1984 Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils football team
| 1984 Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils football | |
|---|---|
NCAA Division I-AA First Round, L 19–66 vs. Louisiana Tech | |
| Conference | Southwestern Athletic Conference |
| 1984 record | 9–2 (6–1 SWAC) |
| Head coach |
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| Home stadium | Magnolia Stadium |
| 1984 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 1 Alcorn State $^ | 7 | – | 0 | – | 0 | 9 | – | 1 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 6 Mississippi Valley State ^ | 6 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 9 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Grambling State | 5 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 7 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Southern | 4 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Jackson State | 3 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 5 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Texas Southern | 2 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alabama State | 1 | – | 6 | – | 0 | 2 | – | 9 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Prairie View A&M | 0 | – | 7 | – | 0 | 0 | – | 11 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 1984 Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils team represented the Mississippi Valley State University as a member of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) during the 1984 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Led by fifth-year head coach Archie Cooley, the Delta Devils played their home games at Magnolia Stadium—now known as Rice–Totten Stadium—in Itta Bena, Mississippi. Mississippi Valley finished the season with an overall record of 9–2 and a mark of 6–1 in conference play, placing second in the SWAC. The team qualified for the NCAA Diviison I-AA playoffs, losing to Louisiana Tech in the first round. With an offense led by quarterback Willie Totten and wide receiver Jerry Rice, the Delta Devils scored 628 points on the season, averaging more than 57 points per game.
Schedule[]
| Date | Opponent | Rank | Site | Result | Attendance | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 1 | at Kentucky State* | W 86–0 | 1,300 | [1] | ||
| September 15 | at Washburn* | W 77–15 | 4,000 | [2][3] | ||
| September 22 | at Jackson State | No. T–18 | W 49–32 | |||
| September 29 | at No. 11 Southern | W 63–45 | ||||
| October 13 | vs. Grambling State | W 48–36 | ||||
| October 20 | at Texas Southern | No. 8 | W 55–42 | |||
| October 27 | Prairie View A&M | No. 5 | W 71–6 | 11,341 | [4][5][6] | |
| November 3 | No. 4 Alcorn State | No. 5 |
| L 28–42 | ||
| November 10 | Alabama State | No. 8 |
| W 49–7 | ||
| November 17 | Langston | No. 8 |
| W 23–6 | ||
| November 24 | at No. 9 Louisiana Tech* | No. 6 |
| L 19–66 | 17,500 | [7] |
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Individual accomplishments[]
As a senior in 1984, Jerry Rice broke his own NCAA Division I-AA records for receptions (112) and receiving yards (1,845). His 27 touchdown receptions in that 1984 season set the NCAA mark for all divisions. Rice caught 17 passes for 199 yards against Southern, 17 for 294 against Kentucky State, and 15 for 285 against Jackson State, in the first win for Mississippi Valley over the Tigers since 1954. He scored five touchdowns twice that year. Rice was named to every 1984 College Football All-America Team, including the Associated Press squad), and finished ninth in Heisman Trophy balloting. In the Blue–Gray Football Classic all-star game played on Christmas Day, he earned MVP honors.[8]
Rice finished his college career with 301 catches for 4,693 yards and 50 touchdowns. His NCAA record for total career touchdown receptions stood until October 7, 2006, when University of New Hampshire wide receiver David Ball, recorded his 51st career receiving touchdown.[9]
Team players in the NFL[]
| Player | Position | Round | Pick | NFL club |
| Jerry Rice | Wide receiver | 1 | 16 | San Francisco 49ers |
- Willie Totten played for the Buffalo Bills in 1987.[10]
References[]
- ^ "Kentucky State is mauled 86-0". The Courier-Journal. Louisville, Kentucky. September 2, 1984. p. C6. Retrieved July 18, 2021 – via Newspapers.com
.
- ^ Richardson, Bill (September 16, 1984). "Mississippi Valley State cuts through Washburn 77-15". The Kansas City Star. Kansas City, Missouri. p. 231. Retrieved July 18, 2021 – via Newspapers.com .
- ^ "Miss. Valley 77, Washburn 15". The Clarion-Ledger. Jackson, Mississippi. September 16, 1984. p. 14D. Retrieved July 18, 2021 – via Newspapers.com .
- ^ Nance, Roscoe (October 28, 1984). "No pity: Valley 71, PV 6". The Clarion-Ledger. Jackson, Mississippi. p. 1D. Retrieved July 18, 2021 – via Newspapers.com .
- ^ Nance, Roscoe (October 28, 1984). "No pity (continued)". The Clarion-Ledger. Jackson, Mississippi. p. 7D. Retrieved July 18, 2021 – via Newspapers.com .
- ^ "Miss. Valley 71, Prairie View 6". The Clarion-Ledger. Jackson, Mississippi. October 28, 1984. p. 16D. Retrieved July 18, 2021 – via Newspapers.com .
- ^ "La. Tech ravages Valley". The Clarion-Ledger. November 25, 1984. Retrieved July 2, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "ESPN Classic - 49ers era was Rice era".
- ^ "David Ball Stats, News, Bio".
- ^ "Willie Totten Stats".
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