Know Your Opponent: Mississippi

The Gators' first victory over Ole Miss came in 1945 in
Jacksonville. Although Florida won convincingly (26-13), they
wouldn't win another conference game all season. The Seminole

The Rebels from the University of Mississippi travel to Gainesville for their 24th-ever meeting with the Gators this Saturday. The city of Oxford was founded in 1837, named with the intent of attracting an institution of higher education. The University of Mississippi was founded there in 1848, four years after being chartered by the state legislature. Throughout its history, Oxford has remained a small college town. The young university was devastated by the Civil War; the entire student body enlisted in the Confederate Army, forming the University Greys company. Every man was either wounded, killed, or captured during the war (many during the Battle of Gettysburg). The university's campus was used as a hospital before and after Oxford's capture by the Union army. The university enrolled its first female student in 1882 and, three years later, was the first southeastern university to hire female faculty. The nickname "Ole Miss" became attached to the university after student Elma Meek's suggestion was adopted for the name of the yearbook in 1897. Notoriously, Ole Miss was a center for riots during the era of desegregation and civil rights. Today, over 20,000 students are enrolled at the Oxford campus, including about 17,000 undergraduates. Harvard crimson and Yale blue are the school colors of Ole Miss, although gray has long been a component of the Rebels' uniforms.

Ole Miss has enjoyed an enviable history of success on the gridiron. Mississippi first began playing football in 1893 and joined the Southern Conference (SoCon) in 1922, shortly after it was founded. In 1933, Ole Miss left the SoCon to become a charter member of the Southeastern Conference. Known as the "Flood" since 1929 (and before that, the "Red and Blue"), Mississippi officially adopted the "Rebels" nickname in 1936. There is no question as to who was the greatest head coach of the Ole Miss Rebels. John H. Vaught coached the Rebels for 25 seasons (1947–1970, 1973) and later became Ole Miss's athletic director. During his tenure, Vaught's Rebels won six SEC titles (1947, 1954, 1955, 1960, 1962, and 1963) and claimed three national titles (1959, 1960, 1962). No other coach before or after Vaught has ever won a conference or national title at Ole Miss. By the end of his career, Vaught had compiled a 190-61-12 record at Mississippi, making him far-and-away the winningest head coach at the school.

The Rebels play home games at Vaught–Hemingway Stadium, named after both the legendary coach and Judge William Hemingway, a law professor. The stadium's current capacity exceeds 59,000, with the largest recorded crowd numbering 62,657. The stadium is scheduled to expand by almost 5,000 seats after this season. Traditionally, the Rebels had frequently hosted games at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium in Jackson and Liberty Bowl Stadium in Memphis, although this is no longer practiced.

The Gators wouldn't defeat Ole Miss in Gainesville until
1964; Florida upset the national power 30-14 before a stunned
crowd of 47,003 at Florida Field. The Seminole

Of the Rebels' three national titles, none were awarded by the AP, although two (1960 and 1962) were awarded by major polling services. The '59 Rebels went 9-1 in the regular season, dropping just one game to LSU in Baton Rouge. This loss ensured Georgia would be awarded the conference title, although the Rebels won a claim on the national title after avenging themselves in a Sugar Bowl rematch against LSU. The Rebels went 10-0-1 in 1960, going undefeated and tying just once (against LSU). The '62 Rebels went undefeated and untied, winning all ten of their games. Of these three teams, the '59 squad is considered the greatest, outscoring opponents 350 to 21. The '59 Rebels allowed just three touchdowns and no field goals all season. A Rebel has yet to be awarded the Heisman Trophy, although quarterback Archie Manning is nonetheless regarded as one of the greatest in the history of the sport.

Ole Miss has two main rivals. The first is the LSU Tigers, who first met Ole Miss in 1894. The Tigers and the Rebels have played on 103 occasions, with LSU winning 59 games and Ole Miss winning 40 (four contests ended in draws). Both programs were national powers in the 1950s and early '60s, when the rivalry peaked in intensity. Other than a brief hiatus during the Second World War, Ole Miss and LSU have played every year since 1936. The Rebels also have a fierce rivalry with Mississippi State, their in-state rival. The Rebels and the Bulldogs have met 111 times in a series endearingly referred to as the "Egg Bowl" (a name referring the the shape of the trophy). Since first meeting Mississippi State in 1901, Ole Miss has had the edge in the series, leading it 62-43-6 over the Bulldogs (on the field, the record is 60-45-6, but MSU forfeited the '76 and '77 games).

Although both charter members of the SEC, Florida and Ole Miss have only played on an infrequent basis. Since 1926 (the year of their first meeting), the Gators and the Rebels have only played 23 times. Each team has played every other remaining SEC charter member on more occasions. Florida has played former-member Georgia Tech 15 more times than they've played Ole Miss; meanwhile, Ole Miss has played former-member Tulane 48 more times than they've played Florida. Another strange facet of the series is the success of the away team. The Rebels are 6-3-1 in Gainesville (10-4-1 in the state of Florida) against Florida while the Gators are 5-2 in Oxford (6-2 in the state of Mississippi) against Ole Miss.

Other than their fight song ("Forward Rebels"), the Ole Miss marching band ("The Pride of the South") are well known for their various renditions of the southern classic "Dixie".