Why Is Ole Miss vs. Mississippi State Called the Egg Bowl?

Why is it called the Egg Bowl?

The Egg Bowl, officially known as the Battle for the Golden Egg, is the annual game between Ole Miss and Mississippi State. The game got its name from the trophy the teams play for, The Golden Egg.

The Golden Egg was first introduced to the rivalry in 1927, according to Ole Miss. When Ole Miss broke a 13-game losing streak in the series by winning the 1926 game, the Rebel fans stormed the field in hopes of taking down the goal post, according to Ole Miss. This led to fans of then-Mississippi A&M getting upset and a brawl breaking out with chairs being thrown, according to Ole Miss.

For the 1927 game, the students of the schools agreed that there should be a trophy presentation for the winner to avoid having another fight break out after the game, according to Ole Miss. The trophy was designed to be a regulation-size gold-platted football by the Iota Sigma honorary activities fraternity at Ole Miss, and The Golden Egg was born.

The teams played in the Battle for the Golden Egg until 1978, when the game first unofficially became the Egg Bowl. The Clarion-Ledger ran a spread calling the game the Egg Bowl because 6-4 Mississippi State and 4-6 Ole Miss were not in bowl contention that season and this would be the final game for each team's season, according to Ole Miss. After the Rebels came away with a 27-7 victory, the media continued to refer to the game as the Egg Bowl in the subsequent seasons.

Ole Miss leads the all-time series between the two teams with a 63-44-6 record against Mississippi State and a 57-26-5 advantage since the game became known as the Battle for the Golden Egg.

The Bulldogs won 55-20 last year to break a two-game losing streak. This season, 8-3 Mississippi State is hosting 5-6 Ole Miss for the annual game.