Maroon Friday Update: Aug. 8
August 08, 2025 | Athletics
Happy Maroon Friday!
It's a great day to be a Mississippi State Bulldog!
This past weekend, I had the opportunity to celebrate Mississippi State great Steve Freeman as he was inducted into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame in Jackson on Saturday night. Steve was a three-year starter at defensive back and attended Mississippi State from 1971-74. He earned his degree in agricultural economics and was drafted by the New England Patriots in the fifth round of the NFL Draft. After being picked up by the Buffalo Bills, Steve went on to play 12 seasons in the NFL and set a franchise record with 169 consecutive appearances.
After retiring from the NFL, Steve pursued officiating, beginning with junior high games and working his way up to the SEC, where he officiated the 1999 National Championship Game. In 2001, he began his NFL officiating career and officiated premier games – including a Super Bowl. Ultimately, his career spans more than five decades. We are honored and proud to have one of our own representing Mississippi State so well. Congrats, Steve!
On Sunday, Rachel, the girls, and I visited McKee Park here in Starkville to check out the updates. Wow. It is so well done! I want to give a S.T.A.T.E. Shoutout to everyone involved in that project. It's a fantastic addition to our community!
My family and I have recently gotten into pickleball, so we took advantage of the new courts at McKee and ran into our friends Rett Keenum and Avery Brooks. See you all out there on the courts!
To start the week off, I made another trip back to Jackson to spend time with a great group of supporters. It's always good to see friends who proudly fly the Maroon and White flag in the Jackson area. I also got to catch up with fellow Bulldog Malcolm Lightsey. Appreciate Malcolm and Joy and all they do for our sport programs!
This week, I also had the chance to spend time with our head women's golf coach, Charlie Ewing, as we planned for the future of the program. We are so fortunate to have Charlie and Ally Ewing as part of our Mississippi State Family. These two awesome people recently welcomed a new Bulldog into the world – Tate Ewing! Men's golf coach Dusty Smith already has his sights set on his first signee for the 2043 class. Mom and baby are doing great… and big brother Rusty wants everyone to know he is, too!
Another highlight of the week was meeting with our volleyball team as they opened camp. Their first home match is Saturday, August 23 at 1 p.m. at Newell-Grissom against Memphis. We hope you'll make plans to attend and support them!
We were honored to have Dr. Keenum attend football practice this week. It was great for our guys to hear from him. He emphasized the high expectations we have here at State and shared his support and encouragement. I know our team appreciated him taking time out of his busy schedule to be there.
Today my best friend since elementary school, Kellen Sampson, came by the office (He even wore maroon for Maroon Friday at Meatball's request). Kellen and his son, Kylen, came to Starkville to visit our family this week and it has been great showing them our community and why we love calling it home. We've been friends since grade school – but don't believe a word this guy says about me!
Looking ahead to next week, we'll be spending meaningful time with our staff as we officially launch the new year. Many of our units within athletics will be setting goals and planning ahead.
People often call these "staff retreats" – but we like to call them "staff advances" because we don't retreat… we advance! (Got that from an old boss of mine and have used it ever since.) I'm really looking forward to this time with our staff as we step into this new era.
This weekend, Shayne and her volleyball team will kick off their season. So, we'll be spending plenty of time in the gym. Hard to believe I have a 9th grader… that's a little scary to think about!
For those traveling to Starkville next week for student move-in, please travel safely. We're excited to welcome you back to the Best Small Town in the South! Be sure to visit our local shops and stock up on maroon before heading home. Let's paint the state Maroon on Fridays this fall!
Talk soon…Hail State!
Zac
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It's a great day to be a Mississippi State Bulldog!
This past weekend, I had the opportunity to celebrate Mississippi State great Steve Freeman as he was inducted into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame in Jackson on Saturday night. Steve was a three-year starter at defensive back and attended Mississippi State from 1971-74. He earned his degree in agricultural economics and was drafted by the New England Patriots in the fifth round of the NFL Draft. After being picked up by the Buffalo Bills, Steve went on to play 12 seasons in the NFL and set a franchise record with 169 consecutive appearances.
After retiring from the NFL, Steve pursued officiating, beginning with junior high games and working his way up to the SEC, where he officiated the 1999 National Championship Game. In 2001, he began his NFL officiating career and officiated premier games – including a Super Bowl. Ultimately, his career spans more than five decades. We are honored and proud to have one of our own representing Mississippi State so well. Congrats, Steve!
My family and I have recently gotten into pickleball, so we took advantage of the new courts at McKee and ran into our friends Rett Keenum and Avery Brooks. See you all out there on the courts!
This week, I also had the chance to spend time with our head women's golf coach, Charlie Ewing, as we planned for the future of the program. We are so fortunate to have Charlie and Ally Ewing as part of our Mississippi State Family. These two awesome people recently welcomed a new Bulldog into the world – Tate Ewing! Men's golf coach Dusty Smith already has his sights set on his first signee for the 2043 class. Mom and baby are doing great… and big brother Rusty wants everyone to know he is, too!
We were honored to have Dr. Keenum attend football practice this week. It was great for our guys to hear from him. He emphasized the high expectations we have here at State and shared his support and encouragement. I know our team appreciated him taking time out of his busy schedule to be there.
People often call these "staff retreats" – but we like to call them "staff advances" because we don't retreat… we advance! (Got that from an old boss of mine and have used it ever since.) I'm really looking forward to this time with our staff as we step into this new era.
This weekend, Shayne and her volleyball team will kick off their season. So, we'll be spending plenty of time in the gym. Hard to believe I have a 9th grader… that's a little scary to think about!
For those traveling to Starkville next week for student move-in, please travel safely. We're excited to welcome you back to the Best Small Town in the South! Be sure to visit our local shops and stock up on maroon before heading home. Let's paint the state Maroon on Fridays this fall!
Talk soon…Hail State!
Zac
Â
2024-25 Mississippi State Athletics Recap
Thursday, August 21
STATE OF MIND: EP 4 | FT. ZAC SELMON
Thursday, January 09
STATE OF MIND: EP 1 | FT. JOSH HUBBARD
Monday, November 04
Zac Selmon Joins Charlie Winfield And Bart Gregory On Out Of Left Field
Thursday, October 03