1971 Mississippi Gulf Coast Bulldogs football team

1971 Mississippi Gulf Coast Bulldogs football
Junior college national champion MJCC champion MJCC South Division champion Shrine Bowl champion
MJCC championship game, W 26–14 vs. Mississippi Delta
Shrine Bowl, W 22–13 vs. Fort Scott
Conference	Mississippi Junior College Conference
Division	South Division
Record	11–0 (5–0 MJCC)
Head coach	George Sekul (6th season)
Home stadium	A. L. May Memorial Stadium
Seasons ← 1970 1972 →

1971 Mississippi Junior College Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
North Division
Mississippi Delta xy	5	–	0	–	1			6	–	3	–	1
East Central (MS)	5	–	1	–	0			7	–	3	–	0
Northwest Mississippi	4	–	2	–	0			5	–	5	–	0
Itawamba	3	–	2	–	1			5	–	4	–	1
East Mississippi	2	–	4	–	0			3	–	7	–	0
Holmes	1	–	6	–	0			1	–	9	–	0
Northeast Mississippi	0	–	6	–	0			0	–	10	–	0
South Division
Mississippi Gulf Coast xy$	5	–	0	–	0			11	–	0	–	0
Pearl River	4	–	1	–	0			9	–	1	–	0
Jones County	3	–	2	–	0			6	–	4	–	0
Copiah–Lincoln	2	–	3	–	0			7	–	3	–	0
Southwest Mississippi	1	–	4	–	0			2	–	7	–	0
Hinds	0	–	5	–	0			2	–	7	–	0
Championship: Mississippi Gulf Coast 26, Mississippi Delta 14
$ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions

The 1971 Mississippi Gulf Coast Bulldogs football team was an American football team that represented Mississippi Gulf Coast Junior College as a member of the Mississippi Junior College Conference (MJCC) during the 1971 junior college football season. Led by sixth-year head coach George Sekul, the Bulldogs compiled a perfect 11–0 record, won the MJCC championship, outscored opponents by a total of 365 to 146, and were selected as the junior college national champion in the final JC Gridwire poll of 1971. ^[1] Mississippi Gulf Coast won the MJCC's South Division title with a record of 5–0, and beat Mississippi Delta in the conference title game. ^[2]

Key players included quarterback James "Dinky" McKay and halfback Rikki Autumn. ^[3]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 4	Itawamba *	Perkinston, MS	W 28–21
September 11	at Copiah–Lincoln	Wesson, MS	W 30–7		[4]
September 18	Jones County	Perkinston, MS	W 27–8		[5]
September 25	vs. Pearl River	Biloxi Memorial Stadium Biloxi, MS	W 37–21		[6]
October 2	vs. East Central (MS) *	War Memorial Stadium Pascagoula, MS	W 28–27
October 7	at Holmes *	Goodman, MS	W 36–7		[7]
October 16	at East Mississippi *	Scooba, MS	W 33–13		[8]
October 28	at Southwest Mississippi	Summit, MS	W 36–8		[9]
November 6	Hinds	A. L. May Memorial Stadium Perkinston, MS	W 62–7		[10]
November 20	vs. Mississippi Delta *	Biloxi Memorial Stadium Biloxi, MS (MJCC championship game)	W 26–14		[11]
December 3	vs. Fort Scott *	Savannah, GA (Shrine Bowl)	W 22–13	4,000	[12] [13]
*Non-conference game

References

1. "Reedley Ranks Sixth In JC Grid Poll". The Fresno Bee. December 17, 1971. p. 24 – via Newspapers.com.
2. Hood, Orley (November 14, 1971). "Gulf Coast, Delta Collide In Saturday Playoff Biggie". The Clarion-Ledger . Jackson, Mississippi. p. B3. Retrieved February 19, 2025– via Newspapers.com .
3. "Perk Quarterback Yet To Lose Game". The Clarion-Ledger. November 25, 1971. p. 10D – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Gulf Coast Defeats Co-Lin 30-7". The Daily Herald. September 12, 1971. p. B4 – via Newspapers.com.
5. Chuck Abadie (September 20, 1971). "Gulf Coast JC batters Jones for Third in Row". Hattiesburg American. p. 15 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "Gulf Coast Out-Runs Pearl River 37-21". The Sunday Herald. September 26, 1971. p. B1 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Gulf Coast Tops 'Dogs". The Daily Herald. October 8, 1971. p. 14 – via Newspapers.com.
8. Herschel Sullivan (October 17, 1971). "Gulf Coast Beats East Juniors". The Daily Herald. p. B2 – via Newspapers.com.
9. Steve Sparks (October 29, 1971). "Top Ranked Gulf Coast Wrecks Southwest 36-8". Enterprise-Journal. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.
10. Roy Rolison (November 7, 1971). "Gulf Coast Claims South Title: Hinds Falls In 62-7 Perk Win". The Daily Herald. p. B4 – via Newspapers.com.
11. Ken Ernst (November 21, 1971). "Gulf Coast Wins State championship". The Sunday Herald. p. C1 – via Newspaper.com.
12. "Gulf Coast Defeats Fort Scott 22-13; Wins National Junior College Title". The Daily Herald. October 4, 1971. p. 13 (section 2) – via Newspapers.com.
13. "Gulf Coast Bulldog Fans' Chants Echoed In Savannah". The Sunday Herald. December 5, 1971. p. B1 – via Newspapers.com.