The Experience of GameDay at Ole Miss

Oct 19, 2013; Oxford, MS, USA; Mississippi Rebels fans celebrate after the win against the LSU Tigers at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mississippi Rebels defeat the LSU Tigers 27-24. Mandatory Credit: Spruce Derden-USA TODAY Sports

WARNING THIS ARTICLE COULD MAKE YOU READY FOR FOOTBALL SEASON!

The day starts at the Grove. Ten acres of land that is surrounded by beautiful elm, oak, and magnolia trees. Rebel faithful swarm in by the thousands to tailgate the “Holy Grail land” of college football. A sea of red, white, and blue tents are assembled with dazzling chandeliers hanging from inside. Children play. Parents talk of the upcoming game.

The Grove is the Holy Grail of tailgating sites. – Sporting News

The food is out of this world. Barbeque can be scented for miles, and the exquisite taste of hors d’oeuvre just sends your central nervous system into utter shock. There is also that more southern home-style cooking, like fried chicken, pork, deviled eggs, mashed potatoes, and southern style dressings. This food will be laid out on table cloths for welcoming on sterling silver or silver-plated servers. Alcohol is also welcomed here, just so as long as you share with your dearest friends. Bourbon is the prime choice of beverages. Good ol’ bourbon and coke filled to the top of your red solo cup.

Tailgating in The Grove is an experience so sublime even native son William Faulkner would be at a loss to describe it. – ESPN

WARNING THIS ARTICLE COULD MAKE YOU READY FOR FOOTBALL SEASON!

When walking through the Grove on game day you will notice a lot of things. Mostly of all the activities surrounding you. Children will be playing friendly backyard football, most of them in their Sunday’s best clothing. Games of bean bag toss is a widely popular game. The gorgeous women and female students will be fluttering around in an elegant dress they bought specifically for this day. A lot of male students will be sporting overcoats and a colorful bow tie. Your typical male fan will be dressed in cargo shorts and a team polo shirt. WARNING! There is a color code each game day. Whether it is red, white, or navy, make sure you don’t stand out as the one who did not get the message.

There is no more beautiful spot to tailgate, nor one richer in tradition; the Grove has been the site of pregame picnicking for more than half a century. – Sports Illustrated

Sky view of Ole Miss players walking through the Grove on game day. Mandatory Photo Credit: Ole Miss AthleticsThere are also routine rituals that happen every game day in the Grove, and to have an experience of a life time, you must attend them. The most infamous ritual is the “Walk of Champions”, a trail through the Grove that leads to a bricked arch. This arch leads to the way of the stadium, and the words “Walk of Champions” embedded at the top of the arch reminds you of the rich tradition of the program and the legends who have made their footprints through here. The current players get reminded of this especially, as they walk through this area before each game, and receive their energy through the fans who swarm them as they make their journey to the stadium.“

The glory of the Grove is legend at all of Ole Miss’s rival schools in the Southeastern Conference and beyond. It is the mother and mistress of outdoor ritual mayhem. – The New York Times

This tradition has been a routine for the players ever since the early ’80s when at the time current head coach Billy Brewer would walk his players from Kinard Hall, across campus to Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Even though the arch was not built until 1998 (in honor of the 1962 Ole Miss Rebels), the idea of interacting the players with the fans through the Grove was an idea of Billy Brewer. He wanted to find a way to gain fame for the players, and what better than to closely interact with the ones who idolize you.

WARNING THIS ARTICLE COULD MAKE YOU READY FOR FOOTBALL SEASON!

Not long after the players leave the Grove, the Pride of the South (The Ole Miss Marching Band) strikes a tune that can only be described as to “sending chills down your spine”. This ritual usually signals that kickoff of the upcoming game is every so close. After the band warms up, they begin their performance with the traditional “Forward Rebels”. This is the official fight song of the school. Most fans know the lyrics and chant along to the tune. For those of you that are too young or unfamiliar, you need to get familiar. Don’t just hum or make the words up as you go. Remember these lyrics:

Forward, Rebels, march to fame,
Hit that line and win this game
We know that you’ll fight it through.
For your colors red and blue,
Rah, rah, rah!
Rebels you are the Southland’s pride,
Take that ball and hit your stride
Don’t stop till the victory’s won
for your Ole Miss.
Fight, fight for your Ole Miss!

The band will then silence their instruments to shout our infamous chant:

hotty toddy gosh almighty
who in the hell are we…HEY!!!
flim flam, bim bam
OLE MISS BY DAMN!

Once our fight song is concluded, you will listen to the southern tradition tunes of “Dixie” and “God Bless America” (which replaced “Dixie with Love” after 2009). If you never listened to “Dive with Love”, then I would highly recommend you find a recording of the tune. It was always the bands’ finale and the captivating sounds surged energy into every fan, and could even bring tears to your eyes.

The conclusion of the bands’ performance is a signal to get “your ass” to the game. This tradition is always concluded an hour before the game, but it is widely known rule amongst fans that you arrive in your stadium seats (at minimum) forty-five minutes before kickoff.

WARNING THIS ARTICLE COULD MAKE YOU READY FOR FOOTBALL SEASON!

As you make your way towards Vaught-Hemingway Stadium you are going to notice the beautiful scenery across the campus. For instance, you will notice 18 is the speed limit on the signs. If you are a visitor of the game, and laugh clueless at the oddness of it not being a more traditional speed limit. Respect that speed. Because, if your driving through at 19, your ass will get pulled over. WE MEAN IT. The speed limit represents the legend, the Elvis of Ole Miss himself, Archie Manning, who wore number 18 in his playing years at Ole Miss.

You finally make it to the stadium, and your tired by now, but you don’t care. You are ready for some damn football win or lose. For a moment, the amount of bourbon you consumed in the Grove has made you careless of the coming results of the game. You will recognize your gate number, and if your seats are on the east side of the stadium, we apologize, you have a little more walking to do.

WARNING THIS ARTICLE COULD MAKE YOU READY FOR FOOTBALL SEASON!

Now, you are finally at your seats. Look underneath you, there should be a red pom-pom, grab it, your going to need that. If you don’t have one, just steal the one from the person to the left of you. At the north end zone, you will notice the infamous jumbotron. It is the only one we have in the stadium. You only need one. The jumbotron will be ticking down the minutes until kick off. You will hear the band performing above the student section at the south end zone (the closed end side of the stadium).

Before the game starts, there is a certain tradition that happens, that is my personal favorite of them all. You will be directed to the jumbtron, by someone speaking to “you”. Once you see who it is, most of the time it is a familiar celebrity. My personal favorite was Betty White. This person will jabber about something your not going to remember in a few seconds. Then this person is going to ask you one question:

ARE YOU READY?
Your response with the pom-pom chopping in the air is:
HELL YEAH! DAMN RIGHT!
HOTTY TODDY! GOSH ALMIGHTY!
WHO THE HELL ARE WE…HEY!
FLIM, FLAM! BIM BAM!
OLE MISS BY DAMN!

Your ears will lose feeling in the conclusion of the Hotty Toddy chant due to the deafening sound of the response. Then you will notice the team coming out of the tunnel near the south end zone. A tradition know as “Lock the Vaught” will then occur. This is performed by the players and mainly the students above them, but you can join in if you like. It is where you simply interlock arms with the person standing on each side of you, then sway left to right continuously until your Ole Miss Rebels run out onto the field.

This is the moment you have been waiting for. The moment you have suffered through work and school all week to experience. It is a moment you will never forget. It is that moment the kickoff of the game begins. It does not matter who you are playing, or what the end result may come. You live for that moment.

DID THIS MAKE YOU READY FOR FOOTBALL SEASON!