The Ole Miss Rebels are the 18 men's and women's intercollegiate athletic teams that are funded by and represent the

University of Mississippi The University of Mississippi (byname Ole Miss) is a public research university that is located adjacent to Oxford, Mississippi, and has a medical center in Jackson. It is Mississippi's oldest public university and its largest by enrollment. ...

, located in

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

. The first was the football team, which began play in 1893. Originally known as the "Mississippi Flood", the teams were renamed the Rebels in 1936. They compete in the

Southeastern Conference The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is an American college athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central and Southeastern United States. Its fourteen members include the flagship public universities of ...

(SEC) of the

National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

(NCAA)'s Division I, except for the

rifle A rifle is a long-barreled firearm designed for accurate shooting, with a barrel that has a helical pattern of grooves ( rifling) cut into the bore wall. In keeping with their focus on accuracy, rifles are typically designed to be held with ...

team, which participates in the

Great America Rifle Conference The Great America Rifle Conference (GARC) is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) rifle-only conference. The GARC was established for schools that sponsor rifle teams, but do not have rifle sponsored in their respective conferences. ...

because the SEC does not sponsor that sport. The school's colors are red (

PMS Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) refers to emotional and physical symptoms that regularly occur in the one to two weeks before the start of each menstrual period. Symptoms resolve around the time menstrual bleeding begins. Different women experienc ...

186) and navy blue (PMS 2767), chosen to mirror the respective school colors of

Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

and

Yale Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wor ...

. The team's mascot is

Tony the Landshark Tony the Landshark is the mascot of the Ole Miss Rebels, the collegiate athletic teams of the University of Mississippi. The anthropomorphic shark replaced Rebel Black Bear as the official mascot in 2018. On October 6, 2017, former Chancellor Jef ...

, which replaced the

Rebel Black Bear Rebel, The Black Bear was the mascot of the Ole Miss Rebels, the collegiate athletic teams of the University of Mississippi. The anthropomorphic black bear replaced Colonel Reb as the official mascot in 2010. On October 6, 2017, Chancellor Jeffrey ...

in 2018, which replaced

Colonel Reb Colonel Reb was the official mascot of Ole Miss Rebels, the collegiate athletic teams of the University of Mississippi ("Ole Miss") in Oxford, Mississippi. Designed in 1936, the Colonel served as the teams' official sideline mascot from 1979 unti ...

in 2011. Between 1995 and 2004, 630 Ole Miss student-athletes received all-conference academic honors.

Sports

Football

The Ole Miss Rebels football team represents the University of Mississippi, also known as Ole Miss, in the sport of American football. The Rebels compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) and the Western Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The football history of Ole Miss includes the formation of the first football team in the state and the 26th team on the list of college football's all-time winning programs. The Ole Miss Rebels posted their 600th win on September 27, 2008, when they defeated the (then ranked No. 4 and future 2008 BCS National Champ) Florida Gators 31–30 at

Ben Hill Griffin Stadium Ben Hill Griffin Stadium (in full Steve Spurrier-Florida Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium),Houston Nutt and Hugh Freeze. The current head coach is

Lane Kiffin Lane Monte Kiffin (born May 9, 1975) is an American football coach who is currently the head coach of the Ole Miss Rebels. Kiffin formerly was the offensive coordinator for the USC Trojans football team from 2005 to 2006, head coach of the Nati ...

, who in 2021 led the team to its first-ever 10-2 regular season.

Baseball

The Ole Miss Rebels baseball team represents the University of Mississippi in NCAA Division I college baseball. The team participates in the West division of the Southeastern Conference. They are currently coached by head coach Mike Bianco and assistant coaches Carl Lafferty and Chris Cleary. They are currently the second most populated team in the nation – an achievement reached by keeping extra utility players on the roster. They play home games at Oxford-University Stadium/Swayze Field. Ole Miss has played in the College World Series six times, most recently playing and winning it in 2022.

Men's basketball

The Mississippi Rebels men's basketball represents the University of Mississippi in intercollegiate men's basketball. They have participated in the NCAA Tournament in 1981, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2013, 2015 and 2019. In 2008 and 2010, the team made it to the National Invitation Tournament Semifinals at Madison Square Garden. The Rebels have won the SEC Western Division in 1997, 1998, 2001, 2007, and 2010. From 1999 to 2006, Rod Barnes coached the Rebels basketball team, and compiled a record of 141-109 during his tenure. In 1981, the Ole Miss basketball team won their first SEC tournament championship in Birmingham, Alabama and earned their second one in 2013 at Nashville, Tennessee.

Women's basketball

The Ole Miss women's basketball program began in 1974, and has been a fixture in post-season tournaments since that time. The Rebels have appeared in the

NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Championship The NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament is a single-elimination tournament played each spring in the United States, currently featuring 68 women's college basketball teams from the Division I level of the National Collegiate Athletic ...

tournament seventeen times, including the inaugural 1982 tournament; they also appeared in the tournament in 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2004, 2005, and 2007. They have reached the Sweet Sixteen eight times and the Elite Eight five times (1985, 1986, 1989, 1992, and 2007). They have also appeared in the

Women's National Invitation Tournament The Women's National Invitation Tournament (WNIT) is a women's national college basketball tournament with a preseason and postseason version played every year. It is operated in a similar fashion to the men's college National Invitation Tournam ...

in 1999, 2001, and 2006. Entering the 2008 season, the program has an all-time win–loss record of 686-353, for a 66% average. The 1992 team won the SEC with an 11-0 conference record, and finished the season with a final record of 29-3, the most wins in team history. The program has produced such outstanding players as sisters Peggie Gillom, who still holds the school records for scoring and rebounding, and

Jennifer Gillom Jennifer "Grandmama" Gillom (born June 13, 1964) is an American former Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) basketball player who played for the Phoenix Mercury from 1997 to 2002, before finishing her playing career with the Los Angeles ...

, an Olympic medalist, Kodak All-American, and SEC Female Athlete of the Year. Perhaps the most decorated player in the program's history, guard Armintie Price, joined the Rebels for the 2003–2004 season and immediately collected SEC Freshman of the Year honors. In her collegiate career, Price was named to the All-SEC First Team three times and became the first player to be named SEC Defensive Player of the Year twice. With Cheryl Miller she is one of only two players in NCAA history to record 2000 points, 1000 rebounds, 400 assists and 400 steals. As a senior, she was a finalist for the

Wooden Award The John R. Wooden Award is an award given annually to the most outstanding men's and women's college basketball players. The program consists of the men's and women's Player of the Year awards, the Legends of Coaching award, and recognizing the ...

and was named to the Kodak All-American Team; she led her team to their first Elite Eight appearance since 1992. Price was drafted third overall in the 2007 WNBA Draft and went on to an outstanding first season with the Chicago Sky, culminating in Rookie of the Year honors. Coaching legend and Basketball Hall of Famer

Van Chancellor Van Winston Chancellor (born September 27, 1943) is a former college and professional basketball coach. He coached University of Mississippi women's basketball, Louisiana State University women's basketball, and the professional Houston Comet ...

built his legacy with eighteen years as the Rebels' head coach, where he compiled a record of 439 wins and 154 losses. Chancellor's legacy also includes several players-turned-coaches, including Jennifer Gillom, who helped Chancellor coach the US Senior Women's National Team to the 2002 World Championship; head coach

Carol Ross Carol Ross (born June 11, 1959) is an American college and professional basketball coach. Ross has served as the head women's basketball coach for the University of Florida and the University of Mississippi, and also as the head coach of the Los ...

, who returned to her alma mater in 2003; and current associate head coach Peggie Gillom. Carol Ross resigned as head coach on April 26, 2007. During her four-year tenure, the Rebels' posted 77 wins and 50 losses. She was replaced by assistant coach Renee Ladner. Ladner resigned at the end of the 2011–12 season after having gone 70–82 in five seasons. Adrian Wiggins, who had led Fresno State to five consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, was hired as her replacement. However, Wiggins was fired before the start of the 2012–13 season amid an investigation of potential NCAA recruiting violations. Assistant Brett Frank was named as interim head coach in the wake of Wiggins' firing. After the 2012–13 season, Ole Miss hired

Matt Insell Matthew Ollen Insell (born September 22, 1982) is the current Associate Head Coach of Women's Basketball at Middle Tennessee State University. Insell was the head coach of the Ole Miss women's basketball team from 2013 to 2018 before he was let ...

, the son of

Middle Tennessee Middle Tennessee is one of the three Grand Divisions of the U.S. state of Tennessee that composes roughly the central portion of the state. It is delineated according to state law as 41 of the state's 95 counties. Middle Tennessee contains the s ...

head coach

Rick Insell Rick Insell (born June 5, 1951) is the current head coach for the Middle Tennessee State University women's basketball team. Career He was the head coach of the Shelbyville Central High School girls' basketball team for 28 seasons. Coach Insell co ...

, as permanent head coach. The younger Insell had spent the previous five seasons as an assistant under Matthew Mitchell at

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

Softball

Tennis

Golf

In 2017, Ole Miss'

Braden Thornberry Braden may refer to: *Braden (given name) *Braden (surname) *Braden, Illinois, an unincorporated community, United States * Braden, Tennessee, a town in Fayette County, Tennessee, United States *Braden, Union County, Tennessee, an unincorporated co ...

was crowned the Men's NCAA Division 1 Individual National Champion. The women's golf team has seen recent success with the team winning conference and regional titles including the

national championship A national championship(s) is the top achievement for any sport or competition, contest within a league of a particular nation or nation state. The title is usually awarded by contests, ranking systems, stature, ability, etc. This determines the be ...

in 2021 under the direction of coach Kory Henkes. This is Ole Miss' first women's title in any team sport.

Volleyball

The 2017 Rebels finished the season at 22-14 and 8-10 in the SEC. Entering the inaugural postseason

National Invitational Volleyball Championship The National Invitational Volleyball Championship is an NCAA Division I women's college volleyball postseason tournament sponsored by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) and operated by Triple Crown Sports. Its original incarnation ...

as an at-large invitee, they lost only one set in five matches en route to winning the tournament.

Championships

NCAA team championships

Ole Miss has won two

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of College athletics, intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major ...

team national championships. *Men's (1) **

Baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

(1): 2022 *Women's (1) **

Golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping wi ...

(1): 2021

Other national team championships

Below are five national team titles that are not bestowed by the NCAA: *Men's: **Football:

1959 Events January * January 1 - Cuba: Fulgencio Batista flees Havana when the forces of Fidel Castro advance. * January 2 - Lunar probe Luna 1 was the first man-made object to attain escape velocity from Earth. It reached the vicinity of E ...

1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Ja ...

1962 Events January * January 1 – Western Samoa becomes independent from New Zealand. * January 3 – Pope John XXIII excommunicates Fidel Castro for preaching communism. * January 8 – Harmelen train disaster: 93 die in the wors ...

*Women's: **Cheerleading: 2018, 2022 *See also ** SEC national team championships

NCAA individual championships

Ole Miss athletes have won 26

individual championships. *Men's (18) **

Boxing Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermined ...

(1): Steve Wilkerson (1938) **

(1): Braden Thornberry (2017) ** Indoor Track (7) ***

800 metres The 800 metres, or meters ( US spelling), is a common track running event. It is the shortest commonly run middle-distance running event. The 800 metres is run over two laps of an outdoor (400-metre) track and has been an Olympic event since the ...

George Kersh George Kersh (born March 7, 1968) is a former world-class runner and current high school running coach. High school While running for Pearl High School (Mississippi), Pearl High School Kersh broke the United States high school national records i ...

(1991) ***

55 metres 55 metres is a sprint event in track and field. It is a relatively uncommon non-championship event for indoor track and field. The history of the event lies in the 60-yard dash, which is about 5 inches shorter than 55 metres. Since the 1960s almos ...

: Greg Saddler (1994) ***

Long jump The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a takeoff point. Along with the triple jump, the two events that measure jumping for distance as a gr ...

: Savanté Stringfellow (2001) ***

60 metres hurdles 60 metres hurdles is a distance in hurdling which is generally run in indoor competitions. It is equivalent with the first 5 hurdles of a standard outdoor hurdle race. The current women's and men's world records are 7.68 seconds ( Susanna K ...

Antwon Hicks Antwon Toritseju Hicks (born 12 March 1983) is an American/Nigerian track and field hurdler who competes in the 110-meter hurdles. He was the gold medallist in that event at the 2002 World Junior Championships in Athletics – the first American ...

(2004, 2005) *** Distance medley relay: Nick DeRay, Robert Domanic,

Craig Engels Craig Engels (born May 1, 1994) is an American middle-distance runner. He competed for the United States at the 2013 Pan American Junior Athletics Championships, where he won the men's 1500 meters. In the 2016 USA Olympic Trials Engels was fo ...

and Sean Tobin (2017) ***

Mile run The mile run (1,760 yards or exactly 1,609.344 metres) is a middle-distance foot race. The history of the mile run event began in England, where it was used as a distance for gambling races. It survived track and field's switch to ...

: Mario García Romo (2022) **

Outdoor Track Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping event ...

(7): ***

: Ralph Spry (1983), Savanté Stringfellow (2000, 2001) ***

(1991) ***

3000 metres steeplechase The 3000 metres steeplechase or 3000-meter steeplechase (usually abbreviated as ) is the most common distance for the steeplechase in track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, a ...

: Barnabas Kirui (2007) ***

Pole vault Pole vaulting, also known as pole jumping, is a track and field event in which an athlete uses a long and flexible pole, usually made from fiberglass or carbon fiber, as an aid to jump over a bar. Pole jumping competitions were known to the Myc ...

Sam Kendricks Sam Kendricks (born September 7, 1992) is an American pole vaulter. He is a three-time indoor and six-time outdoor national champion (2014–2019), the 2016 Olympics bronze medalist, and the 2017 World Champion. In 2019, Kendricks set the Ameri ...

(2013, 2014) **

Tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...

(2) *** Doubles: Mahesh Bhupathi and

Ali Hamadeh Ali Hamadeh (born 5 September 1974) is a former professional tennis player from Memphis, Tennessee in the United States who competed for Lebanon. Hamadeh and partner, Mahesh Bhupathi, were NCAA double's champions in 1995, while at the Universit ...

(1995) *** Singles:

Devin Britton Devin Britton (born March 17, 1991) is an American professional tennis player. He is a native of Brandon, Mississippi. He is currently an assistant coach for the Ole Miss Rebels men's tennis team. Tennis career Juniors Britton's most notable ...

(2009) *Women's (8) ** Indoor Track (3) ***

Brittney Reese Brittney Davon Reese (born September 9, 1986) is a retired American long jumper, Olympic gold medalist, and a seven-time world champion. Reese is the indoor American record holder in the long jump with a distance of 7.23 meters. Personal Born in ...

(2008) ***

Shot put The shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" (throwing) a heavy spherical ball—the ''shot''—as far as possible. The shot put competition for men has been a part of the modern Olympics since their revival in 1896, and women's ...

Raven Saunders Raven Saunders (born May 15, 1996) is an American track and field athlete who competes in the shot put and discus throw. She was the silver medalist in shot put at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, throwing a distance of . She won three NCAA collegiate ...

(2017) *** Weight Throw: Shey Taiwo (2022) **

(4) ***

(2008) ***

(2016) ***

Hammer throw The hammer throw is one of the four throwing events in regular track and field competitions, along with the discus throw, shot put and javelin. The "hammer" used in this sport is not like any of the tools also called by that name. It consis ...

: Janeah Stewart (2018) ***

1500 metres The 1500 metres or 1,500-metre run (typically pronounced 'fifteen-hundred metres') is the foremost middle distance track event in athletics. The distance has been contested at the Summer Olympics since 1896 and the World Championships in Athletic ...

: Sintayehu Vissa (2022) **

(1) *** Singles:

Arianne Hartono Arianne Hartono (born 21 April 1996) is a Dutch tennis player. Hartono has won two singles and fifteen doubles titles on the ITF Circuit. On 12 September 2022, she reached her best singles ranking of world No. 156, and on 11 July 2022, she peak ...

(2018)

Notable non-varsity sports

Lacrosse

The Ole Miss Rebels Men's Lacrosse Club team is a member of the Southeast Lacrosse Conference D1 (SELC) in the Men's Collegiate Lacrosse Association (MCLA).

Rugby

Founded in 1974, Ole Miss Rugby Football Club plays college rugby in the Western Division of the Southeastern Collegiate Rugby Conference against its traditional SEC rivals such as Mississippi State.

Hockey

The Ole Miss Hockey Club was founded in 2009 by Colin Knight, and the team competes against traditional SEC rivals in the

South Eastern Collegiate Hockey Conference College Hockey South (CHS), formerly known as the South Eastern Collegiate Hockey Conference (SECHC), is a non-varsity ice hockey conference in the Southern United States. The conference plays in Division 2 and Division 3 of the Collegiate Hockey ...

(SECHC) of the Collegiate Hockey Federation (CHF). Prior to the 2021 season, the team competed at the division three level of the

American Collegiate Hockey Association The American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) is a college ice hockey association. The ACHA's purpose is to be an organization of collegiate affiliated non-varsity programs, which provides structure, regulates operations, and promotes qualit ...

. The program won their first SECHC Championship on February 9, 2020 with a 3-1 win in the championship game over the Arkansas Razorbacks. The team was led by Captain Braden Storner and Head Coach Josh Herbert. Ole Miss goaltender Ryan Troy was named tournament MVP. Following the team's victory, the program received recognition from several notable members of the university community including Chancellor

Glenn Boyce Glenn Boyce is an American academic administrator. He is currently the chancellor of the University of Mississippi. Prior to working at the university, Boyce was commissioner of the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning from 2015 to 2018 an ...

and legendary Ole Miss and NFL quarterback

Eli Manning Elisha Nelson Manning (born January 3, 1981) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 16 seasons with the New York Giants. A member of the Manning football dynasty, he is the youngest son o ...

, as well as several other Ole Miss media outlets. An online petition campaign to convert the

Tad Smith Coliseum C. M. "Tad" Smith Coliseum is an 8,867-seat multi-purpose arena on the campus of the University of Mississippi. Through the first part of the 2015–16 basketball season, it was home to the University of Mississippi Rebels men's and women's basket ...

into an ice rink received over 600 signatures. For the first several years of the program's existence, the team played home games at the

BancorpSouth Arena Cadence Bank Arena, formerly Tupelo Coliseum, BancorpSouth Center and BancorpSouth Arena is a 10,000-seat multi-purpose arena, near downtown Tupelo, Mississippi, named for the locally based Cadence Bank, a large multi-state commercial banking comp ...

in Tupelo, but the team now practices and plays home games at the Mid-South Ice House in Olive Branch. Despite being nearly an hour away from the Ole Miss campus, the team is known for drawing large and passionate crowds, especially for rivalry games against teams representing the

University of Arkansas The University of Arkansas (U of A, UArk, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Fayetteville, Arkansas. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and the largest university in the state. Founded as Arkansas ...

, the

University of Georgia , mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things." , establ ...

, and

Mississippi State University Mississippi State University for Agriculture and Applied Science, commonly known as Mississippi State University (MSU), is a public land-grant research university adjacent to Starkville, Mississippi. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Unive ...

Debate over past symbols

Mascot

In 2010, the university changed the team mascot from

, "a white-goateed, cane-toting Southern plantation owner that many have criticized as racist and anachronistic," to a black bear. From September 26 through September 29, 2017, the Ole Miss student body government held a referendum on whether to keep or change the mascot from Rebel to the Black Bear. Of the 4,100-plus votes cast, 81% supported a change. On October 6, 2017, university chancellor Jeffrey S. Vitter announced that the university was switching its official mascot to the Landshark. The term “Landshark” originated in 2008 from a senior linebacker Tony Fein and was adopted by the Ole Miss football team's defensive unit.

Rivals

Ole Miss' major athletic rivals are the Mississippi State Bulldogs (MSU) and the Louisiana State Tigers (LSU). In football, Ole Miss and MSU close each season with the Egg Bowl, with the victor receiving possession of the Golden Egg Trophy. Ole Miss leads the series 64–46–6. In basketball, MSU leads the series 138–105 In baseball, according to Ole Miss records, Mississippi State now leads the series 231–196–5. LSU has a 64–41–4 advantage in the all-time football series with Ole Miss.

The Hotty Toddy cheer

The Hotty Toddy cheer is a chant unique to Ole Miss. The cheer is primarily used at Ole Miss sporting events, and is commonly started by cheerleaders, fans, and players. The Ole Miss Band plays the cheer with a drum cadence following the school's fight song, ''Forward Rebels''. The band also plays a version of the cheer put to the tune of " Rock N Roll Part 2” by

Gary Glitter Paul Francis Gadd (born 8 May 1944), best known by his stage name Gary Glitter, is an English former singer, songwriter, and record producer. He achieved success during the glam rock era of the 1970s and 1980s, and his career ended after he w ...

, known as "Hey, Go Rebs!". The two word phrase "Hotty Toddy" is commonly used as a greeting between students, alumni, and fans associated with Ole Miss, similar to the University of Alabama's Roll Tide and Auburn University's

War Eagle War Eagle is a battle cry, yell, or motto of Auburn University and supporters of Auburn University sports teams, especially the Auburn Tigers football team. War Eagle is a greeting or salutation among the Auburn Family (e.g., students, alumni, fa ...

Lyrics

History

The cheer first appeared in print on November 19, 1926, in the student newspaper ''The Mississippian'', now known as ''The Daily Mississippian''. The Hotty Toddy was printed along with all of the popular sports cheers used by the students at the time. However, the lyrics were slightly different from the version used today. The original cheer was printed: Possible Origins 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?”.Banahan, Leslie. The Ole Miss Experience: First-Year Experience Text. The Nautilus Publishing Company, 2015. 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. Hotty Toddy In Pop Culture Prior to every home football game, Ole Miss plays a video of a celebrity starting the Hotty Toddy cheer. Some of the celebrities that have participated include

Russell Crowe Russell Ira Crowe (born 7 April 1964) is an actor. He was born in New Zealand, spent ten years of his childhood in Australia, and moved there permanently at age twenty one. He came to international attention for his role as Roman General Maxi ...

Snoop Dogg Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. (born October 20, 1971), known professionally as Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg and briefly Snoop Lion), is an American rapper. His fame dates back to 1992 when he featured on Dr. Dre's debut solo single, " ...

, Betty White,

Katy Perry Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson (born October 25, 1984), known professionally as Katy Perry, is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. Known for her influence on modern pop music and her Camp (style), campy style, she has been ...

, Morgan Freeman, Duck Dynasty, The Robertson Family from Duck Dynasty, Sandra Bullock, Jack Black, and more A variation of the cheer also appeared in the series, Band of Brothers (miniseries), Band of Brothers, written as ''Highty Tighty, Christ Almighty, Who the hell are we? Zim ram, Goddamn, we’re Airborne Infantry.''

School Songs

The school's fight song is "Forward Rebels." It is played by the Ole Miss "The Pride of the South" marching band at official university sporting events. The song "Dixie (song), Dixie" was played by the Ole Miss band for years at athletic events until the University of Mississippi Athletic Department requested to remove the song from the Ole Miss Football and Ole Miss band playlist in 2016. A modification of the Elvis Presley song "An American Trilogy", now known as "From Dixie with Love" or "Slow Dixie", was also played during football games, both home and away. The song was first played during the halftime performance at the Ole Miss/LSU game of 1980 in Tiger Stadium (LSU), Tiger Stadium. Upon its completion, the band received a standing ovation from more than 70,000 people on hand that day. It soon became a staple of the band for many years. During Ole Miss's winning streak of 2003, audiences began chanting "The South will rise again" in place of "His truth is marching on" at the end of the song. The chant remained a staple for the next several years. In 2009, with Ole Miss in the national spotlight for football success, political pressure mounted to do away with the chant. The Student Body Government proposed to call for the chant to be changed to "To Hell with LSU". When this proposal was not enacted, the university asked the band to quit playing the song. The band also plays a modification of "Dixie" called "Dixie Fanfare."

References

External links

* {{Navboxes , titlestyle = {{CollegePrimaryStyle, Ole Miss Rebels, color=white , list = {{Southeastern Conference navbox {{Great America Rifle Conference navbox {{Mississippi Sports Ole Miss Rebels,