JACKSON, Miss. – Jackson State hosts Delta State Saturday in the annual W.C. Gorden Classic on Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. from historic Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium.
 
W.C. Gorden Classic
 
The W.C. Gorden Classic recognizes and is a tribute to the late W.C. Gorden. Coach Gorden prowled the sidelines between 1976 and 1991 During the Gorden era, the Tigers won eight SWAC titles, made nine trips to the NCAA playoffs and won a SWAC-record 28 consecutive conference games from 1985-89. He had just one losing season.
 
Gorden also brought the university its second HBCU national championship in 1985, and he finished his storied career with a 119-48-5 overall record. Hall of Famer Kevin Dent was among the many notable players under Coach Gorden.
 
Named conference Coach of the Year six times, Gorden was a 1994 inductee into the SWAC Hall of Fame. The Nashville, Tennessee, native was inducted into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame in 1997 and was the 1997 recipient of the Capital City Classic Humanitarian Award.
 
Gorden initially held two jobs at Jackson State—head baseball coach and defensive coordinator for the football team—before being promoted to head football coach in 1977 after an interim stint at the end of the 1976 season.
 
After retiring from coaching at JSU, he served as the university's athletics director for two years. In 1997, he was honored by the Mississippi Legislature with a proclamation that cited him as "the winningest football coach in the history of Jackson State University," but also commended him "for his hard-nosed academic oversight policy, under which he led his players to a higher graduation rate than any public school in his conference, and also graduated his players at a higher rate than the rest of the student body during his coaching tenure."
 
Jackson State and Delta State
 
This marks the third time the two programs will meet on the gridiron. The Tigers and Statesmen last played in 2010 which was a 32-17 JSU win. DSU defeated JSU 27-15 in 2007 and the series is knotted at 1-1.
 
Defense Setting the Tone
 
The JSU defense has proved to be one of the most dominant in college football. Linebacker Aubrey Miller, Jr. has been all over the field and has totaled 35 tackles, five and a half tackles for loss, and three sacks. Fellow linebacker Keonte Hampton has added 17 tackles, two tackles for loss, and one sack.
 
Newman Finds the Football
 
Senior wide receiver Warren Newman has a knack for finding the football. The New Orleans' native leads the team with 19 receptions for 125 yards. Last week at ULM, Newman recorded a career-high 10 receptions. A dynamic punt returner, Newman has added 151 punt return yards and one touchdown.
 
Jackson State Sports Network
 
The W.C. Gorden Classic will be broadcast on the Jackson State Sports Network for $25.