Showing posts with label rebels. Show all posts
Showing posts with label rebels. Show all posts

31 July 2007

Welcome to Ole Miss:Big Ten fans

This blog is in response to the series : How we are perceived. In that series I asked all 11 Big Ten universities' fans their thoughts on Ole Miss. I thank the fans who took the time to answer a few questions. I was surprised at how open Big Ten fans were to talking about Ole Miss sports. This blog is a short glimpse of the Ole Miss today.

Dear Big Ten fans:

I enjoyed reading your thoughts on Ole Miss. Many of you were knowledgeable and informed on Ole Miss and our traditions. I was a bit disappointed in some of the comments, in particular the rebel flag and racist comments. I asked for your thoughts and it seems you were honest. I hope to shed a new light on Ole Miss for you. This blog is just a short glimpse of the Ole Miss today.

All universities have their scars and black eyes. Ole Miss is definitely among them. Ole Miss today is a much different place than it was even 20 years ago. I am amazed at how much it has changed even since I was there from 1992-1995. It seems many of you have old images stuck in your head regarding Ole Miss. I hope to enlighten you on changes that have accured over the last few decades.

First let me start off by saying that Ole Miss hasn't used the Rebel Flag in over 20 years and asked the fans not to bring the flags to football games 10 years ago. They issued a "stick ban" and now confiscate any type of flag in the stadium. Regardless, the majority of Ole Miss fans have happily agreed to the change.

Our previous mascot, Col Reb, has been retired. The University in 2003 retired the Col and is in the process of updating to a new and younger mascot. We've been waiting for 4 years now. Hopefully the University will let us have a mascot once again.

Where is the name "Ole Miss" from? The Ole Miss site states :" The University's nickname -- Ole Miss -- became part of University 100 years ago, in 1896, when it was selected in a contest held to identify a new student publication, the yearbook. It was suggested by the late Miss Elma Meek of Oxford. Each succeeding issue of the annual has been given this copyrighted identity."

Is there still racism in Mississippi? Yes. However, my personal opinion is that there is no more or no less racism present than in any other place. I live in Ohio now and I can see no difference between here and Oxford. Mississippi is 36% African American, compared to 15% in IL, 11.4% in OH, 8.3% in IN, 9.9% in PA and 5.6% in WI. IOPAA Simply put, Mississippi is two times more diverse than any state where a Big 10 university is located.

Here are some facts that I found on the University of Mississippi's website:


  • Total enrollment on The University of Mississippi’s three campuses and The University of Mississippi Medical Center is almost 17,300. Sixty-five percent of all students are from Mississippi, and 18 percent are minorities. International students come from 68 nations. (Northwestern only has a black student population of less than 6 percent, Michigan 8.1 percent.)--The journal of blacks in higher education

  • UM produced its 24th Rhodes Scholar in 1998. Since then, it has produced five Truman Scholars, seven Goldwater Scholars, a Marshall Scholar and five Fulbright Scholars. UM was named one of three 2004 Truman Foundation Honor Institutions in the nation.

  • 1,286 students have participated in the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College since it opened in 1997 and the Barksdale Honors Scholarship has provided more than $1.3 million. Reader's Digest calls the Honors College one of the nation's three finest.

  • The Lombardi Program on Measuring University Performance ranks UM among the nation's Top 50 public research universities.

  • External funding for research, service and education projects on the Oxford and Jackson campuses topped $100 million each of the past six years. UM is home to more than 30 research centers.

  • The American Academy of Forensic Scientists ranks the UM degree in forensic chemistry among the top five in the country.

  • The University's endowment stands at $421.4 million, placing it among the nation's best endowed public institutions per capita.

  • The School of Business Administration's insurance risk management program is ranked among the top five in the country.

  • Sports Illustrated rates tailgating in the Grove as one of America's premier college events, placing it No. 3 on a list of 100 things to do before graduating.

  • UM is home to the world's largest blues archive, Living Blues magazine (the country's longest-running magazine dedicated to blues music) and "Highway 61," a blues radio show produced weekly for Mississippi Public Broadcasting.

  • University of Mississippi Medical Center surgeons performed the world's first lung transplant in man and transplanted the heart of a chimpanzee - man's closest genetic relation - into the chest of a dying man.

  • One of the South's first universities to admit women, and the first to hire a female faculty member.

I invite y'all to take a trip to Oxford. Oxford is one of the most unique places you will ever visit. Here is a bit about Oxford from oxfordms.com: (I also suggest taking the time to watch the video of oxford found on this website.)



  • Oxford has earned the distinction as a Designated Retirement Community by the state of Mississippi’s Hometown Retirement program and was named one of Money magazine’s top six retirement communities in July 2001. Oxford has also been highlighted by Where To Retire, Fortune, Travel 50 And Beyond, Men’s Journal, Modern Maturity, Time magazine and many other national and regional publications as being an ideal retirement destination. The Oxford-Lafayette County Economic Development Foundation’s Retiree Attraction Program offers information and tours for interested retirees who want to learn more about the town. Visit www.retire.oxfordms.com to contact the Retiree Attraction Program Director or for additional information on retirement in Oxford.

The most well known sports related event at Ole Miss is tailgating in the Grove. The Grove has been named in numerous sports list as one of, if not, the best tailgating in college football. Take the time to read a few articles on the Grove experience. Then come on down, you will love it. :




I hope this information has been helpful. I do hope that you take the time to visit Ole Miss and Oxford. Better yet, ask your athletic directors to schedule us in a future game.


Sincerely,


The Hotty Toddy Blog


25 July 2007

Ole Miss: Your thoughts on the Missouri game.

As a follow up to my "Ole Miss v. Missouri- What are the Mizzou fans saying? ", I've asked Ole Miss fans on Rivals and Spirit a serious a question about Missouri.




(1) If you made the trip last year, what did you think of the city, University and stadium?

"Been there, everything ok, stadium somewhat bare"--thp023 (Spirit)

"Didn't make the trip last year, but I've been to the area and it is nice." --AlohaReb (Spirit)

"City -- Pretty nice with easily noticeable bad areas; very cool downtown bar scene; really enjoyed my time" --TheRebelAS (Rivals)

"I stayed just outside Columbia, and loved it. weather was great, people were nice, and fishing was unbelievable. I like their stadium for the most part. it had a cozy kind of feel. site lines weren't the greatest but not as bad as sitting in the upper deck of some SEC beohemuth like Neyland Stadium." --KobanT...barian (Rivals)

(2) What are you thoughts on this year's game?

"Mizzou should be a very good team this year, but they are historically horrible on the road (remember their trip to Troy a couple years ago). This, plus it being our first home games, gives me hope we may sneak out of there with a win. " -- TheRebelAS (Rivals)

"I think in keeping with our policy, we’ve played a dud program at its 25 year peak. (cf. Baylor, Wake Forest, Wyoming, etc..). We have a knack for that. They had the talent to win five more games the last two years but not the character. I don’t think they’ll get our deer-in-the-headlights game two years in a row. Ole Miss wins." --GeorgePosey(Rivals)

"This yrs game-Ole Miss wins." --thp023 (Spirit)

"They will be tough. Orgeron MUST win this game. It is our home opener. They humiliated us last year." --MidtownReb(Spirit)

"They are good and we'll have to be better than I think we'll be early this season to beat them. They are serious contenders for the Big 12 North championship." --VampirReb (Spirit)

"We get slaughtered" --cogburn8 (Spirit)

"Missouri wins but it's closer than last year. I will say 31 - 21 Missouri." --AlohaReb (Spirit)

"It's a big game. We will probably be the underdogs and will need to bring our A game. I think our OL and DL will definitely make it a closer game than last year plus home field advantage. It will be a fun game." --JaySuede(Spirit)

"I obviously hope for a different outcome. I think we'll be able to run well and our Defense will be much better particularly on the line where so many Fr were playing last year. I just hope we can slow down Chase Daniels "--KobanT...barian (Rivals)

(3) What do you think about MO fans?

"Don't know anything about them" --MidtownReb (Spirit)

"Seem decent" --cogburn8 (Spirit)

"They seem like friendly people to me." --AlohaReb(Spirit)

"Definitely a different crowd! I saw my fair share of denim shorts, washer pitching, and beanbag tosses." --TheRebelAS (Rivals)

"Most were friendly and did their smack talking in a good natured way. "--KobanT...barian (Rivals)

(4) Would you like to play MO again in the future?

"Sure, but not anytime soon. I'd like to play some Texas schools if we're going to play the Big XII." --TheRebelAS (Rivals)

"Not much. Rather play Wake Forest again. But if they'll both go back to normal until we run up a 20-2 record against them, I could live with it." --GeorgePosey (Rivals)

"Yes. I think this could be a good game for both teams in the future." --AlohaReb (Spirit)

"Rather play Texas in '09." --VampirReb(Spirit)

"not particularly" --MidTownReb(Spirit)

"sure. I'd love to see us get a variety of teams from OOC but playing Mizzou again in a few years would be fine with me."--KobanT...barian (Rivals)

(5) What do you respect about MO?

"Good football tradition" --thp023 (Spirit)

"great school, nice college town" --MidtownReb(Spirit)

"Once had one of the best football programs and HC in the country. Alot of big time tradition but like us, you gotta go pretty far back to know it." VampirReb (Spirit)

"They are a team that seems to be on the rise in the Big 12." --AlohaReb(Spirit)

"The Cardinals, Six Flags, Branson, the Arch, Budweiser, the Fox theater in St. Louis" --JaySuede(Spirit)

"Journalism school. Distinguished past alums. Nice weather. " --GeorgePosey (Rivals)

"They seem to have a lot of pride in their football team and their school." --TheRebelAS

"The fans (one I met anyway)" --KobanT...barian (Rivals)

(6) What do you dislike about MO?

"they beat us last year." --thp023 (Spirit)

"that they trampled us last year" --MidtownReb(Spirit)

"Aside from my views on denim shorts and pregame activities differing, not a lot." --TheRebelAS
To join in the discussion visit:

Ole Miss Spirit

Ole Miss Rivals

23 July 2007

Ole Miss : Troy Johnson responds to questions & comments.


I sent Troy Johnson an email with some comments and questions regarding his "Ranking the SEC Coaches" . I just received a response.


Here is my e-mail:


Mr. Johnson,
I have a few comments and questions for you regarding your :Ranking the SEC coaches article.
12Ed Orgeron, Ole MissWins and losses: 3. Ole Miss fired David Cutcliffe, but it's tough to envision Orgeron as an upgrade. He's 7-16 after two seasons and has beaten just one team with a winning record (Memphis in 2005).

You fail to mention that a possible reason for going 7-16 is because of our lack of talent due to Cutcliffe's recruiting. Here are Ole Miss' recruiting rankings by Rivals for the three years prior to Cutcliffe's firing : 2002 : 33 / 2003 : 38 / 2004: 30.
Recruiting: 8. Named the national recruiter of the year while at USC in 2004. He's been an active presence all over the Southeast, but it's always been tough for Ole Miss to consistently draw top-tier talent.

If it is tough to "consistently draw top-tier talent" then Coach O is doing an outstanding job. His rankings so far : 2005 : 30 / 2006 : 16 / 2007: 27 / and those are after four losing seasons. His ranking so far for 2008 is : 17

Discipline: 6. No major problems with the program, but Orgeron has acquired a reputation for being a loose cannon.

Based on what? In the past three years at Ole Miss how has he been a loose cannon?
Smooth sailing: 3. Orgeron didn't take over an especially stable or accomplished program. Ole Miss may come to regret cutting Cutcliffe loose.

If Coach O didn't take over a stable or accomplished program then why should we regret losing Cutcliffe?)
Career body of work: 5. Deserves credit for his contributions as an assistant at Miami and USC, but he might ultimately be better suited for that role.

How can you say this when he has had three seasons? He needs a bit more time to get his players in. If he still hasn't won more than 4 games in two years then this is a valid point.

Thanks for your time.


Here is his response:


I don't dislike Coach O. If anything, he's one of the more passionate coaches in the league. I'll go ahead and address the perception of Coach O as a loose cannon. He hasn't done anything to put Ole Miss on the NCAA's radar and I don't presume to say that he will. But he does have a history of coming unwound, dating back to his time at Miami. He was ordered by Dade County court to enroll in a 26-week domestic violence counseling program and was arrested and charged with second-degree battery after a bar fight (charges were later dropped). Between that and some of his ''hits'' on YouTube, the man may be in need of an image makeover.As for Cutcliffe, the man’s record was 44-29. He took the Rebs to four bowls in six seasons. They went 10-3 in 2003 and, sorry to say it, Ole Miss isn’t thought of as a 10-win kind of program.He tanked in 2004, but it's tough to find an SEC program that hasn't suffered through a season like that once in a while. Plus, Tennessee improved significantly after bringing Cutcliffe back.Coach O will have a chance to prove me wrong, of course.How would you have ranked the league's coaches?

Ole Miss : Another name on my list


I recently came across an article entitled "Ranking the SEC coaches" by Troy Johnson of the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer. In this article he ranks the SEC coaches on a 1-10 scale in 10 categories.


I was expecting Coach O to be near the bottom of the list. He was. He was ranked 12th. Croom was ranked 11th. I've pasted his comments about Coach O and my thoughts in parenthesis.


12
Ed Orgeron, Ole Miss
Wins and losses: 3. Ole Miss fired David Cutcliffe, but it's tough to envision Orgeron as an upgrade. He's 7-16 after two seasons and has beaten just one team with a winning record (Memphis in 2005). (He fails to mention that a possible reason for going 7-16 is because of our lack of talent due to Cutcliffe's recruiting, or lack there of. Here are Ole Miss' recruiting rankings by Rivals for the three years prior to Cutcliffe's firing : 2002 : 33 / 2003 : 38 / 2004: 30. )

Ingenuity: 5. Orgeron developed some pretty fierce defensive fronts as an assistant to Pete Carroll at USC, but he's still finding his way as a head coach.

Recruiting: 8. Named the national recruiter of the year while at USC in 2004. He's been an active presence all over the Southeast, but it's always been tough for Ole Miss to consistently draw top-tier talent. (If it is tough to "consistently draw top-tier talent" then Coach O is doing an outstanding job. His rankings so far : 2005 : 30 / 2006 : 16 / 2007: 27 / and those are after four losing seasons. His ranking so far for 2008 is : 17)

Discipline: 6. No major problems with the program, but Orgeron has acquired a reputation for being a loose cannon. (Based on what? In the past three years at Ole Miss how has he been a loose cannon? I will e-mail Mr. Johnson to see what information he has to back this up.)

Staff construction: 6. O-line coach Art Kehoe and offensive coordinator Dan Werner experienced success at Miami.
What have you done lately?: 3. Hey, at least the Rebels moved up instead of down -- from 3-8 to 4-8.

Chicken dinner factor: 5. Think "Foooobaaaw!" and "Brent Schaeffaaaaw!" The Internet popularity of "The Coach O Song" may not play well with trustees, but you have to appreciate the guy's energy and entertainment value. (Anyone who mentions the "Coach O Song" in a sports article to rank a coach cannot be taken seriously)

Smooth sailing: 3. Orgeron didn't take over an especially stable or accomplished program. Ole Miss may come to regret cutting Cutcliffe loose. (If Coach O didn't take over a stable or accomplished program then why should we regret losing Cutcliffe?)

Long haul: 3. He's not in an ideal situation, but it's hard to imagine his as the face of a football renaissance.

Career body of work: 5. Deserves credit for his contributions as an assistant at Miami and USC, but he might ultimately be better suited for that role. (How can you say this when he has had three seasons? He needs a bit more time to get his players in. If he still hasn't won more than 4 games in two years then this is a valid point).
Extra credit: Nada.
Grand total: 47


I would love to hear other's thoughts on this article. For your enjoyment, I've pasted his part on Croom below.


Sylvester Croom, Mississippi State
Wins and losses: 3. Granted, he inherited a seemingly insurmountable task, but there's been little sign of progress. He's 9-25 since becoming the first African-American coach in SEC history in 2004.
Ingenuity: 6. The Bulldogs' schemes have been fine, but there's little in the way of quality depth.
Recruiting: 6. His 2007 class, which was ranked 27th nationally, stirs an ounce of hope -- but not for this year.
Discipline: 8. He comes across as stern, confident and in control of his program.
Staff construction: 7. Lots of experience with the likes of Rockey Felker, Charlie Harbison, Pat Washington and Woody McCorvey onboard.
What have you done lately?: 3. He's beaten three teams with winning records and, in the process, created a new slang term for SEC insiders. When a coach loses to Mississippi State, he stands a good chance of losing his job. Just ask Ron Zook and Mike Shula. Getting the boot after getting beaten by the Bulldogs is now referred to as "getting Croomed."
Chicken dinner factor: 5. Fits the description of a Bear Bryant trainee. Not especially glib, but certainly not artificial.
Smooth sailing: 3. Even if Mississippi State improves by leaps and bounds, it will be hard to finish better higher than fifth in a brutal division.
Long haul: 5. Athletic director Larry Templeton and university president Robert Foglesong have not yet wavered in their support for Croom.
Career body of work: 6. He helped develop such talents as Derrick Thomas and Cornelius Bennett as an 11-year Alabama assistant before moving to the NFL as an assistant coach. He developed a solid reputation while working in Tampa Bay, Indianapolis, San Diego, Detroit and Green Bay.
Extra credit: No points, but plenty of sympathy.
Grand total: 52

22 July 2007

Ole Miss: I'm keeping a list.

Ole Miss is a favorite this year. An easy favorite for last in the SEC west among sports writers around the country. (and some of our own fans) Many have us picked to only win one SEC game. Not sure if that game is Vandy or State.

What many fail to remember is that we were a few points away from beating some very good teams last year. A few points from going to a Bowl.

Now, don't get me wrong. I believe we are a few more recruiting seasons away from being a Solid Top 25 team. However, I do believe we might surprise a few folks.

With this in mind. I've decided to keep a list of those who are down on us Rebs.

First on the list : Darren Epps (E-mail) of Chattanooga Times Free Press.

Epps picks Ole Miss dead last in the SEC west. He predicts we will only win one game in the SEC. Here is what he says "The Rebels, on one magical day, will put all that young talent together and stun someone. It was nearly LSU at Tiger Stadium last year. I'm predicting a win at Auburn. And when it doesn't happen, send a message to the e-mail below and address it to "Moron." " ...."Here’s a prediction we can all agree on: That won’t happen. The Bulldogs will upset Kentucky and defeat Ole Miss at home in the Egg Bowl (presented by Ambien ?), which could determine which team finishes with an egg in the SEC win column. "

I'll give Epps credit. He did remember that we almost upset LSU at Tiger Stadium.

I hope this list will turn out to be an invitation to a nice crow dinner.

If you would like a name on the list, let me know.

21 July 2007

Ole Miss v. Missouri- What are the Mizzou fans saying?

What do the Mizzou fans think of our upcoming game? I posted a few questions on both the Mizzou Scout and Rivals site. Here is what they are saying:



Question:


What are your thoughts on our game in Sept?

  • "I think most of us know this will be a tougher game than some may expect. Playing in your house will not make things easy on us, but I think most of us still expect a win. "


  • "Can't wait for that game,on the road in the SEC,should be a great game."


  • "This game worries me, we could be walking into an ambush down there. I think our boys will have their dander up and will play well, but so will the Rebs in front of their home crowd."
Question:


How many are planning to visit Oxford?

  • "I cannot attend this game, I am having surgery on my foot and will likely not be recovered by then. Otherwise I wouldnt miss it. I have almost memorable southern breakfast in Oxford several years ago. I forgot the name of the place. Anyway it seems an awful lot of Tiger fans are making the trip. "


  • "We've got a group of 6 to 12 that will be strolling through the Grove pre-game and hoping to see an MU road win, which has never been a gimme in the last 20 years or so. "

Question:

What are your strengths/weaknesses this year?

  • "Strengths;Basically our O is going to be tough to stop for anybody.QB,WR,TB,TE is solid.OL should get the job done as well.A Special Teams;Always a ? but should be better than average.Defense;Our interior line will be tough,the question is our end play.True LBs are now in place and should be good.One corner spot is solid,looking for a player to step up on the other side.Safeties will be deep."


  • "We will have their dander up and will play well, but so will the Rebs in front of their home crowd. I think our offense will be hard to stop. Ole Miss is breaking in quite a few new guys, you will have a different QB than we saw last year in Columbia."


  • "Strength is def. our offense. Touting probably a top 5 Nationally rated offense led by Chase Daniel and our 1-2 TE punch, there is also a VERY deep WR core and an experienced OL. If Temple continues to run like he did in the Sun Bowl this offense might give a few DC's nightmares.


  • Weakness: I think most would say defense but I think our Defense will be alright. My concern is special teams. We were horrible on punting and allowed other teams to have premium field position to start from. This problem needs to get fixed, as well as our return game. We have not run one back since... what, the 80's? hah. The highlight to our Specialist however, is our kicker. Semi-finalist for the Groza award last year, Jeff Wolfert was 100% on PAT's and only missed two field goals all year (99 pts total). Oh and I met his older sister, she's a hottie. But I digress..."


  • "Missouri returns one of the upper-echelon offenses in the country this year, returning a 3,000 yard passer and a 1,000 yard rusher, and a pretty good set of receivers, led by our tight end tandem of Martin Rucker and Chase Coffman. Will Franklin would be our best WR at this point. Mizzou is also pretty solid up front too, returning four starters and another few that started at least one game last season.


  • Mizzou should be better on defense. We might not have an overall upgrade in talent, but we have guys that are more natural players at their positions, especially at linebacker. The only seriously troublesome spot on the defense is at DE, and maybe a second CB on the other side of Darnell Terrell. Have to see who steps up. LB's will be pretty green, but I honestly think we're talented enough there to compete."

Question:


Do you think the game will be a blow out again this year or do you think it might be closer?

  • "I can't honestly say if this game will be very close or not."


  • "Overall, I see this being a closer game, since we'll be playing on the road at an SEC school, but given the fact that Ole Miss lost two above-avg. LB's after last season, and some other key players on defense, I tend to think we should probably win by 14-17 points. The only guy on OM's offense that would make me lose sleep is Green-Ellis, but I can see MU stacking the box with 8-9 guys to stop him."


  • "Not looking for a blow out on the road.35-24 sounds about right."
To join in the discussion go to :

The Mizzou Rivals site

The Mizzou Scout site

20 July 2007

Ole Miss v. Texas in football?


The message boards are filled with rumors of a two game Ole Miss v. Texas series in the future. The dates have ranged from 2009-2012.


I've done some research and cannot find any news articles that discuss the possibility of the game. This is not surprising as the universities will probably keep this secret.


I posted a message on the Texas Rivals site to see if any of their fans have heard anything. It seems the UT v. Ole Miss rumors are circulating there as well. Check it out the Texas Rivals site.

There is also a thread on the Texas Scout site.
This thread is dominated by a Oklahoma fan from Mississippi who hates Ole Miss.

If anyone has any information, please post a comment or e-mail me.

I think this would be a great opportunity to showcase Ole Miss. If the first game is in 2009 then it should be a good match up if Orgeron's recruiting continues strong. Also, it would match Snead with his former university. Therefore, depending on how well Snead does, it will have a large TV appeal.


2007-2008 Basketball Schedule Announced.



It's out. Let's see who we are playing:

Winthrop in Jackson on Dec 13



  • Winthrop made the sweet 16 last year. This is one of two off campus games we are playing in Dec to offset the low attendance while the students are away. Here is the Winthrop official website: . There isn't a Winthrop Spirit or Rivals site.
  • A Winthrop message board : WinthropFans.com

Southern Miss in Southaven on Dec 28.

  • This is the second off campus game. We will also play Southern in Jackson in the future.

New Mexico on Dec 1st in Oxford.



  • This game was picked up after Memphis asked to be released to play Georgetown.


To view the release click go here.

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