Mississippi State Fun Facts:
The great state of Mississippi is known as the "Magnolia State". The capital of Mississippi is Jackson, MS. The state bird is the Mockingbird. The Mississippi state flower is the Magnolia. Mississippi has given us some of the greatest football players of all time. From Jackson State to the NFL, the offensive backfield was always Walter Payton’s place. The Columbia Mississippi native retired as the NFL’s career rushing leader, appeared in 9 pro bowls and scored 125 career touchdowns. Jerry Rice, from Crawford, MS, is widely considered the greatest wide receiver of all time. He is the all time leader in every major statistical category for wide receivers and played in 13 pro bowls and won 3 Super Bowls as a San Francisco 49er. Brett Favre of Gulfport, Mississippi played for the University of Southern Mississippi and is the only 3-time NFL MVP in league history. Favre led the Packers to two Super Bowls and broke the NFL touchdown record with 427. Mississippi is also the home state to such great athletes as Lance Alworth, Frank (Bruiser) Kinard and Archie Manning. Major college programs include the University of Mississippi Rebels, Mississippi State University Bulldogs and the University of Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles. Mississippi’s biggest rival is Alabama. The states major cities include Vicksburg, MS, Oxford, MS, Jackson, MS, Hattiesburg, MS, Biloxi, MS, Canton, MS, Grenada, MS, Southaven, MS, Gulfport, MS and Meridian, MS. The Mississippi economy can be divided into two primary categories: Agriculture -- Cotton, poultry, cattle, catfish, soybeans, dairy products and rice. Industry -- Apparel, furniture, warehousing, lumber and wood products, food processing, electrical machinery and transportation equipment. *Source: Sports Illustrated.