1962 Ole Miss Rebels football team
The 1962 Ole Miss Rebels football team represented the University of Mississippi during the 1962 NCAA University Division football season. The Rebels' finished the season undefeated, as Southeastern Conference (SEC) champions and with a victory over Arkansas in the Sugar Bowl. Ole Miss was awarded the national championship by the Billingsley Report, Litkenhous and, later, Sagarin Ratings.[1] The NCAA does not recognize the Billingsley Report, Litkenhous or Sagarin Ratings to be major selectors and therefore doesn't recognize this as a national championship.[2] To date, it is the only undefeated and untied season in Ole Miss' football history.
| 1962 Ole Miss Rebels football | |
|---|---|
Sugar Bowl champion SEC champion | |
Sugar Bowl, W 17–13 vs. Arkansas | |
| Conference | Southeastern Conference |
| Ranking | |
| Coaches | No. 3 |
| AP | No. 3 |
| 1962 record | 10–0 (6–0 SEC) |
| Head coach | Johnny Vaught (16th season) |
| Home stadium | Hemingway Stadium (Capacity: 34,500) Crump Stadium (Capacity: 25,000) Mississippi Memorial Stadium (Capacity: 46,000) |
| 1962 Southeastern Conference football standings | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 3 Ole Miss $ | 6 | – | 0 | – | 0 | 10 | – | 0 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 5 Alabama | 6 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 10 | – | 1 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 7 LSU | 5 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 9 | – | 1 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Georgia Tech | 5 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 7 | – | 3 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Florida | 4 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 7 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Auburn | 4 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 3 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Georgia | 2 | – | 3 | – | 1 | 3 | – | 4 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kentucky | 2 | – | 3 | – | 1 | 3 | – | 5 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mississippi State | 2 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 3 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tennessee | 2 | – | 6 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Vanderbilt | 1 | – | 6 | – | 0 | 1 | – | 9 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tulane | 0 | – | 7 | – | 0 | 0 | – | 10 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Rebels' undefeated season was set against the backdrop of the civil rights movement taking place on their own campus as James Meredith, aided by the United States government, was attempting to be the first black student to enroll at the university. In 2012, ESPN aired a documentary on the team, Ghosts of Ole Miss, as part of its 30 for 30 series.[3]
Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Rank | Site | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 22 | Memphis State* | No. 6 |
| W 21–7 |
| September 29 | Kentucky | No. 7 |
| W 14–0 |
| October 6 | Houston* | No. 7 |
| W 40–7 |
| October 20 | Tulane | No. 5 |
| W 21–0 |
| October 27 | vs. Vanderbilt | No. 7 | W 35–0 | |
| November 3 | at No. 4 LSU | No. 6 | W 15–7 | |
| November 10 | Chattanooga* | No. 4 |
| W 52–7 |
| November 17 | at Tennessee | No. 3 | W 19–6 | |
| December 1 | Mississippi State | No. 3 |
| W 13–6 |
| January 1, 1963 | vs. No. 6 Arkansas* | No. 3 | W 17–13 | |
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*Schedule Source:[4]
Roster
- FB Perry Lee Dunn, Jr.
Awards
- SEC Coach of the Year: Johnny Vaught[5]
In September 2012, Ole Miss athletic director Ross Bjork announced that the team would be receiving new national championship rings, despite not achieving an NCAA recognized national championship,[2] to honor their accomplishments from the 1962 season.[6]
References
- National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). "National Poll Champions" (PDF). 2012 NCAA Division I Football Records. NCAA.org. p. 73. Retrieved March 23, 2013.
- "FBS Football". NCAA.com. Retrieved 2018-04-06.
- Cherner, Reid (August 5, 2012). "ESPN announces 30 for 30 schedule". USA Today. Retrieved March 23, 2013.
- DeLassus, David. "Mississippi Yearly Results: 1960–1964". College Football Data Warehouse. Archived from the original on 2012-10-20. Retrieved March 22, 2013.
- College Football @ Sports-Reference.com
- Normand, Travis (September 14, 2012). "1962 Ole Miss Football Team gets National Title Rings". Retrieved March 23, 2013.