Thursday, March 31, 2011

Life In The NFL: History-Making Spurlock

We continue to take a look at our former Rebel stars that will be on hand for "Life in the NFL," an awards ceremony and panel discussion on the NFL on Grove Bowl Saturday at 11 a.m. on the Grove Stage. Next up is Micheal Spurlock.

After posting 4,509 total yards and 45 TDs as a senior quarterback at Gentry High School in Indianola, expectations were high for Spurlock when he arrived in Oxford in 2001. When he got his opportunity, he had elephant-size shoes to fill, having to follow the great Eli Manning as the Rebels' signal caller. Micheal started twice in 2004 and eight games as a senior in 2005, when he passed for 1,709 yards seven touchdowns.

By season's end, it was clear that any future he had in football would be at a new position, and later that spring, Arizona inked him to a free-agent deal as a
running back/wide receiver. Spurlock's only action of his rookie campaign came in the regular-season finale, when he collected four catches for 31 yards.

A year later he arrived in Tampa and secured his status as a cult hero in the Bay area.
It was week 15 of 2007 against division rival Atlanta. With 6:19 remaining in the first quarter, Spurlook took a kickoff 90 yards to the house, breaking a stretch of 1,865 kickoff returns without a touchdown, spanning the Buccaneers' entire 31-year history in the NFL. After spending part of 2009 in San Francisco, Micheal returned to Tampa Bay, and in 2010, he began his emergence as more than just a return specialist. As a wide receiver, Spurlock notched 17 catches for 250 yards and 2 TDs, including the game-winner in the fourth quarter against Cleveland. However, for Bucs fans, he'll always be remembered for "Run, Micheal, Run!"


Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Life In The NFL: Reyes Helps With College

It will be a star-studded Grove Bowl Week, as a big group of former Rebel stars will return to campus for an awards ceremony and panel discussion on the National Football League. "Life in the NFL" is set for 11 a.m. on the Grove Stage on Grove Bowl Saturday, April 16. Between now and then, we plan to feature each of the honorees here on the blog, beginning today with Tutan Reyes.

Perhaps the greatest first name in Rebel history, Tutankhamen "Tutan" Reyes arrived in Oxford via Queens, N.Y., and was a four-year letterwinner from 1996-99. Wearing No. 76, Tutan started all 12 games on the offensive line as a senior, when he helped the Rebels to an 8-4 finish and a last-second win over Oklahoma in the Independence Bowl. He earned All-SEC second team honors from the league coaches and signed a free-agent deal with New Orleans. That kicked off an NFL career that has included seven teams, 37 starts and 53 games played. His best seasons to date include a 2005 campaign in Carolina when he started all 16 games and a 2004 season that saw him in the starting lineup for 12 Panther contests.

Reyes has had his fair share of success on the field but nothing compared to his amazing generosity off the field. In 2007, Tutan founded Beyond the Boroughs, a National Scholarship Fund for deserving young men and women that have been accepted into college but have unmet financial need. Check out an NBC News piece on an example of the amazing work done by Reyes' charity.

View more news videos at: http://www.nbcnewyork.com/video.

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Powe, Laurent Impress At Pro Day

Of the 15 Rebel seniors that put their skills on display for NFL scouts at Tuesday's Ole Miss Pro Day, DTs Jerrell Powe and Ted Laurent were singled out by scouting guru Gil Brandt. According to his NFL.com blog, Powe ran 5.29 and 5.36 seconds in the 40-yard dash, had a 24 ½-inch vertical jump, a 7-foot, 10-inch broad jump and ran a 4.96 short shuttle, while Laurent ran 5.00 and 5.08 40s, had a 28-inch vertical, a 9-foot long jump, a 4.76 short shuttle, an 8.13 3-cone drill and did 29 bench-press repetitions at 225 pounds.

Check out coverage of Pro Day 2011 from the official site and the Associated Press, while the Clarion-Ledger's Kyle Veazey did feature pieces on Powe and Jeremiah Masoli.

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Dori Carter Set To Debut On LPGA Tour



Former Ole Miss All-American Dori Carter is set to make her debut on the LPGA Tour Friday at the RR Donnelly Founders Cup in Phoenix, Ariz. Carter is one of 28 rookies on tour this year. She qualified in her first attempt at Q-school in the fall. Follow her at www.LPGA.com.

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Robertson Featured On ESPNU

Earlier this week, Ricky Robertson was among five Track & Field Rebels to earn All-American honors. The accolades have become commonplace for Robertson, who is a certified high jump stud. In just two years of collegiate competition, the sophomore from Hernando is a three-time SEC Champion and a two-time NCAA runner-up. Roberton was the subject of a recent feature on ESPNU's SEC Weekly.

Friday, March 4, 2011

Behind The Scenes - Rebel Hoops

Fans can attend games or watch them on television, and for the last four years they have been treated to one of the best players in Ole Miss history - Rebel point guard Chris Warren.

Well, what most fans never get to see is what goes into preparing for basketball games on a daily basis - from media sessions to practices to team meals.

So check out this story on OleMissSports.com for an inside glimpse into the basketall life of one of the best to ever wear the Red and Blue ... Gameday Prep: Behind the Scenes with Chris Warren.