Mississippi State now officially holds the world record for simultaneous cowbell ringing, which doesn’t sound that cool, but sounds way cooler than holding the world record for the things Mississippi State officials were throwing out as possible cowbell substitutes forty-plus years ago.
Thanks to a written complaint to the SEC from Auburn coach Shug Jordan, the bells were deemed artificial noisemakers and banned in early 1975. MSU needed options. Everything was on the table. Because judging by one of the suggestions for a replacement, it wasn’t the cowbells, per se, that were so beloved by fans, but what they did: Limited Bulldog opponents to only four senses.