The Millsaps–Mississippi College rivalry is a sports rivalry between the Millsaps College Majors and the Mississippi College Choctaws. It chiefly manifested in the former college football matchup, known as the Backyard Brawl as both schools are located in the Jackson metro area. The two schools met nearly every year in various sports from 1920 through spring 1960, after which time the series was cancelled when a fight broke out at a men's basketball game. The college football series resumed in 2000 but was discontinued again in 2013, when Mississippi College transitioned to Division II. The Choctaws, having dissolved their football program after the 2024 season, concluded the series with a lead of 31–15–6.
History The series began in 1920, when Millsaps College fielded its first college football team. The game was played annually from then until 1959, except for a four-year hiatus during World War II. To that point Mississippi College dominated the rivalry with a win–loss record of 24–9–6. The series was cancelled after fighting broke out at a Millsaps–Mississippi College basketball game in early 1960. Mississippi College students had taken a flag from a Millsaps fraternity and threw it in the air during the game; when Millsaps students went to retrieve it a scuffle ensued. Sports games between the schools were subsequently cancelled; though a few basketball games were played over the years, there were no football games for another four decades.
Later, the Mississippi Sports Council worked with both schools to resume the football series, which was dubbed the "Backyard Brawl" due to the colleges' proximity in the Jackson area. The first game was held on September 2, 2000, at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium and reportedly drew 13,000 fans, an NCAA Division III record. The teams annually opened their seasons against one another at Memorial Stadium from then through the 2004 season. In 2005, the series took a one-year hiatus when Mississippi College began preparing for a potential move to Division II, where they could grant athletic scholarships. However, this move did not materialize at the time, and the series resumed in 2006, again as an opening week contest but with the games alternating between the schools' campuses. The renewed rivalry was hotly contested, with 7 of 13 games decided by a single score. The series was discontinued when the Choctaws returned to Division II in 2014, and permanently concluded when they dissolved their football program in 2024. Mississippi College led all-time series 31–15–6, as well as the modern rivalry by a 7-6 margin.
Game results
Historic rivalry (1920–1959)
Modern rivalry (2000–2013)
See also List of NCAA college football rivalry games
References