MC Choctaws Football Coach John Bland Visits Hattiesburg

Candis Bland joins her husband, Mississippi College head football coach John Bland, for a photo moments after a January 2, 2014 news conference on the Clinton campus.

Mississippi College head football coach John Bland will visit with MC alumni, prospective students and parents at a February 13 reception in Hattiesburg.

The event begins at 6:30 p.m. at the Lake Terrace Convention Center off U.S. 49.

The former head coach at the University of the Cumberlands in Kentucky, Bland guided the Patriots to a 70-21 record the past seven seasons. The school finished the 2013 season with a 13-1 record and a trip to the NAIA national championship game.

A former University of Arkansas quarterback, Bland was named Mississippi College’s new coach in late December. The Knoxville, Tennessee native and his wife, Candis, are the parents of three children.

MC President Lee Royce, Vice President for Advancement Bill Townsend, Athletic Director Mike Jones and admissions recruiters will attend to discuss the latest developments at the Baptist-affiliated university.

Bland leads a football program making the transition to NCAA Division II ranks and a return to the Gulf South Conference. MC will play such GSC teams as the University of North Alabama, West Alabama and Valdosta State in Clinton this fall. The Choctaws will battle GSC squads like Delta State and Shorter University on the road.

Other new developments on the Clinton campus include the construction of residence halls for 189 students. The building on the East Campus will be ready for occupancy in Fall 2015. The Mike Rice Baseball Field House began construction this year. MC enrolls more than 5,000 students, including a record of 615 freshmen in Fall 2013.

The cost for the Thursday evening event in the Pine Belt region is $10 for alumni and university friends. Prospective students and parents will be admitted free.

For more information or to make a reservation go to www.alumni.mc.edu/hattiesburg2014 or call Lisa Williams at 205.332.4100. Lisa can also be reached at lwilliam@mc.edu.