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Ole Miss – Archie Manning
Manning attended the University of Mississippi in Oxford and was the starting quarterback at Ole Miss for three years. In the first national primetime broadcast of a college football game (1969), Manning threw for 436 yards and three touchdowns, also rushing for 104 yards, in a 33–32 loss to Alabama.
However, the rest of the team was not at his level and despite Manning’s considerable talent, the Rebels had a record of only 15–7 in his last two years. In his college career, he threw for 4,753 yards and 31 touchdowns (despite 40 interceptions) and ran for 823 yards. He scored 14 touchdowns in 1969. In both 1969 and 1970, he was named to the All-SEC team and his No. 18 jersey was retired by Ole Miss. In 1969, Manning was Mississippi Sportsman of the Year and recipient of the Nashville Banner Trophy as Most Valuable Player in the Southeastern Conference in addition to winning the Walter Camp Memorial Trophy. He was fourth in the Heisman Trophy voting in 1969 and third in 1970. Manning was inducted to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1989. Manning’s legacy is honored to this day on the campus of Ole Miss where the speed limit is eighteen miles per hour in honor of Manning’s jersey number. During his time at Ole Miss, Manning was a brother of Sigma Nu fraternity. He was named Southeastern Conference Quarterback of the Quarter Century (1950–75) by several publications.
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Eli Manning – Ole Miss Rebels
Manning started off his senior season with a 2–2 record. He played well in that stretch with 1,329 passing yards, 11 touchdowns, and four interceptions with victories over Vanderbilt and Louisiana-Monroe but losses to Memphis and Texas Tech. The Rebels went on a six-game winning streak that included victories over major SEC opponents #24 Florida, Alabama, #21 Arkansas, South Carolina, and Auburn. Manning passed for 1,552 yards, 12 touchdowns, and four interceptions in the winning streak. Overall, he led the Rebels to a 10–3 record and a 31–28 SBC Cotton Bowl Classic victory over the #21 Oklahoma State Cowboys with 259 passing yards and two touchdowns in 2003.
As his senior year came to a close, Manning won many awards, including the Maxwell Award as the nation’s best all-around player, the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame Scholar-Athlete Award, the Sporting News Radio Socrates Award, and the SEC Most Valuable Player Award. He was also a candidate for the 2003 Heisman Trophy, finishing third in the voting after winning quarterback Jason White of the University of Oklahoma and University of Pittsburgh wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald. Manning was a member of Sigma Nu fraternity as was his father, and he was named Sigma Nu Athlete of the Year in 2001 and 2003.
Manning graduated from the University of Mississippi with a degree in marketing and a GPA of 3.44 and was on the Dean’s Honor Roll.
While there are many theories as to where the Hotty Toddy cheer started, the exact origins remain a mystery. Perhaps the leading theory suggests that the cheer was created by the school`s cheerleaders or band. The cheer was printed several days before Ole Miss was set to face off against instate rival Mississippi State, who were said to refer to Ole Miss fans as “Hoity-Toitys.” Ole Miss had lost thirteen straight games going into the 1926 matchup in Starkville. Prior to the game, Ole Miss held pep rallies on campus and even organized a train to take the students and the newly formed Band to the game. After Ole Miss won the game, the Rebel fans stormed the field and attempted to tear down their goalposts. A brawl ensued between the two schools, and the following season, the Egg Bowl Trophy was introduced to maintain the peace. The iconic game that led to the creation of the Egg Bowl could also have solidified the Hotty Toddy cheer at Ole Miss.
The cheer also appeared in the school`s original fight song. According to The Ole Miss Experience, music professor Arleen Tye wrote a fight song for the school in 1931 entitled “Ole Miss.” The song`s chorus included “Hi-ty, Ti-ty, Gosh a’mighty, Who the heck are we?”. While the original fight song was discontinued, the school`s current fight song, Forward Rebels, includes the Hotty Toddy cheer as well. Some historians believe the Ole Miss Band may have borrowed the cheer from the Virginia Tech Regimental Band, which was nicknamed the, “Highty-Tighties” in 1919
Some other theories suggest that the cheer was fashioned by Ole Miss legendary cheerleader and sports fan, Blind Jim Ivy. Also, it is believed that the alcoholic beverage, Hot Toddy, could be the basis for the cheer.
College Sports Established
1898
Location
Oxford, Mississippi
College Name
University of Mississippi
Collegiate History
1973 – Present / NCAA Division 1
1921 – 1973 / University Division of the NCAA
1907 – 1921 / Athletic Association of the United States
Conference History
1932 – Present / SEC Conference
1922 – 1932 / Southern Conference
1898 – 1921 / Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association
Nickname
Rebels – The name REBELS as Ole Miss’ official athletics nickname emerged in 1936. Suggested by Judge Ben Guider of Vicksburg, it was one of five entries submitted to Southern sports writers for final selection from a list totaling more than 200 proposed nicknames. The promotion was a contest sponsored by The Mississippian, student newspaper. Of the 42 newsmen contacted, 21 responded. “Rebels” was the choice of 18. The University Athletic Committee made the name official with the Committee chairman, the late Judge William Hemingway, stating: “If 18 sports writers wish to use ‘Rebels’, I shall not rebel, so let it go ‘Ole Miss Rebels.'”
NCAA Championships
Baseball 0
Men’s Basketball 0
Women’s Basketball 0
Football 0
Soccer 0
