm sure Shira and the other coaches knew about many of the great players in the SWAC that had they played at MSU could have been instrumental in putting us over the top. Unfortunately we missed on Walter Payton, Jackie Slater, and Robert Brazile who were three NFL HOF caliber players that all played at Jackson State at or around the same time during that era. Add those three guys to our 9 win 1974 Sun Bowl team and it may have been considered one of if not the greatest MSU team of all time.

[Reason2succeed]

Ole Miss has done much of this to themselves going way back. Vaught was a good coach- but integration was not a good thing for them. They definitely compounded it by making other mistakes as well such as not hiring Bob Tyler to replace Vaught and not playing a more difficult schedule like Bear Bryant and Alabama started to do in the early 70's.

To me, Dowsing and Bell were the first step for MSU getting out of their dark ages of football and eventually becoming what we are now. I'm sure Shira and the other coaches knew about many of the great players in the SWAC that had they played at MSU could have been instrumental in putting us over the top. Unfortunately we missed on Walter Payton, Jackie Slater, and Robert Brazile who were three NFL HOF caliber players that all played at Jackson State at or around the same time during that era. Add those three guys to our 9 win 1974 Sun Bowl team and it may have been considered one of if not the greatest MSU team of all time.

Don't simply assume that MSU could have gotten all of them. Of course money and prestige talks but back then there was a lot of black pride and not every black player was dying to be the next Jackie Robinson. Jackson State and the other SWAC schools were and are proud school with rich traditions of their own.

[Todd4State]

Don't simply assume that MSU could have gotten all of them. Of course money and prestige talks but back then there was a lot of black pride and not every black player was dying to be the next Jackie Robinson. Jackson State and the other SWAC schools were and are proud school with rich traditions of their own.

True. It was a different era at that time. Things have changed so much due to the landscape of college football changing with things like integration and more recently with the rise of the power five conferences which have helped cause schools like USM to take a step back while others like MSU have been able to take steps forward because of it.

[cujo]

My daddy gave it to me. Will always remember sitting in his car in the driveway of my cousins? house listening to the OM game on thanksgiving day. They were Rebels and turned the radio off when it was apparent that State might pull the upset. Jerks.
That car nearly exploded when Frank Dowsing intercepted Shug Chumbler in the end zone to seal the W! 19-14 Dogs. Hail State!

[msbulldog]

I was only 14 in '69. Dowsing was a very good player and Robert Bell became a force in the D line. State had white buttons with Maroon lettering for fans that said "Give em Hell, Robert Bell.

So was I Golden, must have been at MSU the same time.