Booneville, Miss. - Northeast Mississippi Community College will celebrate its own anniversary on the gridiron at the same time as the entire nation commemorates 150 seasons of collegiate football during the fall of 2019.
The Tigers will play four games at home, including a pair of key rivalry affairs, plus deal with a pair of weekend road contests during the 60th football season in school history.
"As always, we have a tough schedule," said Northeast head coach Greg Davis. "It's important for us to begin the first half of the season really ready to go. It's critical to get out to a good start."
The Tigers begin their slate at home for the first time since the 2016 campaign on Thursday, August 29 when Southwest Mississippi Community College makes the long trek to the City of Hospitality.
Northeast then kicks off a two-game road swing with its lengthiest trip of the year at over four hours and approximately 275 miles to Copiah-Lincoln Community College on Thursday, September 5.
The Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges (MACJC) North Division schedule starts one week later in Clarksdale with the yearly "Battle of the Tigers" between Northeast and Coahoma Community College.
Homecoming will be held midweek for the fifth consecutive campaign. Weeklong activities across campus will culminate with a pivotal matchup for the Tigers versus Holmes Community College on Thursday, September 19.
It is the earliest homecoming game in program history for Northeast. The previous mark was ironically also against Holmes on September 22, 2005, which was the Tigers' season opener after their first three originally scheduled contests were either cancelled or postponed due to Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath.
Itawamba Community College and Northwest Mississippi Community College are the only two opponents that Northeast has competed against in each season since the program was established in 1949.
The Tigers will welcome both of their aforementioned archrivals for what will be the 60th meetings all-time. Northeast tangles with the Indians on Thursday, September 26 and then the Rangers on Thursday, October 17.
Northeast plays three of its final four games away from Tiger Stadium, including two Saturday afternoon affairs at Mississippi Delta Community College on October 5 and at defending national champion East Mississippi Community College to conclude the regular season on October 26.
The Tigers close the non-division portion of their agenda by travelling to reigning MACJC South Division winner Jones College on Thursday, October 10. It is Northeast's first journey to Ellisville since the 2012 campaign.
"We're excited about it," Davis said. "It's going to be a good time. We feel like we've recruited some good talent. We've just got to do a good job and I feel like our kids are going to be ready to play."
The 2019 MACJC State Playoffs opens with the semifinal round on November 2 with matchups on the campuses of the two schools that capture division crowns. The title game takes place on November 9.
The National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) will host its championship contest in Pittsburg, Kan., on December 5 with CBS Sports Network handling television coverage. It also sanctions nine other postseason games across the country, including the annual Mississippi Bowl in Perkinston.