1978 Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils football team

1978 Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils football
Conference	Southwestern Athletic Conference
Record	6–3–1 (3–2–1 SWAC)
Head coach	Jim Thomas (1st season)
Home stadium	Magnolia Stadium

1978 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
Grambling State $	5	–	0	–	1			9	–	1	–	1
No. 2 Jackson State ^	5	–	1	–	0			10	–	2	–	0
Mississippi Valley State	3	–	2	–	1			6	–	3	–	1
Alcorn State	2	–	3	–	1			5	–	4	–	1
Southern	2	–	4	–	0			4	–	7	–	0
Texas Southern	1	–	4	–	1			3	–	7	–	1
Prairie View A&M	1	–	5	–	0			3	–	7	–	0
$ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant The conference was a hybrid of NCAA Division I-AA and II programs. Mississippi Valley State was classified as NCAA Division II for the 1978 season. All the other teams were Division I-AA. Rankings from Associated Press poll

The 1978 Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils football team represented the Mississippi Valley State University as a member of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) during the 1978 NCAA Division II football season. Led by first-year head coach Jim Thomas, the Delta Devils compiled an overall record of 6–3–1, with a conference record of 3–2–1, and finished in third place at the SWAC.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 2	at Bishop*	P.C. Cobb Stadium Dallas, TX	W 27–0	1,000	[1]
September 9	at Kentucky State*	Alumni Field Frankfort, KY	L 7–21	5,186	[2]
September 16	at Arkansas–Pine Bluff*	Pumphrey Stadium Pine Bluff, AR	W 34–2	2,100
September 23	at No. 4 Jackson State	Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium Jackson, MS	L 16–27	23,833	[3]
September 30	at Southern	BREC Memorial Stadium Baton Rouge, LA	L 14–22	6,700	[4][5]
October 7	Langston*	Magnolia Stadium Itta Bena, MS	W 21–8	2,800	[6]
October 14	Grambling State	Magnolia Stadium Itta Bena, MS	T 0–0	5,924	[7]
October 21	at Texas Southern	Astrodome Houston, TX	W 38–7	3,580	[8]
October 28	Prairie View A&M	Magnolia Stadium Itta Bena, MS	W 42–23	4,912	[9]
November 4	Alcorn State	Magnolia Stadium Itta Bena, MS	W 15–7	6,012	[10]
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

[11]

References

1. "Valley State wins season opener 27–0". The Greenwood Commonwealth. September 3, 1978. Retrieved August 18, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
2. "K-State dedicates stadium in style". Lexington Herald-Leader. September 10, 1978. Retrieved August 18, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "Jackson State beats Valley". The Greenwood Commonwealth. September 24, 1978. Retrieved August 18, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Jags nip Valley". The Shreveport Times. October 1, 1978. Retrieved August 18, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Southern coach has rare career". Daily World. August 27, 1978. Retrieved August 20, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "Mississippi Valley drops Langston, 21–8". Tulsa World. October 8, 1978. Retrieved August 18, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Valley, Grambling ends in scoreless tie". The Greenwood Commonwealth. October 15, 1978. Retrieved August 18, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "MVSU wins 38–7". The Greenwood Commonwealth. October 22, 1978. Retrieved August 18, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "Miss. Valley wins 42–23". Enterprise-Journal. October 29, 1978. Retrieved August 18, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
10. "Big-play Devils top Alcorn; enjoy clean sweep at home". The Clarion-Ledger. November 5, 1978. Retrieved August 18, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
11. "Final 1978 Cumulative Football Statistics Report (Mississippi Valley State)". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved December 28, 2024.