The signing day shocker
Steve Robertson
Mississippi State officials made the decision to fire Coach Paul Davis, which wrecked a recruiting class. The effects lingered for years.
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247Sports
The biggest part of the decision making process is often timing. One could argue that former Mississippi State head football coach Paul Davis deserved to be fired, but the timing of that termination proved foolhardy.

A native of Knoxville, Tennessee, Davis, made a name for himself as the head man at New Albany High School (MS) before taking over at Jones County Junior College in 1950. The former Ole Miss center led the Bobcats to a state title in just his second season in Ellisville.

Following the 1956 season, then Mississippi State head coach Wade Walker hired Davis as an assistant coach. Walker was serving as the Bulldog head football coach and athletic director at the time. With the demands of the athletic department growing, Walker groomed Davis to be his successor over the course of two seasons. The 1962 season opened with Davis blowing the big whistle and Walker simply running the athletic affairs.

State went 3-6 during the '62 campaign, but the team responded in a big way the following season. Once the regular season ended in 1963, Mississippi State was invited to the Liberty Bowl in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Bulldogs defeated NC State in frigid temperatures. One of the biggest plays of the 16-12 win was a blocked punt by Bill McGuire that gave State the chance to put some distance between themselves and the Wolfpack. Davis was named SEC Coach of the Year when the post season honors were announced.

The 1964 season had few highlights, but the biggest was a win over Ole Miss for the first time since the 1946 Egg Bowl. Despite posting a 4-6 record, the rivalry win over the Rebels brought a measure of grace for Davis and his staff.

Over the course of the next two seasons, Davis' Bulldogs posted a combined record of 6-14. Davis still had some support, but the luster of the '62 bowl trophy had long since faded. After posting three-straight losing seasons since that triumphant day in Philadelphia, many were losing faith in Davis.

In the end, it was not fan apathy or even losing that led to Davis being fired. It was donor influence. In late November following the Battle for the Golden Egg, Davis had been informed by University leadership that he would be given another season. On December 10th, 1967, not only was Davis fired, but athletic director Wade Walker got the heave ho with him.

President William Giles, who was in his second year of University leadership, made the call. At issue was a scholarship for a delta born football player. The young man's grandfather was a well heeled donor and rumored to be among if not the biggest check writer when it came to Bulldog fundraising. Davis flatly refused to offer a scholarship to the robust offensive lineman and eventually paid for it with his job. It was not all bad for Davis who was paid $23,000 as a buyout of the final year of his contract.

While those details make our story interesting enough, there is more. The day that Davis was terminated was the first day of the Southeastern Conference signing period. The national signing day was not established until 1981, but in the 1960s, players could sign an SEC agreement that precluded other league schools from recruiting them. On the first day of that process for the 1967 season, Mississippi State fired its football coach.

As a result of Davis' firing, many of the Bulldog commitments signed elsewhere. Simply put, it was a land rush. One of the few jewels of the class, defensive end Jim McAlpin held true and signed on with the Bulldogs despite the changing of the guard.

It was clear that Giles had little in the way of a plan to move the football program forward. One of the first head coaching candidates to be approached about replacing Davis was former Bulldog assistant coach Bill Dooley, the brother of legendary Georgia coach Vince Dooley. Bill was the offensive line coach at State for the 1963 season. Giles offered Dooley the head coaching job and the athletic director's position if he would leave Georgia and return to State. Initially, Dooley was interested, but after speaking with Davis, Dooley passed on the job.

Dooley elected to take the head coaching job at North Carolina instead. Once in Chapel Hill, Dooley lured Bulldog assistant coach Jim Carmody to go with him to coach the Tarheels. Dooley kept the SEC coaching dominos falling. He was also able to lure Auburn assistant Lee Haley away from The Plains. The opening on Shug Jordan's staff provided an opportunity for Coach Paul Davis.

"Paul Davis will fit well here at Auburn," Jordan said at the time. "He has done a real good job at Mississippi State. It is my opinion, that some of the things that happened at State certainly went beyond him. We are proud, and I would say, fortunate to have a coach like Paul Davis."

In his own statement, Davis echoed how happy he was to remain in the Southeastern Conference and work under the direction of Jordan. Meanwhile, State was in free fall.

Not only had Dooley turned down the job, former State graduate and Darrell Royal assistant coach Jim Pittman removed his name from consideration shortly after he was contacted and before an offer could even be extended.

Eleven days into the search, recruits were signing with other programs. State's class was decimated. Giles was having trouble getting someone to say yes. Bulldog fans were going restless. Giles tried to calm the masses.

"We are purposely being deliberate," Dr. Giles said. "We are looking for a man to fit our needs, a man who is interested in building the program."

In early January, former Mississippi State player and then Memphis State head coach Billy "Spook" Murphy turned down the job. Murphy has been offered a reported five-year deal for $35,000 per year to coach football and run the athletic department. Murphy was also a Bulldog alum, but opted to pass on the chance to come home.

Finally, over a month after firing Davis, Giles was able to secure the services of Charlie Shira. The former Texas A&M lineman played two seasons in College Station before receiving an appointment to West Point where he played his remaining years of eligibility for Army. Once his playing days were ever, Shira went into coaching. After two stints as a Bulldog assistant and a long run as the defensive coordinator at Texas, Shira was Mississippi State's new head coach.

Shira had to get to work building a staff and trying to secure some recruits. It was reported that 23 of 40 available scholarships had been claimed before Shira even took the job. Most of them were not considered blue chip players to say the least. The biggest issue with signing players of that caliber is that at some point you have to play a football game with them.

In six seasons, Shira had just one winning season. In 1970, the Bulldogs went 6-5 and Shira was named SEC coach of the year. Over the course of his tenure as Bulldog football boss, Shira posted a 16-45-2 record. While staying on as the AD, Shira hired Coach Bob Tyler to turn the program around in 1973. Shira passed away in early 1975.