Cofield On Oxford – Here We Go Rebels

Hugh has built it and gosha mighty here they come! Riding, walking and stumbling in drunk, “hell yes, damn right,” here they come! The national spotlight belongs this day to Ole Miss.

Like all good Southerners, we Rebels will fight amongst ourselves from time to time, but don’t get us all riled at once. Then you’ll hear some Rebels yelling like nothing before. After all, when it’s all said and done, We Are Ole Miss.
United we will stand in the Grove and at the Vaught. Along the coast, up through the Delta and across the hills. Standing around a TV in a little country store up by Iuka. And around the big screen at the country club in Aberdeen. And the boys will be watching at Kirk in Grenada. In Blue Mountain, Bay Springs and Bogue Chitto. In Maben, Macon, Myrtle and McCool. And in West, Walnut, Walnut Grove and…Weir, where?
And here comes ESPN, CBS, Lee, Kirk and the gang! The big recruits, inspirers of future Hotty Toddys. Katy Perry, Tom Brokaw, Zac Effron and Woody Harrelson, among others, will be hanging out in the Grove. Along with the entire Rebel Nation!
As the light is trained on us, the echoes of Hotty Toddys past ring clear down through the decades and bring to mind the spirit, and spirits, of Ole Miss. The Rebels of old upon who’s shoulders we stand. The names and games that will live in our collective Ole Miss memories, forever.

It’s the spirit of “The Bruiser.” It’s old “Chunkin’ Charlie” and those tough Poole boys. It’s 1947’s young rookie Johnny Vaught and 1970’s wise father of Ole Miss football. It’s Jake and crew blackjacking LSU. It’s Archie scrambling around Tiger Stadium late in the 4th. It’s Colonel Reb “Gentle Ben” Williams. It’s Deuce flying by waving to Houston and the students. It’s Brown bursting through during “The Stand.” It’s a divine wind. It’s Bill’s T-Town brick. It’s Kiner’s “Archie Who” slip. It’s L. Q. breaking the Irish. It’s Dexter dazzling the Orange. It’s Eli’s rings. It’s Fein’s fins. And it is the founding father of our modern day Ole Miss family, now with the Father, Chucky. And yes Rebel Nation….it’s time.

So, as you hit the trail from Grove to Vaught, note that your path has been paved by our Rebels of old and is lighted by today’s Rebel greats. Our Ole Miss hearts go with you…Hugh, Bo, Cody, Robert, Laquon, Tony and crew. Are you ready…cause Here We Go Rebels, Here We Go!

Courtesy of John Cofield, a hottytoddy.com writer and one of Oxford’s leading folk historians. He is the son of renowned university photographer Jack Cofield. His grandfather, “Col.” J. R. Cofield, was William Faulkner’s personal photographer and for decades was Ole Miss yearbook photographer. Cofield attended Ole Miss as well. Contact John at johnbcofield@gmail.com.