Mississippi State University Athletic Director John Cohen is coming to Newton County, and he’s bringing the golden egg with him.
Hosted by the Newton County Chapter of the Mississippi State Alumni Association, Cohen, the egg and staff from the MSU Alumni Association will be guests of honor at a special dinner Feb. 7 at the East Central Community College Cafeteria for all Mississippi State fans to meet the former baseball coach turned athletic director and take pictures with the coveted Egg Bowl trophy.
Joshua Yeager, president of the Newton County Chapter, said having John Cohen come to Newton County is a dream come true for all Bulldog fans.
“There’s going to be a lot of festive little things going on during this event,” he said. “The main thing is just really putting our chapter out there, not only just for alumni but also for any fans of the university. We understand that not everybody graduated from Mississippi State, but are diehard fans, and we want then to feel welcome, too.”
Dinner with John Cohen is one of the first events put on by the fledgling alumni chapter, which was founded in September 2018, and Yeager said he hoped to have a great community response.
“We want to welcome them in a cordial environment with a large crowd here because he’s done such a great job for the university,” he said.
The evening, Yeager said, will be filled with all sorts of fun. At 5:30 p.m. the evening will kick off with a meet and greet. Cohen, the egg bowl trophy, MSU staff and alumni will all be available to take pictures, shake hands and catch up on the latest MSU news.
About 6 p.m., dinner will be served courtesy of the East Central Community College culinary staff. On the menu is roast beef, chicken cordon blue, mashed potatoes, rolls and a variety of side dishes. During the meet and greet and the meal, Yeager said, guests will have a chance to participate in a silent auction full of MSU memorabilia.
“We’ll have signed baseballs, footballs, basketballs, from all the head coaches at the university,” he said. “We will have a few other prizes that will be on sale silently, and we will award them at the end of the banquet.”
After dinner, Yeager said Cohen himself will give a short speech.
“Mr. Cohen himself will address the crowd about differing things in the university and how we might can be in support of athletics,” he said.
The night is sure to be one no MSU fan will want to miss, Yeager said, but with limited seating, only 200 seats are available. Tickets, which cost $25 each, are available at the Newton County Appeal’s Union office, Southern Pine Electric in Newton and by calling Yeager at 601-527-4581.
Attendance is not limited to Newton County residents either, Yeager said.
“We’ve actually reached out to our friends in Lauderdale County, Scott County and even Neshoba County,” he said. “We want anyone who’s worthy to come and would drive to come. I think the more people we have here, the greater benefit it would have in return.”
For those far away, Yeager said to give him a call, and he would arrange tickets to be available for pickup at the door. All are invited, he said, and if someone wants to come, he will do whatever he could to make it happen.
