quote:
OXFORD -- Ole Miss legendary quarterback Jimmy Lear has died.

Lear, best remembered for leading No. 11 Ole Miss to a come-from-behind-upset win against No. 3 Maryland in 1952, was 82. He died in Oxford after a short illness.

The win was one of the biggest in Ole Miss history, often argued to be the moment the program was recognized nationally. In some circles it was considered the greatest regular-season win until Ole Miss beat then-No. 3 Alabama this season.

Lear also helped lead the 1952 Rebels to their first undefeated (8-0-2) regular season. The undefeated regular season record earned Ole Miss its first Sugar Bowl appearance in school history, but a 24-7 loss to Georgia Tech dropped the Rebels from the unbeaten ranks. However, the 8-1-2 finish was rewarded with a No. 7 final national ranking, the highest ever at that time for an Ole Miss team.

Maryland had won 22-consecutive games, not having lost a contest since it fell to North Carolina in 1950.

While also handling both the punting and kicking duties, Lear earned National Back of the Week honors for his efforts as he completed 11 of 16 passes for 231 yards and one TD, while also rushing for 44 yards on 15 carries, giving him 275 total offensive yards in the game. Going against the nation's No. 1 defense, which was allowing only 156.4 yards per game, Lear led the Ole Miss offense to 461 yards.

A 5-foot-11, 172-pound signal-caller from Greenwood, Lear lettered three years at quarterback for coach John Vaught's Rebels, from 1950-1952. He was recognized as an All-American in 1952 and earned also All-SEC recognition in 1951 and 1952.

Lear was inducted into the Ole Miss Athletics Hall of Fame 1988 and the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame in 1991. He also received the Distinguished American Award from the Ole Miss Chapter of the National Football Foundation in 2005 and was named to the SEC Legend Class of 2009.

Following graduation Lear served in the military before moving back to the Mississippi Delta. He later became headmaster at Indianola Academy and an owner/partner of the Maxwell Cotton Company, a successful local business.

Great Rebel and great man. I grew up going to church with Jimmy. I know his family well and went to high school with one of his grand daughters. He was always so kind and generous to me and my family. This is a pretty upsetting loss.