Dec. 9, 2013
By Jon Cooper
Sting Daily
– Once Georgia Tech’s destination was set for its 17th straight bowl game the next question became “Who are the Yellow Jackets going to play?”
The answer is the University of Mississippi — the school prefers Ole Miss, in the same way Georgia Institute of Technology prefers Georgia Tech.
Over the next three weeks, Sting Daily will be bringing plenty of information on Ole Miss’ football program, its history and how the Yellow Jackets plan to end the Rebels streak of five straight bowl wins, which, coincidentally — and perhaps fittingly — began after a 49-38 loss to West Virginia on Dec. 28, 2000, in the Music City Bowl.
For now, here is a simple introduction to Ole Miss.
The Basics
Location: Oxford, Miss.
Founded: 1848
Private/Public: Private Enrollment: 21,528
Chancellor: Dr. Daniel W. Jones – the 16th in school history
Athletic Director: Ross Bjork
Senior Woman Administrator: Brandi Hephner LeBanc, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs
Stadium: Vaught-Hemingway Stadium/Hollingsworth Field – Opened in 1915. Current capacity, 60,580
Conference: SEC (West)
Head Coach: Hugh Freeze (Second Year at Ole Miss, third overall)
Ole Miss Record: 14-11 (.560)
Career Record: 24-14 (.632)
School Colors: Cardinal Red and Navy Blue
Nickname: Rebels
Mascot: Rebel
Rebels Links
Website: olemisssports.com
Facebook: OleMiss
Twitter: @OleMissNow (athletics), @OleMissFB (football)
Pinterest: OleMiss
YouTube: OleMissSports
Instagram: OleMiss
Greatest former athletes/coaches: Football: Archie Manning, Eli Manning, Billy Brewer, Charlie Conerly, Gene Hickerson, Frank M. “Bruiser” Kinard, Deuce McAllister, Dexter McCluster, Patrick Willis, Mike Wallace, James “Bus” Cook (NFL agent); Men’s Basketball: Keith Carter, Van Chancellor (coach); Women’s Basketball: Armintie Herrington, formerly Armintie Price (forward for the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream); Baseball: David Dellucci, Jake Gibbs, Don Kessinger, Seth Smith.
Here She Comes, Ole Miss America: Ole Miss can claim three Miss Americas among its alumni, including back-to-back winners. Mary Ann Mobley began the parade in 1959 and was followed by Lynda Lee Mead in 1960. Susan Akin-Lynch completed the trio in 1986. Mobley went on to have a tremendous acting career, starring opposite Elvis Presley in “Girl Happy” and “Harum Scarum.” She’d later appear in such TV shows as Mission: Impossible, Fantasy Island and the Love Boat and appeared on game shows Super Password and Match Game. She is married to actor Gary Collins.
Other Notable alumni: William W. Parsons (former director of NASA’s John F. Kennedy Space Center), Dr. Pedro Rodriguez (Director of a test laboratory at NASA and inventor of a portable, battery-operated lift seat for people suffering from knee arthritis), Jim Barksdale (CEO, Netscape), Harold Burson (founder of PR giant Burson-Marstellar), James Meredith (first African-American student at Ole Miss, leader in the Civil Rights Movement), William Faulkner, John Grisham, Mose Allison, Cynthia Geary, Kate Jackson (actress, aka Sabrina on the original Charlie’s Angels), Gerald McRaney (actor).
Vs. Georgia Tech: Georgia Tech has won two of the three meetings with Ole Miss, but neither Tech’s series advantage nor the fact that the Rebels won the last meeting between the schools, is likely to provide any momentum, as they have not met since Dec. 30, 1971! In that last meeting, No. 17 Ole Miss topped Tech, 41-18, in the 1971 Peach Bowl. Georgia Tech won the first meeting, 24-7, on Oct. 12, 1946, at Grant Field. It was not Bobby Dodd Stadium so much as Bobby Dodd’s stadium, as Dodd was in his second year as Tech’s head coach. The Jackets had identical success on Jan. 1, 1953, this time in the Sugar Bowl, by an identical score, as Dodd’s second-ranked Yellow Jackets concluded a perfect 12-0 season and sealed a co-National Championship with the win over Ole Miss.
Here’s to Chucky: One of the most prestigious awards in Ole Miss football is the Chucky Mullins Courage Award, which is given out at the end of Spring Practice. The award commemorates the too-short life of former Rebels student-athlete Roy Lee “Chucky” Mullins. Mullins made the team as a walk-on and played at DB during the 1989 season. But during the first quarter of the Oct. 28 Homecoming game against Vanderbilt, he was paralyzed after making a head-first tackle. The impact of the hit shattered four vertebrae and left him a quadriplegic. Mullins courageously battled through rehabilitation, never losing his trademark smile, and even made it back to school. The team, the campus and the entire community rallied behind their fallen comrade, raising money to help him pay medical bills and financing the building of a specially equipped house for him. Mullins returned to school but on May 1, 1991, he was stricken by a pulmonary embolism and lost consciousness. He was rushed to the hospital but never regained consciousness. He died five days later, at age 21. Chucky’s spirit lives on in the award, which is given at the Annual Chucky Mullins Courage Award Banquet. The winner of the award receives a framed No. 38 jersey — Mullins’ number — and gets to wear the number for one game during that next season. All proceeds from the Banquet go to a fund to help Ole Miss students that are in serious accidents.
Egg-cellent, Smithers!: Ole Miss concludes its regular season by taking on interstate rival Mississippi State in the battle for the Golden Egg, which has become known as “The Egg Bowl.” The game has been played since 1927 with the Rebels holding a decisive 55-26-5 edge, although Mississippi State took home the Egg this year, winning 17-10 in overtime. Since 1999, the home team has won 12 of 14 meetings. That home field dominance actually followed a five-year stretch (1994-98), when the road team won.
With a Rebel Yell: Ole Miss has its own unique cheer, called Hoddy Toddy. It’s one the Yellow Jackets ideally hope to limit on Dec. 30th and goes like this.
ARE YOU READY???
He** yes, damn right!!!
Hoddy toddy gosh almighty
Who in the he** are we…HEY!!!
Flim flam, bim bam
OLE MISS BY DAMN!!!
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