Mississippi State is the only team in college football whose fans are allowed to use an artificial noisemaker because of a special rules exception. The controversial cowbell tradition dates back to the 1930s.
It makes little kids cry.
You need to bring earplugs if you are going to attend a college football game at Davis Wade Stadium! Otherwise, you too will be in tears by the end of the fourth quarter.
Artificial noisemakers are prohibited for college football in the SEC.
Mississippi State is synonymous with the cowbell. It is the school’s most sacred tradition. Children will be gifted their first cowbell before they are able to walk or talk. They keep that same cowbell for their entire lives.
As the story goes, a cow wandered on to the field during a college football game between Mississippi State and Ole Miss in the early 1900s. The Bulldogs won the game so the students adopted the cow as a symbol of good luck. They briefly brought live cows to games before they switched to carrying the cow’s bell. Campus professors welded custom handles onto the bells for easier ringing in the 1960s.
The Southeastern Conference banned all artificial noisemakers in 1974. That included the cowbells. However, fans continued to sneak their bells past security in the decades that followed. That led to a compromise in 2010.
The SEC created a specific rules exemption that allowed Mississippi State fans to ring their cowbells during games, as long as they stop ringing once the opposing offensive center takes position over the football before the snap until the play is whistled dead. They are reminded to “ring responsibly” but they rarely do.
The Bulldogs are the only fanbase in the conference — and throughout most of the country — that is allowed to use artificial noisemakers during home games. It is an unfair advantage. It is also super annoying.
Mississippi State’s cowbell exemption makes kids cry.
When Davis Wade Stadium is at full capacity, more than 55,000 Mississippi State fans are ringing their cowbells at the same time. You can hardly hear yourself think when they are all going and you will likely leave Starkville with a headache.
Alabama specifically practiced for the cowbell noise throughout the week. It doesn’t matter. The constant “clanga” noise is deafening.
Jason Seaborn’s son, Trent Seaborn, is committed to play college football at Alabama. He visited Mississippi State with his younger brother in 2023. Tyler Seaborn was miserable. The cowbell noise drove him to tears.
Ty is in no hurry to get back to Starkville to watch a game 😂 pic.twitter.com/MnesxMWttb
— Jason Seaborn (@WaialuaDaKine) October 3, 2026
The Seaborn family patriarch joked that “Ty is in no hurry to get back to Starkville to watch a game.” Except it was not a joke and he is not alone. I have been to a game at Davis Wade. Even if it is a pretty cool place to watch college football, the cowbells ruin the entire experience as a visiting fan.