Contact: Karen Templeton
Dr. Eleanor M. Green, Carl B. King Dean of Veterinary Medicine at Texas A&M University poses with Reveille, the mascot for the Texas A&M Aggies.
With a higher concentration of veterinary colleges than any other conference in the country, the Southeastern Conference boasts premiere college sports and a region with a strong focus on animal care.
Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine and the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences are teaming up to promote their partnership in sports and veterinary medicine. Jackie Sherrill, who coached football at both universities, has worked with faculty and administrations at both veterinary colleges and came up with the idea of having a yearly competition called the Dog Bowl: A Taste of Victory. The veterinary college of the winning football team will get to keep the Dog Bowl trophy on display for the year.
"This fun competition just seems fitting as the two colleges are so interwoven. Dean Eleanor Green at A&M was on faculty at MSU at one point, and I've worked at both universities," Sherrill said. "The two schools have a lot in common, which the trophy competition signifies."
The colleges also will host alumni tailgate events and other activities in the future to celebrate the partnership between the colleges.
"This is all in good fun and we look forward to seeing how this all evolves," said Dr. Kent Hoblet, dean of the MSU-CVM. "Texas A&M has a great veterinary college and we've shared a lot academically over the years and now we get to throw football into the mix. I see this as an opportunity to collaborate even more."
Dr. Eleanor M. Green, the Carl B. King Dean of Veterinary Medicine at Texas A&M and a founding faculty member of the College of Veterinary Medicine at Mississippi State in the 1970s, is a strong supporter of Texas A&M's move into the Southeastern Conference. Dean Green said, "These two universities have much in common â" school colors of maroon and white, fans with undying loyalty, passion for football, Coach Jackie Sherrill as a head football coach, colleges of veterinary medicine, and even canine mascots, each of which receives superb veterinary care. The faculty, staff and students of the respective veterinary medical teaching hospitals are the preferred health care providers for Reveille and Bully. The Dog Bowl is a fitting and fun competition."
The football teams will face-off on Nov. 9 in College Station.