Former Mississippi State and current Buffalo Bills LB Mario Haggan recently took time for an exclusive interview with BulldogBlitz.com. In part one of this two-part feature, Haggan talks about why he chose MSU, his greatest memories from his days in Starkville, why he feels the football program took a turn for the worse in 2001, and much more.

Haggan was selected all-state by the Clarion-Ledger and honorable mention All-America by USA Today coming out of Clarksdale High School back in 1998, and when it came time to make a college decision, Coach Jackie Sherrill and MSU weren't the only ones that were showing interest in Haggan.

"Alabama, Mississippi State, the other Mississippi school, Illinois, and a couple other Division I schools showed a lot of interest. I was mainly looking at staying in-state," he recalls.

So what made the difference in the end?

"The style of defense and the type of recruiting Glen Davis did. He and Coach Sherrill made me feel like I would really have a chance to do good things at Mississippi State, and it turns out they were right."

Haggan wasted no time once he arrived on campus, stepping right in at LB in 1999, a season that saw MSU start 8-0 and earn one of the highest national rankings in school history.

"The '99 year was a great year. We rotated two defenses, so that allowed me to play behind Barrin Simpson and a couple other guys and be an early contributor as a young guy. That year was special because we played together as a team," Haggan says. "We had about four or five come-from-behind victories. We went through a period where we lost to Alabama and Arkansas and had a chance to go undefeated or even compete for a SEC championship. To come off those to two losses and beat our rival was really big and meant a lot to recruiting in this state."

In a season full of comeback victories over the likes of Auburn, LSU, and Kentucky, it was the victory over "the other Mississippi school" that stands out the most to Haggan.

"We were down with a minute left. I can remember Romaro Miller dropping back to throw a ball. It looked like the pass was going to be complete, but if I'm not mistaken, Robert Bean tipped the ball and kicked it in the air and then Eugene Clinton returned it down inside the 20 or 30 yard line. We were able to finish the game with a Westerfield field goal."

The Bulldogs carried the momentum from that win and a season-ending Peach Bowl victory over Clemson into the 2000 season. A two-game home stand against highly-ranked Florida and Auburn came just before the halfway point of that season, and Haggan still recalls the excitement of those two weeks on campus.

"It was a great period, first of all being recognized nationally by CBS to have both of those games on, and then to dominate those two games like we did, especially with Rudi (Johnson) being a high-profile RB with six or seven games in a row over 130 yards. To do what we did, it was making a statement for our team and for our season."

Another postseason bowl trip followed, and as fans had become used to over the previous couple of years, it was another dramatic, come-from-behind victory. With several inches of snow on the ground and more falling throughout the game, Dontae Walker dashed for nearly 150 yards to lead the offensive attack.

DL Willie Blade, who Haggan says "carried the defense that night," blocked a Texas A&M extra point in overtime, and the Bulldogs' Julius Griffith returned it for two points. QB Wayne Madkin then stepped under center and scored the winning touchdown in overtime to give MSU the 43-41 victory.

"It was a great deal," Haggan says. "Once again, we were fortunate enough to be in a bowl game. To play in that kind of weather and maintain the intensity and focus that we did to come from behind and win that one was definitely big."

While the talent on the field played a huge part, Haggan says the leadership that those key players provided was also a major reason for the success the Bulldog program had during his first two years on campus.

"The type of guys we had (early in my career) and the type of leadership passed down from James Johnson, Randy Thomas, Tim Nelson, and those type of guys that worked to rebuild the team and get it back (to winning). Even some of the things Keffer passed along before he passed away. A lot of hard work went into getting the program back to new heights."

But following that game in Shreveport, something changed for the worse, and Bulldog football hasn't been the same since. Fans, players, and coaches all have their theory on what caused the downturn, and Haggan himself is no exception.

"The one thing I've said is that it wasn't the talent we had, it was the character of some of the players," he begins. "We had had success before some of those guys got there, and they took for granted the type of success we had. I don't think they realized the tradition we had set and what the school had gone through in previous years to build the program back up.

"I don't think they took it serious, and they didn't know what work was until they got in the SEC and realized what kind of talent there was. They found out that it was too late to work then, and by that time, we had got a bunch of guys in there that weren't willing to put in the effort to be a winning team."

A move from LB, where he had been a star for two years, to DE came that same junior season when things began to take a turn for the worse as a team. Although it wasn't a successful move, Haggan says he doesn't regret giving the new position a shot.

"I never like to look at the past as a mistake, especially right now with me being blessed to have the success I'm having right now. Would I have taken the move then? No, but it happened, and I went out and gave it all I had. It ended up being a good year for me individually, though not for the team.

"The coaches did what they felt like was best at the time, and that's all I did, just played for my team and contributed however I could at the time. Everything happens for a reason, and I'm here in the NFL now in one of the heights of this game and I can't complain."

He switched back to LB for his senior year in 2002, anchored that season's defense, and played well enough for the Buffalo Bills to select him in that spring's NFL Draft. Looking back on his career, Haggan says he has a number of special memories from his days at MSU, but says his favorite is perhaps that come-from-behind Egg Bowl victory over the Rebels in 1999 mentioned earlier.

"It's a couple of things. I mentioned the game vs Mississippi and the Florida and Auburn games. I think beating Mississippi that year had to be like a new height because they had a really good team and a high-profile offense with Romero and Deuce. To beat them coming from behind and clinch a bowl game was definitely one of the heights of my career at Mississippi State."

Stay tuned for Part II of our interview with Mario Haggan where the former Bulldog discusses his relationship with Coach Jackie Sherrill, his current status with the Buffalo Bills, his connections with the Mississippi State program today, and much more.