SEC Football: One Big Dysfunctional Family

Ole Miss: The Grandpa

Pull up those knee socks and grab a rocking chair. The University of Mississippi, affectionately called Ole Miss, is most definitely The Grandpa of SEC football. Actually the 6th oldest of all the universities in the SEC, Ole Miss has a feel about its campus that reminds fans of a familial patriarch. The stately architecture of the buildings and the manicured beauty of The Grove reminds people that cheer for the SEC of the Old South and grandfathers reminiscing about “the good ole days”.

Brief history lesson: According to its website, classes at Ole Miss were interrupted in 1861 when almost the entire student body enlisted in the Confederate army, and the company in which they were placed suffered 100-percent casualties. Until 2010, Colonel Reb was the mascot of the university. Colonel Reb was replaced by Rebel, the black bear, who is unanimously the most randomly chosen of all the SEC mascots.

Reb may not be a part of Ole Miss’ programs anymore, but few will forget the mean-mugging old man in the red suit and hat. His bushy mustache and the cane he carried are forever etched in our minds, and always makes SEC fans think about their granddaddies.

If you looked closely into Reb’s pockets, you could find some sugar-free Werther’s Originals with a couple of red strings from his suit stuck to them. You could probably crawl up in his lap and listen to a story about the last time Ole Miss football won the SEC championship…in 1963.

Next: Florida