Who here is old enough to remember….

TaleofTwoDogs

All-Conference
Jun 1, 2004
4,084
1,822
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Cow hill could have been the area next to the Hump, where students when to car park and make babies. There was no Hump back in the early 70s and the area was elevated. Or Cow Hill may have been associated with the cowbell culture or simply the hilly terrain around campus, especially near the South Farm and agricultural areas.
 
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basedawg

Senior
Aug 22, 2012
850
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Cow hill could have been the area next to the Hump, where students when to car park and make babies. There was no Hump back in the early 70s and the area was elevated. Or Cow Hill may have been associated with the cowbell culture or simply the hilly terrain around campus, especially near the South Farm and agricultural areas.
Before the Hump was built, the "hill" was like a drive inn movie theater without a movie screen or speakers. But it did have baseball field below and then the leftfield lounge was just beginning! Fun times!
 

OopsICroomedmypants

All-Conference
Sep 29, 2022
1,969
2,682
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I’m old enough to remember walking across a field of mud to get to Davis Wade. The area around the hump and Sanderson Center looks really nice now.
 

The Peeper

Heisman
Feb 26, 2008
15,432
10,580
113
I've never heard of Cow Hill, but I had a good bit of time spent on that hill that was below The Hump if that was it. I had a surveying class in Howell Hall (that is between The Hump and the architecture building that is being gutted and renovated now) in Spring '82 and we went to that hill a lot to learn to use the survey instruments but never heard it called anything.
 
Oct 13, 2012
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Cow hill could have been the area next to the Hump, where students when to car park and make babies. There was no Hump back in the early 70s and the area was elevated. Or Cow Hill may have been associated with the cowbell culture or simply the hilly terrain around campus, especially near the South Farm and agricultural areas.
Sounds like there was plenty of hump in the early 70's
 

99jc

Senior
Jul 31, 2008
2,500
493
83
It was the pasture where the big lake is now. It was hilly and cows grazed there constantly. if I remember right there was a pond there called Eckies pond. And it was considered a make out area. I grew up on university drive in the 60’s. It has changed completely since I was a kid.
 

Turfdoc992

Redshirt
Oct 3, 2022
80
44
18
I've heard the Poultry science building called Chicken Hill (it is the Hill Poultry Science Building) but Ballew Hall was a meats building and it also sits on a hill perhaps this was Cow Hill
 

Wesson Bulldog

All-Conference
Nov 3, 2015
1,574
1,883
113
Grok says:
Cow Hill was a historical, informal nickname for an area on or near the Mississippi State University (MSU) campus in Starkville, Mississippi. From alumni recollections and comments (particularly from older graduates), it appears to have been an open, undeveloped or pasture-like area used socially in the 1960s and 1970s—described as a "makeout and party pasture" or a spot where students gathered.
It was located in what later became a more developed part of campus. Alumni comments often note "I remember when there was nothing there but Cow Hill" in reference to areas now occupied by facilities like Humphrey Coliseum (the basketball arena, opened in 1975) or adjacent developments such as The Junction (a modern tailgating/athletic village area). This suggests Cow Hill was likely in the vicinity of the south or central campus athletic/recreation zone, possibly near current sites like Humphrey Coliseum or the area around Dudy Noble Field/Polk-DeMent Stadium expansions.
The name ties into MSU's agricultural roots (often called a "cow college" by rivals), and the area may have been grazing or open land before campus growth in the mid-20th century.
For precise historical mapping, current MSU campus maps (available at map.msstate.edu) show modern layouts, but Cow Hill predates many buildings and isn't marked today—it's remembered through alumni stories rather than official records. If you're an MSU alum or have more context, it might ring a bell as that classic "back in the day" spot! Hail State! 🐶
 
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DAWGSANDSAINTS

All-Conference
Oct 10, 2022
2,906
2,661
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That term was way before my time but
Eckies Pond and the backside of the lake behind where the Bryan Bldg sits now was two good spots to fog up some windows.
I guess that whole area of campus could tell some very risqué and salacious stories over the years.
 

Pilgrimdawg

All-Conference
Aug 30, 2018
1,709
2,170
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I was at State from 72 to 76. I remember and participated in said activities the first couple of years I was there. It was a wonderful time to be alive!
 

mstateglfr

All-American
Feb 24, 2008
15,981
5,825
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I was at State from 72 to 76. I remember and participated in said activities the first couple of years I was there. It was a wonderful time to be alive!
Those activities existednin other years and decades too.

The college years in general are a wonderful time to be alive.
 

IBleedMaroonDawg

All-American
Nov 12, 2007
25,546
9,755
113
Cow hill and what it was known for?


Animated GIF
 

leeinator

All-Conference
Feb 24, 2014
2,145
1,582
113
Not exactly sure where Cow Hill was located, but the area north of Polk Dement to hwy. 82 was very hilly.......until MSU brought in the National Guard excavators for a few weeks and leveled everything so we could have extra football practice fields. I think the NG got an area and project to help train their earth moving troops and MSU got several million dollars in savings vs having to privately hire a construction company to do this. Surely, there are some here who remember that. I think either Bob Tyler or Carl Maddox were the ADs at that time.....but not totally sure about that. The troops were housed in MSU dormitories during the summertime they were here. Even had night lighting to let them work around the clock. That was a big job in leveling many acres of hills and valleys into a flat surface. It served as summer AT for that NG unit.
 
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