Waxing nostalgic: 50 years ago today- Tennessee vs Ole Miss (Jackson)

Tennessee vs Ole Miss was another yearly matchup that was a casualty to SEC expansion and divisions in 1992. This game would be played in Jackson's Mississippi Memorial Stadium as during this era Ole Miss played most of their 'big games' in Jackson and a lot of other SEC teams played games at neutral sites. This would be the Rebels' fourth game in Jackson this year alone and Tennessee had played Kansas in Memphis and Alabama in Birmingham.

The Vols came into the game 6-2-0 and like Ole Miss had the prior week off prior to this one. The Rebels were 3-5--with two different head coaches. Ole Miss' 1973 season was a post unto itself.It highlighted the factions within "the Ole Miss family" not unlike any other school,boosters,etc.After a heart attack during the 1970 season legend John Vaught (cheap toupee' and all) missed the last 5 games of the season including the Gator Bowl as Ole Miss was led by DC Frank "Bruiser" Kinard,a part of Rebel royalty. (Oddly enough, Ole Miss' Gator Bowl opponent Auburn was led by an "interim coach",Paul Davis).Skipping over tons of stuff, it was decided in Feb 1971 that Coach Vaught would retire. The new coach would be Billy Kinard, Bruiser's brother. Bruiser would become Ole Miss' AD.

Some Rebels were excited,some were not. Billy had a 10-2 record in 1971, but stumbled to 5-5 in 1972 ending Ole Miss' 15 consectutive bowl streak the longest in the nation. There was a bit of rumbling plus Billy wasn't exactly gregarious. Think Ray Perkins, Bill Arnsparger or Jim Donnan. You can be a stick in the mud when you win,but..

In week three Memphis State came to Jackson and won 17-13 leaving Ole Miss at 1-2-0. Three days later the Ole Miss "brass" called Team Kinard to campus late at night. Bruiser was relieved of his duties as AD but would have a job. Billy was just "relieved of his duties." Billy Kinard's firing did have some simiairies to Jimbo Fisher's. They each were paid approximately $27,500. Kinard's was per year for three more years and Fisher's isper day for six or so years.

Coach Vaught was brought back as head coach and AD and happy days were here! Not quite,but the Rebels did seem to play more inspired and with more passion.

This game was televised on ABC like Ole Miss' game vs LSU two weeks earlier. Unlike the LSU game this was not a double header. LSU-Ole Miss' game was moved from 1:00 to 3:00 for TV shoving the Alabama-Miss State game to 8:00 and a logistical nightmare.

The game turned into a nightmare for the Vols. Playing in Jackson for the first time since the infamous Jackson Massacre with Ole Miss winning ,38-0, the Vols played almost as poorly. While anticipating a passing game behind Norris Weese, Ole Miss just pounded Tennessee's defense with 360 yards rushing with only 7 pass attempts. Tennessee's only hope ended on their first drive when current Ole Miss footbal radio analyst Harry Harrison picked off a pass in the endzone. Ole Miss would take a 14-3 lead into halftime and go up 21-3 at one point. Future Southern California Sun backup QB Gary Valbuena led UT on one TD drive afer Condredge Holloway's injury.The final was Ole Miss 28, Tennessee 18.

Even after the game Tennessee couldn't catch a break. The Gator Bowl had selected the Vols win,lose or draw (the official date was the third Sunday,but all bowls had and always had lined up there teams. Everynow and then there'd be some changes,but..) En Route to the Vol locker room a stadium security guard initially refused entry to UT President Ed Boling, UT AD Bob Woodruff and the particular members of the Gator Bowl committee. What made that stranger was the director of Mississippi Memorial, Dick Hitt, had been a position coach for the Vols and had greeted the Vol entourage a day before. It all got worked out and the Vols reluctantly accepted the Gator's reluctant bid.