New Home For The Blog

If you haven't seen the new OleMissSports.com, flip over to the mothership and check out the fresh, innovative design. The clutter has been eliminated, and everything you need to know about the Rebels is much easier to locate. In conjunction with the relaunch, Ole Miss Sports Blog also has a new home. While the design is consistent with the rest of the site, the content remains the same, and fans will still have the opportunity to let us know what they think. Posts from 2009 through January 2012 will continue to live here on the Blogger site, but for February 2o12 and moving forward, visit the link below.

Click here for the new Ole Miss Sports Blog.


Follow me on Twitter at @CampbellKyle.

Mississippi-Born Head Coaches

With Hugh Freeze coming on board, the Magnolia State flavor grows even richer in the Ole Miss coaching ranks. Born in Oxford and raised in Independence, Freeze is one of six native Mississippians currently serving as head coaches for Rebel teams. Here is the full list and their hometowns:

Football: Hugh Freeze, Independence
Men's Basketball: Andy Kennedy, Louisville
Women's Basketball: Renee Ladner, Gulfport
Men's Golf: Ernest Ross, Grenada
Men's Tennis: Billy Chadwick, Jackson
Track & Field: Joe Walker, Utica

Follow me on Twitter at @CampbellKyle.

INFOGRAPHIC: APR Demystified

Recently, the NCAA announced a number of changes to the collegiate athletics rulebook that will undoubtedly impact the entire industry. Since most fans will not comb through the details of the legislation, we’ll simplify (using a handy infographic in this case) a number of these issues on olemisssports.com to give our fans an understanding of how it affects college sports.

Can You Find The Rebels?

Several Ole Miss student-athletes are featured in the Nov. 7 Sports Illustrated. See if you can find the Rebels in this picture. Click on the picture to make it larger.




This Rebel senior might be easier to spot. Click on the picture to make it larger.

Grove Featured in ESPN Mag

If you pick up a copy of the latest ESPN The Magazine, you'll notice an article on great tailgates, and you can guess what lil patch of grass was mentioned first. Here is the page.



Follow me on Twitter at @CampbellKyle.

Calkins With Boone, Nutt

In addition to being a columnist for the Commercial Appeal, Geoff Calkins hosts a weekly program, Sports Files, on WKNO in Memphis. Calkins sat down this week with Pete Boone and Houston Nutt for his latest show and discussed among other things last night's announcement of the Forward Together campaign.




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UPDATED (Again): Summer Brings More New Rebels

There has been a change in plans since yesterday's post. While Tobias Singleton was admitted for Ole Miss' second summer term, he had already missed the first three days of both of his classes and felt it would be best to hold off on beginning classes until the fall semester. His eligibility -- like all of our newcomers that are enrolled -- is not a concern. Tobias simply wants to get a fresh start in August.

Original post on July 5:
We mentioned in our original blogpost that there could be additions to our list of newcomers enrolled in the second summer term, and today brought one -- All-American wide receiver Tobias Singleton. That means 21 of the 23 football signees are already on campus. I'm looking at you strength coach Don Decker!

Original post on June 30:
Ole Miss' second summer term got underway today, which brought 16 additions to the Rebel Family. Among the new scholarship student-athletes admitted for the session are six from baseball, four each from football and women's basketball and two from men's basketball. Notable in the group is Murphy Holloway, who is beginning his second stint on the Ole Miss hoops squad, and Boston Red Sox draftee Senquez Golson, who is opting for Vaught-Hemingway Stadium instead of Fenway Park. It should be noted that students have until Tuesday to enroll in the term so there could be additions.

Baseball
Auston Bousfield
Hawtin Buchanan
Chris Ellis
Josh Laxer
Chase Reeves
Sikes Orvis

Football
Nickolas Brassell
Senquez Golson
Keith Lewis
Jamal Mosley

Women’s Basketball
Amber Bryant-Singletary
Jordan Frizzell
Monique Jackson
Danielle McCray

Men’s Basketball
Maurice Aniefiok
Murphy Holloway

Star-Studded Graduation

As we reported on the main site last week, a whole heap of Rebels participated in graduation ceremonies on Saturday. As many as 57 student-athletes had the opportunity to take part in commencement exercises, including several well known Rebels. Among the list of graduates (but not necessarily walking) this year are Kansas City Chief Dexter McCluster, Olympic long jumper Brittney Reese and four-time All-SEC soccer player Danielle Johnson. If you saw my tweet earlier, you know the two I was most excited about are 1,000-point hoops scorers Chris Warren and Zach Graham. In a sport where a lot of kids don't finish, it's refreshing to see two great players stay all four years and wear the cap and gown. Congrats to all of our Rebel graduates!

Local Club Meetings Begin

May is almost here which means the Ole Miss coaches and staff will soon be coming to your town as part of the summer lineup of local club meetings. One of the largest events is the Central Mississippi Ole Miss Alumni Club's "Rebel Reunion," which is set for July 26 at the Jackson Convention Center. Coach Houston Nutt is already on the docket, and I'm sure several other big name Rebels will join him for the party. Make your plans now.

Check the Alumni Association site for club meetings in your area, including the Central Arkansas Club meeting Tuesday in Little Rock. Nutt is returning to his hometown for the event.

Timmy B To Speak On Campus

Long-time sports announcer Tim Brando will discuss his career covering college athletics for ESPN and CBS at the Overby Center for Southern Journalism and Politics at Ole Miss on Friday, April 29. The event will begin at 11 a.m. and is free and open to the public.

A native of Shreveport, La., Brando began to gain recognition in the 1980s for his work telecasting LSU basketball games. He broadened his reputation in 1986 after he became host for ESPN’s widely-watched SportsCenter program, then solidified his standing as one of the country’s top sportscasters by providing play-by-play for Atlantic Coast Conference basketball and CBS commentary for Southeastern Conference football.

“Tim Brando is one of the most successful sports announcers in the nation,” said Nancy M. Dupont, an associate professor at the Meek School of Journalism and New Media at Ole Miss. “Our students will recognize him because of his announcing and hosting college football and basketball telecasts.” Dupont will introduce Brando.

In addition to his television appearances involving collegiate sports, Brando has called professional basketball and Atlanta Braves baseball. He has also hosted “The Tim Brando Show” on Sporting News Radio.

Brando and his wife, Terri, live in Shreveport, and one of his daughters, Tara, is a student at Ole Miss, where she is majoring in broadcast journalism.

Ole Miss Today

Olivia Manning Receives Legacy Award

Congratulations to Olivia Manning, who received the Legacy Award from the Ole Miss Women's Council for Philanthropy on Saturday. The Legacy Award, which recognizes the contributions of a person who epitomizes one or more of the Women’s Council’s goals of philanthropy, leadership and mentorship, was established last year in celebration of the council’s 10th anniversary and honored Leigh Anne Tuohy with the inaugural award. Olivia and Saturday's event, which benefited scholarships and the leadership-mentorship program of the Women's Council, was featured in today's Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal. Also, check out a recent interview she did with CBS Sports.

Rebel Visits Swayze Field

Rebel made his Oxford debut Saturday, visiting with children at a Rebel Kid's Club event in the O-U Stadium left field pavilion before escorting the little Rebels onto the field. Check out some pics from yesterday by Joey Brent

Rebel Makes His Debut

As I tweeted earlier today, a lot of smiling young faces welcomed Rebel to the world today. Our new mascot visited with more than 50 kids this morning at the Blair E. Batson Children's Hospital in Jackson. Take a look at the exciting trip, courtesy of the good folks with the University Medical Center.

Coliseum Rain: Cause and Future Prevention

The following is the University Physical Plant’s evaluation of the cause and future prevention concerning rainwater entering Tad Smith Coliseum during Thursday night’s women’s basketball game. It should be noted that there was a complete roof replacement that was finished in November 2009.

What occurred?
Rainwater entered from the dampers located in the cupola area of the Coliseum. In the best interests of the student athletes’ safety, the entering rainwater caused suspension and subsequent cancellation of a women's basketball game. The water entering the building was described as a light sprinkle and at no time were there gushes or streams.

What meteorological conditions were present during the event?
Straight-line winds gusting to 45 mph and driving rain were present and directly contributed to the in-leakage of water onto the arena playing surface.

How many dampers are there on top of the coliseum?
There are 24 pneumatic dampers on the circumference of the cupola on the roof of the Coliseum. The University Physical Plant and Athletics departments had anticipated this type of unacceptable failure and had taken steps to mitigate its undesirable effects. Notably, before the men's Kentucky game a few weeks ago, the dampers were actually screwed shut.

What purpose do the dampers play?
The dampers are in place to allow for ventilation of the Coliseum. These dampers work in conjunction with the outdoor air intake system of the air handlers at the Coliseum. Normally, when the air handlers are running they pull in outside air. The dampers in the cupola act as relief dampers to prevent over pressurizing the Coliseum. The Coliseum is presently under a slight negative pressure, meaning the air is flowing into the building from the outside.

Why did the dampers allow water to pass through?
The dampers are the original components of the air ventilation system of the Coliseum. These dampers were never intended to be airtight and are not a deterrent to blowing rain. Rain carried by wind of sufficient velocity will push through the damper assemblies. Thursday evening's heavy rain and high winds allowed water to follow the path of least resistance.

How is the University going to prevent this from occurring again?
With the help of an engineer and possibly an architect, the Physical Plant will begin working through Facilities Planning to develop a proposed long-term solution to this issue.

Spirit Squad Highlights

The Ole Miss Spirit squads traveled to Orlando, Fla., this past weekend to represent the University and compete in the Universal Cheerleaders Association and Universal Dance Association national championships. The squads overcame adversity and injuries during the competition to turn in solid performances as representatives of Ole Miss.

The Rebelettes finished in the top 10 in Jazz and advanced to the semi-finals in the hip hop routine, while the Cheerleading squad finished 14th in the national competition.

Check out some video of the competition. Rebelettes compete in hip hop:


Cheerleaders do their routine:

Merry Christmas From The Rebels

Fashion At Forefront

We're not the only school to dress up for football games, but we are probably one of the more recognizable. Gentlemen's Quarterly noticed. GQ Magazine sent correspondent Mark Anthony Green to campus for the Auburn game. Check out his report.

Some of Ole Miss' most stylish women return to campus today for the homecoming queen reunion. Approximately 36 of the 58 crowned queens are expected back. It is one of many events surrounding today's homecoming festivities, including the alumni hall of fame introductions.

Man Behind The Mic

For as long as I've been at Ole Miss, Glen Waddle has faithfully served as the Rebels' football public address announcer. Glen also handles all of our SEC baseball series and will fill in in a pinch for plenty of other Ole Miss sports. He'll do this often on short notice and always refusing to be paid for his services. Here's a great piece on our good friend Glen from WJTV.

Spectacular BPF

You may have seen a tweet from @peteboone today that said,

"The BPF is looking great w new artwork, etc and more to be done. Oh yes the basketball teams are looking good, too. AK seems really excited"

Well, here are some new pics to prove it:

Fans Show Support In Droves

For a team that some doubters have picked to finish last in the SEC West, the Rebel fanbase has clearly not lost faith. A record crowd of 4,000 for autographs and another 9,000 for the football scrimmage made for a hugely successful and exciting Meet The Rebels Day on Saturday. WMC was among the media on hand, and here was there report.