Mississippi Bowl is back in 2010

Mississippi Bowl title sponsor Dub Herring (left) presents the 2009 Ms. Bowl Championship Trophy to East Mississippi head coach Buddy Stephens.

3rd annual contest is set for Sunday, Dec. 5

For the third year in a row, Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College will host The Mississippi Bowl Sunday, Dec. 5 as the 2010 Mississippi Community College/Junior College state champion and another highly ranked team in the nation does battle. Three fun-filled days of local entertainment, food and football will welcome the teams and their families, friends and special guests.

“We are truly excited to be hosting the Mississippi Bowl again in 2010,” said Ladd Taylor, Gulf Coast athletic director. “The overwhelming success of the first two games is a testament to the excellent teams we’ve had play and the outstanding work by our Mississippi Bowl Committee and our game day staff.”

On Dec. 7, 2008, No. 7 ranked Gulf Coast defeated No. 3 Georgia Military College 41-7 in front of 5,000 fans at Biloxi Indian Stadium. The 2009 contest featured No. 6 East Mississippi defeating No. 5 Arizona Western 27-24.

All revenues of this association are for the benefit of the Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College Foundation. The Mississippi Bowl payout for each team will be $10,000, compared to the $7,500 per-team payout from other bowl organizations.

Barry Harper and Dub Herring are once again serving as title sponsors for the event. Harper, a Grenada native, played football at Delta State University from 1977-81. He also serves on the Pearl River Community College Board of Trustees.

Herring owns Paw Paw’s Campers-n-Cars in Picayune. He also played football at Holmes Community College in Goodman. Harper spent 21 years working for Herring and is Herring’s son-in-law.

The three-day event will also feature other off-the-field activities. Leading up to the 2008 and ’09 games, the participating teams spent time with local children at two Boys and Girls club locations on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. The kids took part with team members in activities like kickball, touch football, and basketball.

“We learned plenty during the first two games,” Taylor added. “It’s been a huge success, and I expect this year to be even better. The quality of the teams that we’ve had plus the hospitality of the Mississippi Gulf Coast has made this a marquee event in the NJCAA bowl season.”

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