Nine years ago, when Dan Mullen addressed the media at the opening of fall practice for the first time as Mississippi State’s head football coach, he seemed hardly able to contain his enthusiasm.
That was perfectly understandable. It was Mullen’s first head coaching job and while there were all sorts of new experiences and unanswered questions for the 36-year-old coach and his team, the one thing he wasn’t short on was optimism.
Tuesday, Mullen again stepped to the podium as the Bulldogs prepared to open practice. The difference in his demeanor says a lot, not only for the coach, but for the team and, in a broader sense, the community as well.
The enthusiasm was still there, but with it, a sense of calm confidence. At 45, Mullen is second only to Alabama’s Nick Saban in tenure at his school. Since his arrival in 2009, 18 coaches at 12 SEC schools have changed head coaches, most recently, at Ole Miss where Hugh Freeze stepped down last week in scandal.
In 2009, Mullen talked mainly of what could be, of possibilities for the kind of success the Bulldogs had enjoyed only rarely and for never very long.
The Bulldogs had their moments, sure, but for the most part, fans had low expectations, and the Bulldogs usually met them. There was always the feeling that maybe, if everything fell just right, the Bulldogs might be decent, maybe even pretty good, but that was more of a hope than an expectation.
That has all changed.
In eight seasons, Mullen is second in school history in wins (61) and will tie Allyn McKeen for the second longest tenure at season’s end. He’s had two losing seasons in eight years, remarkable by MSU standards. He’s had the Bulldogs playing in bowl games for seven consecutive seasons now, which quite frankly is unheard of around here.
His demeanor reflects that success. And that attitude seems to have permeated not only the program, but the larger community.
There is a confidence surrounding the program and the community that never existed before.
Mississippi State and Starkville feel pretty good about themselves and the future.
The goals are grander, the expectations higher.
In 2009, Mississippi State hoped to be decent, maybe even good. In 2017, Mississippi State expects to be good, maybe even very good. It is an expectation, not a hope.
It is a confidence built on experience, of success, of expanding the boundaries of what is possible.
Mullen is a better, more confident now than he was in 2009.
So is the football program and so is Starkville.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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