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.[2] To date, it is the only undefeated and untied season in Ole Miss' football history.

1962 Ole Miss Rebels football
National Champion (Billingsley, Litkenhous, Sagarin)[1] 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
	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
$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

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	Hemingway Stadium Oxford, Mississippi	W 21–7
September 29	Kentucky	No. 7	Mississippi Memorial Stadium Jackson, Mississippi	W 14–0
October 6	Houston*	No. 7	Mississippi Memorial Stadium Jackson, Mississippi	W 40–7
October 20	Tulane	No. 5	Mississippi Memorial Stadium Jackson, Mississippi	W 21–0
October 27	vs. Vanderbilt	No. 7	Crump Stadium Memphis, Tennessee (rivalry)	W 35–0
November 3	at No. 4 LSU	No. 6	Tiger Stadium Baton Rouge, Louisiana (rivalry)	W 15–7
November 10	Chattanooga*	No. 4	Hemingway Stadium Oxford, Mississippi	W 52–7
November 17	at Tennessee	No. 3	Neyland Stadium Knoxville, Tennessee	W 19–6
December 1	Mississippi State	No. 3	Hemingway Stadium Oxford, Mississippi (Egg Bowl)	W 13–6
January 1, 1963	vs. No. 6 Arkansas*	No. 3	Tulane Stadium New Orleans (Sugar Bowl)	W 17–13
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

*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 to honor their accomplishments from the 1962 season.[6]

References

1. NCAA. "National Poll Champions" (PDF). 2020 NCAA Division I Football records. NCAA.org. p. 117. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
2. National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). "National Poll Champions" (PDF). 2012 NCAA Division I Football Records. NCAA.org. p. 73. Retrieved March 23, 2013.
3. Cherner, Reid (August 5, 2012). "ESPN announces 30 for 30 schedule". USA Today. Retrieved March 23, 2013.
4. DeLassus, David. "Mississippi Yearly Results: 1960–1964". College Football Data Warehouse. Archived from the original on 2012-10-20. Retrieved March 22, 2013.
5. College Football @ Sports-Reference.com
6. Normand, Travis (September 14, 2012). "1962 Ole Miss Football Team gets National Title Rings". Retrieved March 23, 2013.