Wild Fun Facts About University of Mississippi Football

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The University of Mississippi, also known as Ole Miss, began their football program in 1893. That year was also the first time open heart surgery was performed without anesthesia.

“I’m lying there, without any anesthesia, but they kept me fairly numb by telling a bunch of old Milton Berle jokes like, I told my date to make herself at home. She did. She invited her boyfriend over.'”

The team was formed by a faculty member named Dr. A. L. Bondurant, head of the classics department.

“It was tough he insisted we call plays in Latin. ‘Centum, novem, duo, duo, duo, viginti, hike, hike, hike.'”

In their very first game, Ole Miss beat Southwest Baptist University 56-0.

“Them Baptists were not very good players,” one Ole Miss player remembered, “But they had great food at the tailgate before the game. And every single Baptist food item came in the exact same kind of covered casserole baking dish.”

In 1904, Ole Miss beat Union College 114-0.

“We weren’t running up the score. We were just giving the sophomores some playing time. And the freshman. We gave them some playing time. And we let the cheerleaders play a few downs. And the band. The band played several downs in the fourth quarter. The Tuba players made a hell of a front line.”