EMCC Lions: 2011 NJCAA National Football Champions
East Mississippi Community College football came full circle in the 2011 season. We started the year with the opening of a brand-new stadium, New Sullivan-Windham Field, named after legendary EMCC football coach “Bull” Sullivan. Looking up into the packed home side that day was like looking at a family album, as four generations of the EMCC family cheered for their Lions. And, on that day, “Bull” Sullivan’s children were there to cut the ribbon.
Buddy Stephens, our head football coach, is a lot like Bull Sullivan. He demands a lot from his players, and they give their whole heart to everything they do, on and off the field. But this year was like no other, a perfect trifecta of football success as the Lions: 1) posted a perfect season for the first time in EMCC history; 2) claimed, for the second time since Coach Stephens arrived four years ago, the MACJC state championship; and 3) won, for the first time in EMCC history, the NJCAA national championship. Here's how it went:
Sept. 1, vs. No. 2 Mississippi Gulf Coast at home, Win 34-30
Sept. 8, vs. Hinds on the road, Win 20-17
Sept. 15, vs. No. 4 Northwest on the road, Win 45-42
Sept. 22, vs. Itawamba at home, Win 48-7
Sept. 29, vs. Coahoma at home, Win 56-6
Oct. 8, vs. No. 12 Northeast on the road, Win 63-35
Oct. 15, vs. Pearl River on the road, Win 41-17
Oct. 22, vs. Mississippi Delta at home, Win 54-0
Oct. 27, vs. Holmes on the road, Win 56-35
Nov. 5, vs. No. 14 Hinds at home in the semi-final round
of the MACJC state championship, Win 55-24
Nov. 12, vs. No. 5 Mississippi Gulf Coast at home for the
MACJC state championship, Win 42-17
Dec. 3, vs. No. 1 Arizona Western College on the road in
Yuma for the NCJAA national championship, Win 55-47
The EMCC Lions will open the 2012 football campaign
ranked No. 1 in the country
For photos, visit the photo albums on
EMCC's Facebook page. And here’s a video review of the championship season: