OXFORD, Miss. – The late John Vaught, who coached the Ole Miss Rebels for almost a quarter-century, always referred to his 1962 football team as "one of the most courageous in the history of the game."
It was his 16th team at the University of Mississippi and it accomplished something no Ole Miss team before or since has done, a perfect record, including a 17-13 victory over Arkansas in the Sugar Bowl.
As plans proceed for the 50-year reunion, memories abound among the players, not only about the season and the 10-0 final record, but also about the turmoil that surrounded the events on campus that year.
Senior All-America quarterback Glynn Griffing and senior All-SEC wingback Louis Guy served as co-captains of the 1962 squad. Their leadership would play an important role as Vaught’s Ole Miss team would have to maintain its focus during events surrounding the admittance of James Meredith as the first African-American to attend the University of Mississippi.
"There was a lot of confusion on campus after President John F. Kennedy ordered
U. S. marshals and 20,000 Army troops to campus six days before we were to play Houston,” Griffing said. “It was hard just trying to find a place to practice. The Army took over our practice fields, so we had to use Hemingway Stadium, while about 2,000 soldiers sat around watching the practices.”
The Homecoming game with Houston had originally been scheduled to be played on campus in Oxford, but a mid-week decision switched the game to Memorial Stadium in Jackson.
Larry Leo Johnson, who was a junior wingback on the team, remembers most vividly the leadership of the team captains and seniors.
"Glynn and Louis called a players-only team meeting on the field after our Thursday practice in Hemingway,” Johnson said. “That was the day before we were to travel to Jackson for Saturday’s game. Glynn and Louis both told us how important it was for all of us to play the best game of our lives. With the entire nation focused on Ole Miss, we had to do our part to uphold the pride of Ole Miss.
“The seniors all supported what was being said, and when the meeting was over, with helicopters flying all around and troops moving all over the practice fields, our team was welded together in a solidly focused group," Johnson said.
"We had to show the country we were together, which we did by beating Houston 40-7,” said Guy, now a successful orthodontist in Jackson. “We were both undefeated and it was a pivotal game for us. The win boosted our confidence and showed Coach Vaught we meant to give the season our best effort."
Lots of memories abound and many stories will be told when the team gets together on campus Sept. 14-15 as Ole Miss plays host to the Texas Longhorns. While the teams have met six times previously, including three bowl games, it will mark the first visit to Oxford for the Texas football program.
“Many things happen in a period of half a century and the stories get bigger and bigger as some of the details blur or fade,” Johnson said. “However, two things will remain the same. The 1962 Ole Miss team had a perfect season and Coach Vaught always believed that squad was one of the most courageous teams in football history."
That 1962 team captured the fifth of six Southeastern Conference titles for Ole Miss and the 10-0 record was good enough to earn a share of the national championship as three different rating systems tabbed the Rebels No. 1 in their final rankings.
The “Walk of Champions” arch, located at the entrance to The Grove near the Student Union plaza, provides a lasting reminder of the accomplishments of the 1962 team. The site is the route for the current football team’s traditional walk through The Grove on game days. Those associated with the 1962 team provided the funds for the arch, which was dedicated in the fall of 1998.
