For 2009 Ole Miss graduates Shallon Hunter and Barrett Beard, New York City is a place where dreams come true.

In early June, Beard and Hunter introduced SoCreo, a creative fashion house that provides a vari-ety of services ranging from event production to editorial place-ment.

SoCreo, which made its offi cial launch earlier this month, is more than a place for one simple service, and according to Beard, SoCreo has the tools to take on almost any challenge.

“I am not saying we provide any one service because we have the creative resources to tackle any-thing,” he said. “We are a one-stop shop when it comes to promoting, shaping and bettering a brand.”

A native of Memphis, 24-year-old Beard said carrying out his dreams in the Big Apple has been nothing short of daunting and fast paced, but it’s a lifestyle that he loves.

“I love the quick nature and the need to think fast and progressive-ly,” he said. “I paid my dues for two years, and I fi gured this was my chance to do something for myself.”

Beard and Hunter met through

a mutual friend as undergraduates while attending Ole Miss. The two have known each other since their sophomore year in 2006 and recently began their creative jour-ney together last May.

Beard said Hunter is a real driv-ing force behind much of the company’s early success.

“Shallon is a really smart girl,” he said. “She keeps me in check and reminds me of what is impor-tant.”

Hunter said she feels very blessed to have Beard as a partner.

“His warm, inviting personality makes him the perfect person for this industry,” she said. “A lot of our success is because of him.”

Hunter, who is originally from Austin, Texas, received her jour-nalism and public relations degree in 2009 from Ole Miss.

She spent many summers in New York throughout college and admitted always wanting to take permanent residence in the city.

“New York has always been my favorite city and the ideal place to work in our industry,” Hunter said. “I love New York.”

In a time where most compa-nies are shutting down, SoCreo has gained six new clients since its launch, including Del Torro shoes, Kiel James Patrick, Dickies Skate, a division of Isaac Morris, Bootlegz and Urban Cricket.

Neither Hunter nor Beard have ignored the economy, but both in-dividuals will argue that SoCreo is not your average PR company and possesses things that most New York PR companies lack.

“A lot of PR companies aren’t making it,” Hunter said. “SoCreo is the breath of fresh air that this industry needs. We understand the importance of social media and never limiting ourselves.”

SoCreo is a company that was built from hard work and a lot of basics. According to Beard, it is a new day every day.

Along with long nights of brain-storming and client balancing, Hunter and Beard were also faced with the ground root tasks of set-

ting up phone lines along with surprise delays when their web designer came down with pneu-monia.

“I have learned to just take one day at a time,” Beard said.

“It’s important to remember that though we are building and new, we do represent and work for people.”

It’s easy to question the experi-ence and qualifi cations these two young entrepreneurs hold in the industry.

However, Beard, who earned a bachelor’s degree from Ole Miss along with a master’s from Colum-bia University, is quick to counter-

Ole Miss Alumni start business in NYCBY CAROLINE DANIELSSpecial to The DM

PHOTO COURTESY BARRETT BEARD

The Ole Miss softball team and University of South Carolina track and fi eld athlete Louis Day have been named recipients of the fourth annual SEC Sportsman-ship Award, SEC Commissioner Mike Slive announced Wednesday. The winners will be forwarded for nomination to the NCAA for its national sportsmanship awards, to be announced in July.

The two were chosen by a vote of the SEC directors of athletics.

“Participation in sport teaches life’s lessons that benefi t our stu-dent-athletes,” Slive said. “Dem-onstrating good sportsmanship is something that will benefi t student-athletes for years after their playing careers are over. I congratulate the Ole Miss softball team and Louis for showing good sportsmanship and earning this prestigious hon-or.”

After the tornadoes that struck Alabama and Mississippi in April, the Ole Miss softball team felt it was important to reach out to the University of Alabama to help in any way possible. The Rebels and the Crimson Tide were scheduled to play a three-game series in Ox-ford just nine days after the devas-tation hit Tuscaloosa.

During the week leading up to the matchup, members of the team, led by captains Brittany Barnhill and Amanda Hutcheson, went to the coaching staff and decided that a contribution to the tornado relief efforts would be the best way to rally around their friends.

Before the series opener, Barnhill and Hutcheson presented the Ala-bama softball team with a donation for the University of Alabama’s tornado relief efforts on behalf of the entire team. The donation, presented to Crimson Tide seniors Kelsi Dunne and Whitney Larsen, was designated for the University of Alabama’s Acts of Kindness Fund that provided fi nancial assistance to employees and students who qualify under the guidelines of this emergency-assistance program.

“The recent tornadoes in Missis-sippi and Alabama demonstrated to us that softball is just a game,” Barnhill said. “We may be com-petitors on the fi eld, but we are all members of the SEC and that makes us a family.”

“The team felt compelled to help their fellow SEC students and should be congratulated on receiv-ing this honor,” said Lynnette John-son, executive associate athletics director. “I think this award shows the type of student-athlete we have at Ole Miss. They are competitors on the fi eld but understand that there are more important issues off

Ole Miss Softball Team Receives SEC Sportsmanship Award

OLE MISS SPORTS INFORMATION

See SOFTBALL, PAGE 4

MMISSISSIPPIANT H E D A I L YT H E D A I L YT H E D A I L YT H E D A I L YT H E D A I L YT H E D A I L Y

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C O MT H U R S D A Y , J U N E 1 6 , 2 0 1 1 | V O L . 1 0 0 , N O . 1 4 4 | T H E S T U D E N T N E W S P A P E R O F T H E U N I V E R S I T Y O F M I S S I S S I P P I | S E R V I N G O L E M I S S A N D O X F O R D S I N C E 1 9 1 1 | T H E D M O N L I N E . C O MT H U R S D A Y , J U N E 1 6 , 2 0 1 1 | V O L . 1 0 0 , N O . 1 4 4 | T H E S T U D E N T N E W S P A P E R O F T H E U N I V E R S I T Y O F M I S S I S S I P P I | S E R V I N G O L E M I S S A N D O X F O R D S I N C E 1 9 1 1 | T H E D M O N L I N E . C O MT H U R S D A Y , J U N E 1 6 , 2 0 1 1 | V O L . 1 0 0 , N O . 1 4 4 | T H E S T U D E N T N E W S P A P E R O F T H E U N I V E R S I T Y O F M I S S I S S I P P I | S E R V I N G O L E M I S S A N D O X F O R D S I N C E 1 9 1 1 | T H E D M O N L I N E . C O MT H U R S D A Y , J U N E 1 6 , 2 0 1 1 | V O L . 1 0 0 , N O . 1 4 4 | T H E S T U D E N T N E W S P A P E R O F T H E U N I V E R S I T Y O F M I S S I S S I P P I | S E R V I N G O L E M I S S A N D O X F O R D S I N C E 1 9 1 1 | T H E D M O N L I N E . C O MT H U R S D A Y , J U N E 1 6 , 2 0 1 1 | V O L . 1 0 0 , N O . 1 4 4 | T H E S T U D E N T N E W S P A P E R O F T H E U N I V E R S I T Y O F M I S S I S S I P P I | S E R V I N G O L E M I S S A N D O X F O R D S I N C E 1 9 1 1 | T H E D M O N L I N E . C O MT H U R S D A Y , J U N E 1 6 , 2 0 1 1 | V O L . 1 0 0 , N O . 1 4 4 | T H E S T U D E N T N E W S P A P E R O F T H E U N I V E R S I T Y O F M I S S I S S I P P I | S E R V I N G O L E M I S S A N D O X F O R D S I N C E 1 9 1 1 | T H E D M O N L I N E . C O MT H U R S D A Y , J U N E 1 6 , 2 0 1 1 | V O L . 1 0 0 , N O . 1 4 4 | T H E S T U D E N T N E W S P A P E R O F T H E U N I V E R S I T Y O F M I S S I S S I P P I | S E R V I N G O L E M I S S A N D O X F O R D S I N C E 1 9 1 1 | T H E D M O N L I N E . C O MT H U R S D A Y , J U N E 1 6 , 2 0 1 1 | V O L . 1 0 0 , N O . 1 4 4 | T H E S T U D E N T N E W S P A P E R O F T H E U N I V E R S I T Y O F M I S S I S S I P P I | S E R V I N G O L E M I S S A N D O X F O R D S I N C E 1 9 1 1 | T H E D M O N L I N E . C O MT H U R S D A Y , J U N E 1 6 , 2 0 1 1 | V O L . 1 0 0 , N O . 1 4 4 | T H E S T U D E N T N E W S P A P E R O F T H E U N I V E R S I T Y O F M I S S I S S I P P I | S E R V I N G O L E M I S S A N D O X F O R D S I N C E 1 9 1 1 | T H E D M O N L I N E . C O MT H U R S D A Y , J U N E 1 6 , 2 0 1 1 | V O L . 1 0 0 , N O . 1 4 4 | T H E S T U D E N T N E W S P A P E R O F T H E U N I V E R S I T Y O F M I S S I S S I P P I | S E R V I N G O L E M I S S A N D O X F O R D S I N C E 1 9 1 1 | T H E D M O N L I N E . C O MT H U R S D A Y , J U N E 1 6 , 2 0 1 1 | V O L . 1 0 0 , N O . 1 4 4 | T H E S T U D E N T N E W S P A P E R O F T H E U N I V E R S I T Y O F M I S S I S S I P P I | S E R V I N G O L E M I S S A N D O X F O R D S I N C E 1 9 1 1 | T H E D M O N L I N E . C O MT H U R S D A Y , J U N E 1 6 , 2 0 1 1 | V O L . 1 0 0 , N O . 1 4 4 | T H E S T U D E N T N E W S P A P E R O F T H E U N I V E R S I T Y O F M I S S I S S I P P I | S E R V I N G O L E M I S S A N D O X F O R D S I N C E 1 9 1 1 | T H E D M O N L I N E . C O MT H U R S D A Y , J U N E 1 6 , 2 0 1 1 | V O L . 1 0 0 , N O . 1 4 4 | T H E S T U D E N T N E W S P A P E R O F T H E U N I V E R S I T Y O F M I S S I S S I P P I | S E R V I N G O L E M I S S A N D O X F O R D S I N C E 1 9 1 1 | T H E D M O N L I N E . C O MT H U R S D A Y , J U N E 1 6 , 2 0 1 1 | V O L . 1 0 0 , N O . 1 4 4 | T H E S T U D E N T N E W S P A P E R O F T H E U N I V E R S I T Y O F M I S S I S S I P P I | S E R V I N G O L E M I S S A N D O X F O R D S I N C E 1 9 1 1 | T H E D M O N L I N E . C O MT H U R S D A Y , J U N E 1 6 , 2 0 1 1 | V O L . 1 0 0 , N O . 1 4 4 | T H E S T U D E N T N E W S P A P E R O F T H E U N I V E R S I T Y O F M I S S I S S I P P I | S E R V I N G O L E M I S S A N D O X F O R D S I N C E 1 9 1 1 | T H E D M O N L I N E . C O MT H U R S D A Y , J U N E 1 6 , 2 0 1 1 | V O L . 1 0 0 , N O . 1 4 4 | T H E S T U D E N T N E W S P A P E R O F T H E U N I V E R S I T Y O F M I S S I S S I P P I | S E R V I N G O L E M I S S A N D O X F O R D S I N C E 1 9 1 1 | T H E D M O N L I N E . C O MT H U R S D A Y , J U N E 1 6 , 2 0 1 1 | V O L . 1 0 0 , N O . 1 4 4 | T H E S T U D E N T N E W S P A P E R O F T H E U N I V E R S I T Y O F M I S S I S S I P P I | S E R V I N G O L E M I S S A N D O X F O R D S I N C E 1 9 1 1 | T H E D M O N L I N E . C O MT H U R S D A Y , J U N E 1 6 , 2 0 1 1 | V O L . 1 0 0 , N O . 1 4 4 | T H E S T U D E N T N E W S P A P E R O F T H E U N I V E R S I T Y O F M I S S I S S I P P I | S E R V I N G O L E M I S S A N D O X F O R D S I N C E 1 9 1 1 | T H E D M O N L I N E . C O MT H U R S D A Y , J U N E 1 6 , 2 0 1 1 | V O L . 1 0 0 , N O . 1 4 4 | T H E S T U D E N T N E W S P A P E R O F T H E U N I V E R S I T Y O F M I S S I S S I P P I | S E R V I N G O L E M I S S A N D O X F O R D S I N C E 1 9 1 1 | T H E D M O N L I N E . C O MT H U R S D A Y , J U N E 1 6 , 2 0 1 1 | V O L . 1 0 0 , N O . 1 4 4 | T H E S T U D E N T N E W S P A P E R O F T H E U N I V E R S I T Y O F M I S S I S S I P P I | S E R V I N G O L E M I S S A N D O X F O R D S I N C E 1 9 1 1 | T H E D M O N L I N E . C O MT H U R S D A Y , J U N E 1 6 , 2 0 1 1 | V O L . 1 0 0 , N O . 1 4 4 | T H E S T U D E N T N E W S P A P E R O F T H E U N I V E R S I T Y O F M I S S I S S I P P I | S E R V I N G O L E M I S S A N D O X F O R D S I N C E 1 9 1 1 | T H E D M O N L I N E . 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C O MT H U R S D A Y , J U N E 1 6 , 2 0 1 1 | V O L . 1 0 0 , N O . 1 4 4 | T H E S T U D E N T N E W S P A P E R O F T H E U N I V E R S I T Y O F M I S S I S S I P P I | S E R V I N G O L E M I S S A N D O X F O R D S I N C E 1 9 1 1 | T H E D M O N L I N E . C O MT H U R S D A Y , J U N E 1 6 , 2 0 1 1 | V O L . 1 0 0 , N O . 1 4 4 | T H E S T U D E N T N E W S P A P E R O F T H E U N I V E R S I T Y O F M I S S I S S I P P I | S E R V I N G O L E M I S S A N D O X F O R D S I N C E 1 9 1 1 | T H E D M O N L I N E . C O MT H U R S D A Y , J U N E 1 6 , 2 0 1 1 | V O L . 1 0 0 , N O . 1 4 4 | T H E S T U D E N T N E W S P A P E R O F T H E U N I V E R S I T Y O F M I S S I S S I P P I | S E R V I N G O L E M I S S A N D O X F O R D S I N C E 1 9 1 1 | T H E D M O N L I N E . C O MT H U R S D A Y , J U N E 1 6 , 2 0 1 1 | V O L . 1 0 0 , N O . 1 4 4 | T H E S T U D E N T N E W S P A P E R O F T H E U N I V E R S I T Y O F M I S S I S S I P P I | S E R V I N G O L E M I S S A N D O X F O R D S I N C E 1 9 1 1 | T H E D M O N L I N E . C O MT H U R S D A Y , J U N E 1 6 , 2 0 1 1 | V O L . 1 0 0 , N O . 1 4 4 | T H E S T U D E N T N E W S P A P E R O F T H E U N I V E R S I T Y O F M I S S I S S I P P I | S E R V I N G O L E M I S S A N D O X F O R D S I N C E 1 9 1 1 | T H E D M O N L I N E . C O MT H U R S D A Y , J U N E 1 6 , 2 0 1 1 | V O L . 1 0 0 , N O . 1 4 4 | T H E S T U D E N T N E W S P A P E R O F T H E U N I V E R S I T Y O F M I S S I S S I P P I | S E R V I N G O L E M I S S A N D O X F O R D S I N C E 1 9 1 1 | T H E D M O N L I N E . C O MT H U R S D A Y , J U N E 1 6 , 2 0 1 1 | V O L . 1 0 0 , N O . 1 4 4 | T H E S T U D E N T N E W S P A P E R O F T H E U N I V E R S I T Y O F M I S S I S S I P P I | S E R V I N G O L E M I S S A N D O X F O R D S I N C E 1 9 1 1 | T H E D M O N L I N E . C O MT H U R S D A Y , J U N E 1 6 , 2 0 1 1 | V O L . 1 0 0 , N O . 1 4 4 | T H E S T U D E N T N E W S P A P E R O F T H E U N I V E R S I T Y O F M I S S I S S I P P I | S E R V I N G O L E M I S S A N D O X F O R D S I N C E 1 9 1 1 | T H E D M O N L I N E . C O MT H U R S D A Y , J U N E 1 6 , 2 0 1 1 | V O L . 1 0 0 , N O . 1 4 4 | T H E S T U D E N T N E W S P A P E R O F T H E U N I V E R S I T Y O F M I S S I S S I P P I | S E R V I N G O L E M I S S A N D O X F O R D S I N C E 1 9 1 1 | T H E D M O N L I N E . C O MT H U R S D A Y , J U N E 1 6 , 2 0 1 1 | V O L . 1 0 0 , N O . 1 4 4 | T H E S T U D E N T N E W S P A P E R O F T H E U N I V E R S I T Y O F M I S S I S S I P P I | S E R V I N G O L E M I S S A N D O X F O R D S I N C E 1 9 1 1 | T H E D M O N L I N E . C O MT H U R S D A Y , J U N E 1 6 , 2 0 1 1 | V O L . 1 0 0 , N O . 1 4 4 | T H E S T U D E N T N E W S P A P E R O F T H E U N I V E R S I T Y O F M I S S I S S I P P I | S E R V I N G O L E M I S S A N D O X F O R D S I N C E 1 9 1 1 | T H E D M O N L I N E . C O MT H U R S D A Y , J U N E 1 6 , 2 0 1 1 | V O L . 1 0 0 , N O . 1 4 4 | T H E S T U D E N T N E W S P A P E R O F T H E U N I V E R S I T Y O F M I S S I S S I P P I | S E R V I N G O L E M I S S A N D O X F O R D S I N C E 1 9 1 1 | T H E D M O N L I N E . C O MT H U R S D A Y , J U N E 1 6 , 2 0 1 1 | V O L . 1 0 0 , N O . 1 4 4 | T H E S T U D E N T N E W S P A P E R O F T H E U N I V E R S I T Y O F M I S S I S S I P P I | S E R V I N G O L E M I S S A N D O X F O R D S I N C E 1 9 1 1 | T H E D M O N L I N E . C O MT H U R S D A Y , J U N E 1 6 , 2 0 1 1 | V O L . 1 0 0 , N O . 1 4 4 | T H E S T U D E N T N E W S P A P E R O F T H E U N I V E R S I T Y O F M I S S I S S I P P I | S E R V I N G O L E M I S S A N D O X F O R D S I N C E 1 9 1 1 | T H E D M O N L I N E . C O MT H U R S D A Y , J U N E 1 6 , 2 0 1 1 | V O L . 1 0 0 , N O . 1 4 4 | T H E S T U D E N T N E W S P A P E R O F T H E U N I V E R S I T Y O F M I S S I S S I P P I | S E R V I N G O L E M I S S A N D O X F O R D S I N C E 1 9 1 1 | T H E D M O N L I N E . C O MT H U R S D A Y , J U N E 1 6 , 2 0 1 1 | V O L . 1 0 0 , N O . 1 4 4 | T H E S T U D E N T N E W S P A P E R O F T H E U N I V E R S I T Y O F M I S S I S S I P P I | S E R V I N G O L E M I S S A N D O X F O R D S I N C E 1 9 1 1 | T H E D M O N L I N E . C O MT H U R S D A Y , J U N E 1 6 , 2 0 1 1 | V O L . 1 0 0 , N O . 1 4 4 | T H E S T U D E N T N E W S P A P E R O F T H E U N I V E R S I T Y O F M I S S I S S I P P I | S E R V I N G O L E M I S S A N D O X F O R D S I N C E 1 9 1 1 | T H E D M O N L I N E . C O MT H U R S D A Y , J U N E 1 6 , 2 0 1 1 | V O L . 1 0 0 , N O . 1 4 4 | T H E S T U D E N T N E W S P A P E R O F T H E U N I V E R S I T Y O F M I S S I S S I P P I | S E R V I N G O L E M I S S A N D O X F O R D S I N C E 1 9 1 1 | T H E D M O N L I N E . C O MT H U R S D A Y , J U N E 1 6 , 2 0 1 1 | V O L . 1 0 0 , N O . 1 4 4 | T H E S T U D E N T N E W S P A P E R O F T H E U N I V E R S I T Y O F M I S S I S S I P P I | S E R V I N G O L E M I S S A N D O X F O R D S I N C E 1 9 1 1 | T H E D M O N L I N E . C O MT H U R S D A Y , J U N E 1 6 , 2 0 1 1 | V O L . 1 0 0 , N O . 1 4 4 | T H E S T U D E N T N E W S P A P E R O F T H E U N I V E R S I T Y O F M I S S I S S I P P I | S E R V I N G O L E M I S S A N D O X F O R D S I N C E 1 9 1 1 | T H E D M O N L I N E . C O MT H U R S D A Y , J U N E 1 6 , 2 0 1 1 | V O L . 1 0 0 , N O . 1 4 4 | T H E S T U D E N T N E W S P A P E R O F T H E U N I V E R S I T Y O F M I S S I S S I P P I | S E R V I N G O L E M I S S A N D O X F O R D S I N C E 1 9 1 1 | T H E D M O N L I N E . C O MT H U R S D A Y , J U N E 1 6 , 2 0 1 1 | V O L . 1 0 0 , N O . 1 4 4 | T H E S T U D E N T N E W S P A P E R O F T H E U N I V E R S I T Y O F M I S S I S S I P P I | S E R V I N G O L E M I S S A N D O X F O R D S I N C E 1 9 1 1 | T H E D M O N L I N E . C O MT H U R S D A Y , J U N E 1 6 , 2 0 1 1 | V O L . 1 0 0 , N O . 1 4 4 | T H E S T U D E N T N E W S P A P E R O F T H E U N I V E R S I T Y O F M I S S I S S I P P I | S E R V I N G O L E M I S S A N D O X F O R D S I N C E 1 9 1 1 | T H E D M O N L I N E . C O MT H U R S D A Y , J U N E 1 6 , 2 0 1 1 | V O L . 1 0 0 , N O . 1 4 4 | T H E S T U D E N T N E W S P A P E R O F T H E U N I V E R S I T Y O F M I S S I S S I P P I | S E R V I N G O L E M I S S A N D O X F O R D S I N C E 1 9 1 1 | T H E D M O N L I N E . C O MT H U R S D A Y , J U N E 1 6 , 2 0 1 1 | V O L . 1 0 0 , N O . 1 4 4 | T H E S T U D E N T N E W S P A P E R O F T H E U N I V E R S I T Y O F M I S S I S S I P P I | S E R V I N G O L E M I S S A N D O X F O R D S I N C E 1 9 1 1 | T H E D M O N L I N E . C O MT H U R S D A Y , J U N E 1 6 , 2 0 1 1 | V O L . 1 0 0 , N O . 1 4 4 | T H E S T U D E N T N E W S P A P E R O F T H E U N I V E R S I T Y O F M I S S I S S I P P I | S E R V I N G O L E M I S S A N D O X F O R D S I N C E 1 9 1 1 | T H E D M O N L I N E . C O MT H U R S D A Y , J U N E 1 6 , 2 0 1 1 | V O L . 1 0 0 , N O . 1 4 4 | T H E S T U D E N T N E W S P A P E R O F T H E U N I V E R S I T Y O F M I S S I S S I P P I | S E R V I N G O L E M I S S A N D O X F O R D S I N C E 1 9 1 1 | T H E D M O N L I N E . C O MT H U R S D A Y , J U N E 1 6 , 2 0 1 1 | V O L . 1 0 0 , N O . 1 4 4 | T H E S T U D E N T N E W S P A P E R O F T H E U N I V E R S I T Y O F M I S S I S S I P P I | S E R V I N G O L E M I S S A N D O X F O R D S I N C E 1 9 1 1 | T H E D M O N L I N E . C O MT H U R S D A Y , J U N E 1 6 , 2 0 1 1 | V O L . 1 0 0 , N O . 1 4 4 | T H E S T U D E N T N E W S P A P E R O F T H E U N I V E R S I T Y O F M I S S I S S I P P I | S E R V I N G O L E M I S S A N D O X F O R D S I N C E 1 9 1 1 | T H E D M O N L I N E . C O MT H U R S D A Y , J U N E 1 6 , 2 0 1 1 | V O L . 1 0 0 , N O . 1 4 4 | T H E S T U D E N T N E W S P A P E R O F T H E U N I V E R S I T Y O F M I S S I S S I P P I | S E R V I N G O L E M I S S A N D O X F O R D S I N C E 1 9 1 1 | T H E D M O N L I N E . C O MT H U R S D A Y , J U N E 1 6 , 2 0 1 1 | V O L . 1 0 0 , N O . 1 4 4 | T H E S T U D E N T N E W S P A P E R O F T H E U N I V E R S I T Y O F M I S S I S S I P P I | S E R V I N G O L E M I S S A N D O X F O R D S I N C E 1 9 1 1 | T H E D M O N L I N E . C O MT H U R S D A Y , J U N E 1 6 , 2 0 1 1 | V O L . 1 0 0 , N O . 1 4 4 | T H E S T U D E N T N E W S P A P E R O F T H E U N I V E R S I T Y O F M I S S I S S I P P I | S E R V I N G O L E M I S S A N D O X F O R D S I N C E 1 9 1 1 | T H E D M O N L I N E . C O MT H U R S D A Y , J U N E 1 6 , 2 0 1 1 | V O L . 1 0 0 , N O . 1 4 4 | T H E S T U D E N T N E W S P A P E R O F T H E U N I V E R S I T Y O F M I S S I S S I P P I | S E R V I N G O L E M I S S A N D O X F O R D S I N C E 1 9 1 1 | T H E D M O N L I N E . C O MT H U R S D A Y , J U N E 1 6 , 2 0 1 1 | V O L . 1 0 0 , N O . 1 4 4 | T H E S T U D E N T N E W S P A P E R O F T H E U N I V E R S I T Y O F M I S S I S S I P P I | S E R V I N G O L E M I S S A N D O X F O R D S I N C E 1 9 1 1 | T H E D M O N L I N E . C O M

See ALUMNI, PAGE 4

ILLUSTRATION BY PETRE THOMAS | The Daily Mississippian

In 1911, students at the Uni-versity of Mississippi attempted to publish a student newspaper for the third time, and on Oct. 14 — almost a month before the start of the Chevorlet Automobile compa-ny — The Mississippian was born, with Forrest Cooper and Rad H. Reed as the fi rst editors-in-chief.

Since then, The Mississippian has survived through 18 presidents, six wars and countless other events.

Groups of editors from The Mis-sissippian created the student Hall of Fame in 1930 and the Miss Uni-versity Pageant in 1949.

The 1960s enjoyed some of the biggest transformations in the long history of one of the oldest student newspapers in the Southeast.

In 1961, The Mississippian be-came a daily publication under the leadership of editor James Robert-son. Sidna Brower nearly won a Pu-litzer Prize after asking the students to stop rioting during the integra-tion of James Meredith as a student in 1962. In the spring of 1968, The Mississippian would have its name changed to what we know it as to-day: The Daily Mississippian.

Before 1990, all of the editors-in-chief had to campaign and be elected by the student body for the opportunity to lead the newspaper,

but at the turn of the decade a new system was chosen to determine who would run the paper. Potential editors now had to apply for the job and be selected by a commit-tee. The result of this was the fi rst African-American editor-in-chief in the history of The Daily Missis-sippian, Lee Eric Smith.

The ‘90s also produced the fi rst family of The Daily Mississippian. Kenneth Robertson, editor-in-chief of The DM from 1996-97, mar-ried Jenny Dodson, who would be the editor-in-chief from 1997-98. Kenneth Robertson’s father, James Robertson, was editor-in-chief from 1961-62 and his mother was the managing editor in 1962-63.

In 2004, The Daily Mississip-pian moved into Bishop Hall and became part of the Gale S. Denley Student Media Center.

Meek School of Journalism and New Media Dean Will Norton predicts a bright future for the Stu-dent Media Center.

“My whole view has been that the Student Media Center has been the key to building a great career,” he said. “I think you will fi nd that is the direction we have tried to go and this administration will do ev-erything we can to help the student media center be a place of qual-ity because if it’s a place of quality, then students will get jobs in the media.”

1911 to 2011: a history of The Daily MississippianBY JACOB BATTENews Editor

OPINIONO P INIO N | 6 . 16 . 11 | THE DAILY M IS S IS S IP P I AN | PAG E 2

The Daily Mississippian is published daily Monday through Friday during the academic year, and Tuesday through Friday during the summer.

Contents do not represent the official opinions of the university or The Daily Mississippian unless specifically indicated.

Letters are welcome, but may be edited for clarity, space or libel.

ISSN 1077-8667

The Daily Mississippian welcomes all comments.Please send a letter to the editor addressed to The Daily Mississippian, 201 Bishop Hall, University, MS, 38677 or send an e-mail to dmeditor@gmail.com.

Letters should be typed, double-spaced and no longer than 300 words. Third party letters and those bearing pseudonyms, pen names or “name withheld” will not be published. Publication is limited to one letter per indi-vidual per calendar month.

Student submissions must include grade classification and major. All submissions must be turned in at least three days in advance of date of desired publication.

MISSISSIPPIANT H E D A I L YT H E D A I L Y

The University of Mississippi S. Gale Denley Student Media Center201 Bishop Hall

Main Number: 662.915.5503Hours: Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.

S. GALE DENLEYSTUDENT MEDIA CENTER:

PATRICIATHOMPSONdirector and faculty adviser

ARVINDER SINGHKANGmanager of media technology

DYLAN PARKERcreative/technicalsupervisor

DARREL JORDANchief engineer

STEPHEN GOFORTHbroadcast manager

MELANIE WADKINSadvertising manager

AMY SAXTONadministrativeassistant

JASMINE PHILLIPSbusiness manager

KEATON BREWERALEX PENCEaccount executives

SARA LOWREYcreative assistant

AMELIA CAMURATIeditor-in-chief

AUSTIN MILLERsports editor

JACOB BATTEnews editor

JON MOSBYopinion editor

PETRE THOMASphotography editor

NICK TOCEvisuals editor

KELSEY DOCKERYdesign editor

LAUREN SMITHcopy chief

With a circulation of approxi-mately 15,000, The Daily Mis-sissippian is one of the largest stu-dent-run daily newspapers in the country and consistently ranked in the top 20 best college newspapers according to the Princeton Review.

“Imagine having your home-work printed 15,000 times and distributed to the university,” a former editor for The DM told me when asked about the anxiety of running a newspaper.

“When I’m sitting there, about to submit the paper I stare at that button and ask myself, ‘Am I sure I’ve uploaded the correct PDF? Did I change that comma?’ It’s ter-rifying,” said current editor-in-chief Amelia Camurati. “But I love it.”

This weekend, the Student Me-dia Center and the Meek School of Journalism and New Media are hosting a reunion and celebration for the centennial anniversary of the paper, originally published as The Mississippian in 1911.

The fi rst year of publication, Wil-liam Howard Taft was president of the United States, the Federal Re-serve didn’t exist and Prohibition had not yet come and gone.

This rag has been around long enough to be termed “tradition” at Ole Miss.

The DM is “tradition” in the sense of being a consistent repre-sentation of the current culture of the student body at Ole Miss over the years, not “tradition” like cer-tain icons given the label to con-fer some spurious sense of dignity which we’re asked to respect un-questioningly.

This paper survived World Wars, a Cold War and 1962 to boot.

In fact, a 1962 special edition of The DM ran an editorial from then editor-in-chief Sidna Brower, who urged students to go home instead of involving themselves in the violence, reasoning that the on-going battle was between the state and the U.S. government. Looking back, could she have given a more rational piece of advice to her peers at that point in time? Not in my opinion.

While it’s not perfect, The DM is perhaps one of the most unique platforms of expression available for aspiring writers and journalists in the Southeast.

Your thoughts and ideas (500

to 700 words, to be exact) can be placed however you’d like for thou-sands of loyal readers, who range from college-aged kids to retirees. They may not always agree with what you say (and sometimes they’re right — journalists do make mistakes, after all), but learning to appreciate their criticism leads the writer to achieve full potential.

The greatest aspect of journalism is the persistent search for knowl-edge, truth and fact in a world so muddled with in-betweens.

While some institutions, which will remain nameless for this col-umn, do their best to cover things up, journalists actually make a living off of white Broncos and exposing politicians who expose themselves — this job is bloody fun.

But as a writer and observer, the most frustrating thing is to walk around this campus and listen to people lie to themselves and others with depressing mantras such as, “I’m not artistic,” or “I could never write, paint, design or compose something like that.”

Lies!Some of you people are funny,

clever, talented — much more so

than me in many cases. If you start telling yourself, “I do have a niche,” and “I am good at this and could be even better with practice,” you’ll eventually start to believe it, and it will eventually come true. That’s how powerful our minds are.

What if you were an artist, com-poser or writer for The DM?

Do you have something to of-fer that you haven’t shown us yet? Martha Graham once said, “There is vitality, an energy that is trans-lated through you into action, and because there is only one of you, this expression is unique. If you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and it will be lost — the world will not have it. It is not your business to determine how good it is nor how valuable.”

Don’t be afraid to walk into the Student Media Center — that’s 201 Bishop Hall — because we need what you have to say. We’ve had a great 100 years.

Here’s to 100 more.

Andrew Dickson is a senior religious studies major from Terry, Miss. Email him at addickso@olemiss.edu.

The hidden gem of Bishop Hall

BY ANDREW DICKSONColumnist

BY ROBERT NICHOLSCartoonist

O P INIO N | 6 . 16 . 11 | THE DAILY M IS S IS S IP P I AN | PAG E 3

OPINION

I’ll be perfectly honest: Before I stumbled upon the Croft Insti-tute for International Studies in a Google search, I had never consid-ered going to Ole Miss. In fact, my first day on campus for a college visit in November 2009 was also my first day in Mississippi.

Needless to say, I was fully igno-rant of Ole Miss history and tra-ditions aside from what is promi-nently featured in grade school text books regarding James Meredith and the Civil Rights Movement. Coming into my freshman year, I was also completely unaware that a campus-wide mascot war had been brewing for years.

I came to Ole Miss at a time when it was a little “mascot-confused.” Even though Colonel Reb had

been absent from official university events since 2003, the football field was in many ways the only place he no longer appeared.

Both costumed characters and Colonel look-alikes were in the Grove for tailgating, posing for pic-tures and shaking hands. There was not one football game that fall that I did not see a Colonel reincarna-tion, and his continued presence made it easy to forget that he was no longer the official mascot.

To make things even more con-fusing, our own campus bookstore continued to promote and sell Colonel Reb merchandise. Official or not, the Colonel Reb image was still in heavy use nearly a decade af-ter his departure from Ole Miss.

As an out-of-state student with no previous ties to Ole Miss, I can see how Colonel Reb can seem outdated, old-fashioned — and yes, even racist. But at the same time, I can see why the Colonel is very dear to many faithful Ole Miss sports fans and alumni.

I have heard every argument re-garding the Colonel, both pro and

con, but the only thing I am sure of is this: regardless of whether or not you agreed with the 2003 decision, the administration and Associated Student Body has made it perfectly clear that the Colonel will not be coming out of retirement.

It is undeniable that the Uni-versity of Mississippi has had an colorful (and occasionally tumu-lus) past. But part of what makes Ole Miss remarkable is its ability to weather storms and grow as a school, a campus and a community in the process.

Every major change that Ole Miss has undergone over the past few decades has had its critics: In-tegration in 1962, the removal of the Confederate flag from sporting events, the official retirement of Colonel Reb and the (more recent) ban of “From Dixie with Love,” just to name a few.

After each change, there was undeniable backlash. People dis-agreed, argued and protested in varying degrees. Students and alumni alike swore that the admin-istration was destroying the uni-

versity. They pledged to withdraw from Ole Miss, pull funding and boycott football games. They said that Ole Miss would never be the same.

And yet, here we are today. Colonel Reb, Rebel the Black

Bear or no mascot at all, the Grove is still filled to the brim for those beautiful weekends each fall. There are still enough fans screaming “Hotty Toddy” inside the stadium before kickoff to create a deafen-ing roar that sends chills down my spine.

Despite countless oaths to trans-fer, the student population has not decreased in size. In fact, enroll-ment has not dropped at all, but skyrocketed as Ole Miss prepares to accept its largest freshman class to date.

They got one thing right, how-ever. The university will never be the same. But this school will never be what it was a decade ago, a year ago, or even what it was yesterday.

Chancellors, athletic directors, students and professors come and go. Traditions grow and die. But

Ole Miss still remains.The truth is, I fell in love with

the Ole Miss of today, not the Ole Miss of the past. Change is a part of life.

The University of Mississippi is a great institution with its sights set on the future, and I am proud to be a part of it.

Do I agree with every decision that the administration makes? No. Will changing a mascot make me forsake my university? Absolutely not.

I enrolled as an Ole Miss Rebel in 2009, and I am still an Ole Miss Rebel in 2011. Adding a bear side-kick will never change that.

Regardless of what our mascot has been, is now and will be in the future, one thing will never change: we will always be the Ole Miss Rebels.

And we’re gonna beat the hell out of you.

Lexi Thoman is junior international studies and Spanish double-major from St. Louis, Mo.

Of Mascots and Men: a newcomer’s view

BY LEXI THOMANColumnist

Many of our readers have likely noticed recent advertise-ments in The Daily Mississip-pian and TheDMOnline.com placed by the Colonel Reb Foundation in an attempt to influence students to vote “no” in the upcoming mascot elec-tion.

Although the editorial staff is normally removed from the ad-vertising process, we have been closely monitoring the founda-tion’s ads for accuracy and even requested a change earlier in the week related to a mislead-ing statistic.

However, we are still dis-turbed by the fact that the Ole Miss student body is being exposed to propaganda about next week’s election, specifi-cally concerning what it does and doesn’t mean for the uni-versity.

The most common miscon-ception being perpetuated by the foundation is that voting against a new mascot will pro-vide the possibility for Colonel

Reb’s return, or that it will at least prevent his ghost from be-ing overshadowed by a new on-field presence.

Regardless of how anyone feels about the circumstances, facts are facts – Colonel Reb as an on-field presence is gone and the merchandise logo is slowly but surely being disassociated with the university. Chancel-lor Jones has made it clear that the issue of reinstating Colonel Reb will not be revisited.

The Colonel Reb Foundation claims to “advocate student choice,” insisting that students who vote for the development of a new mascot will also be voting for administrative con-trol in the process.

However, both Chancellor Dan Jones and the Associated Student Body have repeatedly said a new mascot will be de-veloped and decided upon ex-clusively by the students.

If we as a university find this to be untrue, we have the power to fight back and hold our leaders accountable. Until it does, however, we cannot al-low ourselves to be influenced

by speculation.Furthermore, the founda-

tion’s Facebook group boasts thousands of members, but it is unclear how many of these members are current students. In fact, the group page is pri-marily flooded with comments from fans and alumni support-ing the movement to bring back our former mascot – many of them unaware and uninformed about what next week’s vote ac-tually entails.

It has become all too clear that this organization has no interest in giving students a voice, but rather giving stu-dents THEIR voice.

Not only is this organization outdated and irrelevant, but it does not represent this univer-sity or its current student body in any way, shape or form.

If the mission of the Colonel Reb Foundation held any value within the current Ole Miss student body, they would not need to blast advertising across campus or host “raves” at local venues to gain support. They wouldn’t have to host poorly-attended rallies for the sake of

waxing poetic about “what it means to be a Rebel.”

What’s even more disap-pointing is that former ASB senator Hannah Loy has thrust herself to the forefront of the controversy as the organiza-tion’s student leader.

Her overdramatized state-ments to the press concerning the Save Colonel Reb Facebook group’s sudden inability to mes-sage its users were embarrassing enough. When the Commercial Appeal in Memphis came look-ing for a story, she tacked on unsubstantiated suspicions of a conspiracy involving university administrators.

But it was her primary de-fense of the former mascot at last night’s Save Colonel Reb support meeting (a story about a girl who knew a girl who went to an “African-American hair salon” to ask if Colonel Reb was offensive) that proved beyond all doubt how disillu-sioned this organization actual-ly is. And if we allow ourselves to be so naive to believe that this organization represents who we are and where we are

going as a university, we are no better off.

We either want a new mascot or we don’t, but neither option will magically resurrect a sym-bol that was removed before most of us began attending the university.

Voting “yes” or “no” doesn’t really matter in the long run provided students vote for themselves and not for a group of fans or alumni who are look-ing out for their own interests.

Next Tuesday we can stand up for the right to make our own decisions or we can suc-cumb to persuasion.

The choice is yours.

NOTE: Following student support for a new mascot, the Mascot Selection Committee, consisting of Ole Miss stu-dents, was formed to help guide the development process of the new on-field mascot. Follow-ing votes by Ole Miss students, faculty, alumni and athletic ticket holders, Rebel the Black Bear was selected as the official mascot of Ole Miss Athletics in October 2010.

Blast from the Past Our mascot. Our vote. 2/18/2010

BY ALEX MCDANIEL Former Editor-in-Chief

Follow us Anywhere

twitter/thedm_news

This week, The Daily Mississippian will focus on moments that defined both it and the university in celebration of its centennial. Reprinted articles and columns

come from the past 100 years of The DM. Friday’s edition will be our 100th anniversary commemorative edition leading up to the centennial celebration this weekend.

From the Editor

NEWSNE WS | 6 . 16 . 11 | THE DAILY M IS S IS S IP P I AN | PAG E 4

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Recent allegations have cast the Oxford University transit bus sys-tem in a negative light.

Bo Roberson, 70, rides OUT almost every week, sometimes two to four times a week.

Roughly two months ago while riding the Red North bus, Rob-erson claimed he was assaulted by another man riding the bus. Roberson claims to have sustained injuries to his right knee directly from the other rider, and when he attempted to flee the situation he also hurt his left leg and back.

After pressing charges against the other man on the bus, Rober-son noticed that nothing was be-ing done about the matter.

So he wrote a letter to Mike Tagert, transportation commis-sioner for the Northern District of Mississippi, detailing the problems that he has witnessed as a passen-ger on the bus system.

“If safety is the hallmark of a public transit vehicle operator, and I believe it is, my observations in-dicate serious failures within the Oxford University Transit Sys-tem,” Roberson wrote.

“First, and the most paramount, is the failure to obey traffic laws and operator regulations.”

Roberson points to speeding, ig-noring traffic signs, accelerating to

beat stop lights and racing pedes-trians who have entered crosswalks as the most common safety con-cerns, which he believes all stem from the bus drivers’ need to try to maintain punctual arrival and departure times.

Roberson notes in the letter that he has filed three written com-plaints and one oral complaint to the management of OUT but has yet to receive any notification that the complaints were taken seri-ously.

While waiting to hear from the transportation commissioner, Rob-erson came across a bill that has been brought up by Rep. William Shuster of Pennsylvania. The bill, titled H.R. 1390, or the Buses Act of 2011, would force buses to fol-low rules and regulations set up by the government, including “moni-toring of the safety performance of motor coach service providers and other commercial motor carriers of passengers” and “progressive in-terventions to correct unsafe prac-tices, and if they are not corrected, an enforcement action.”

H.R. 1390 was introduced in Congress on April 6, though no decision has been made on it as of yet.

When he did not receive a time-ly response from Tagert, Roberson wrote to U.S. Senator Thad Co-chran. In the letter, he asked for Sen. Cochran’s support in getting

the bill passed, and details some of his experiences with OUT.

Since the incident, Roberson, who is taking classes at Ole Miss, has had to rely on the buses even more than usual but because the charges were made formal, he has seen a noticeable change in the at-titudes of OUT employees toward him.

“They are rude,” Roberson said. “And they will say things to me like they are trying to get a rise out of me.”

Roberson mentioned the prob-lems to Sen. Cochran.

“Since the release of the com-plaints, I have been stalked and threatened with bodily harm by the friends of management and employees of OUT,” Roberson wrote. “I sincerely fear for my safety.”

Roberson’s case was brought to court and dismissed after the judge viewed the video that was being re-corded on the bus.

Ron Biggs, OUT general man-ager, said there is a certain type of individual that he looks for when picking a driver.

“I pick my employees very care-fully,” he said. “We do an extensive background check on them that involves drug and alcohol testing.”

Biggs said he checked all of the allegations made against his bus drivers with the cameras and that he finds no truth in the allegations

against his drivers.“It’s sad that he’s doing this but

it’s his constitutional right,” he said.

Biggs said that if his drivers

break the law then they will be dealt with.

“If my drivers are not driving safe, they won’t be employed here anymore.”

Student claims that OUT buses are unsafeBY JACOB BATTENews Editor

PETRE THOMAS | The Daily Mississippian

David Coleman, an Ole Miss music major, rides the bus to campus to avoid parking and traffic hassles.

the field.”Louis Day’s act of sportsman-

ship was at the SEC Indoor Track and Field Championships. On one of his throws in the prelimi-nary rounds of the weight throw competition, the official misread his mark and gave two extra me-ters to his throw.

Day knew the mark to be inac-curate and he informed his coach, Mike Sergent. After the discussion, his coach approached the officials

to acknowledge the mistake. The officials decided that the mark was indeed inaccurate and honored the protest. The competitor who ini-tially did not make the mark to be in the top 12 was allowed to par-ticipate in the finals and the offi-cials expanded the final number of participants to include Day.

“Although Louis did not win a championship during this event, his sportsmanship is that of a champion,” said Eric Hyman, South Carolina director of athlet-ics.

This marks the second-straight year Ole Miss has been recognized

with the SEC Sportsmanship Award, as former running back Rodney Scott was honored for his sportsmanship after Auburn safety Zac Etheridge was injured during the Rebels’ game against the Tigers in 2009.

Last year, Scott, along with South Carolina softball player Sam Arbaugh, were recipients of the SEC Sportsmanship Award. In 2009, the University of Ala-bama women’s tennis team and University of Arkansas track and field athlete Dorian Ulrey were recipients of the SEC Sportsman-ship Award.

SOFTBALL, continued from page 1

act this question by asking: “What are the qualifications, exactly?”

“I have worked in this industry,” Beard said. “Fashion isn’t rocket science; this is my chance to do something for me.”

SoCreo still has a long road ahead of it with many adventures to go, and Beard and Hunter are both excited and ready for the journey.

“It was the perfect opportunity at the perfect time,” Hunter said.

“SoCreo can change the fashion industry, I feel like this is an indus-try on the verge of death, and I’m excited to breathe new life back into it.”

Beard, who shows a clear under-standing of what lies ahead, closes with his hopes of SoCreo’s future.

“Right now, we are taking one day at a time, and remembering to focus on our clients,” he said.

“We know we are going places, so we will worry about it when the time is right.”

For more information about So-Creo, visit the SoCreo Facebook page or socero.com.

ALUMNI, continued from page 1

SP O RTS | 6 . 16 . 11 | THE DAILY M IS S IS S IP P I AN | PAG E 5

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Rouco returned to Florida In-ternational as an assistant coach for the 2000-01 season, where he stayed until 2003. In his fi rst season back, he coached NBA player Carlos Arroyo, best re-membered for his time with the Utah Jazz and Orlando Magic. After his second stint with Flor-ida International, Rouco joined Bill Gillispie’s coaching staff at UTEP.

In his one season at UTEP, 2003-04, he helped lead the Miners to a 24-8 record and a NCAA Tournament appear-ance.

After a last-place conference fi nish in 2002-03, UTEP won a share of the Western Ath-letic Conference regular season championship and advanced the conference tournament fi nal in Rouco’s one season.

After his success at UTEP, he was offered the head coaching position at Florida International. In his fi rst season as head coach, he made a splash with a 65-60 win at Florida State and led the Panthers to the conference tour-nament semi-fi nals.

Despite fi ve losing seasons and a 55-94 record as head coach at Florida International, he gained valuable experience and devel-oped four all-conference players, including Ivan Almonte, who led the conference in rebound-ing and earned fi rst-team honors in 2005.

Hired in May, Rouco couldn’t work with the players before the end of the semester, so he’s taking time now to build those bonds with the players. Rouco and the coaching staff are also preparing for the July recruiting period, the busiest and most important time for shaping the upcoming recruiting class.

“We are very excited,” he said. “We plan to go to the NCAA tournament.”

Not since the immortal Stone-wall Jackson led the mighty Reb-els into the second battle of Ma-nassas Junction almost a hundred years ago has there been a rematch of such proportions as that which will take place upon the turf of Sugar Bowl Stadium in New Or-leans come Jan. 1.

The Rebels again will be in-volved. With the stone-faced John Vaught, a man of sound and serious mind at the helm, the revenge-seeking Rebels this time will encounter a foe with a de-fense every bit as impregnable as the Yankee lines at Bull Run.

The foe is now a Tiger, vicious and destructive, reaping havoc with relentless rage upon all who venture into its den. This crea-ture of the claw will strike with the power of a Union cannon and

defend with the ferocity of a lion-ess guarding her cubs.

Colonel is ReadyBut Colonel Rebel is ready, out-

wardly as pleasant and convincing as a Texas cowboy peddling fl ow-ers at a most modest price, but inwardly the brewer of terror and bent on becoming a champion.

Once before the Colonel met the Tiger, and out of that Hal-loween night, so dark and dreary, came a thunderous explosion. The Colonel was stunned as though struck by the impact of a mighty cannon. Immediately a fresh gen-eral appeared upon the scene and guided his troops with a sturdy hand. But just before reaching the goal which he sought, he heard the Tiger exclaim, “Nevermore.”

Two BestThis New Year’s Day spectacle

will feature the two best football teams in the nation each striving to prove that it is THE best. The

Tigers won the fi rst time around in the greatest game played in this or any other year. The second meeting of Colonel Rebel and Mike the Tiger should prove ev-ery bit as thrilling.

Statistics show that the Rebels have averaged 32.9 points per game during the year, while they have given their opponent only 2.1 a game. LSU, on the hand, has scored at the rate of 21.4 points per game, while yielding only 2.9 an outing.

Flowers LeadsLeading the scoring parade

for Coach Vaught’s Rebels will be All-America fullback Charlie Flowers, a 200-pound senior who led the Southeastern Conference in scoring with 66 points on 11 touchdowns. In yards gained Flowers was sixth in the nation and fi rst in the SEC as he rushed for 733 yards this year.

Flowers is not Ole Miss’ only

offensive weapon by any means. Quarterback Jake Gibbs, for ex-ample, was the No. 1 man in the conference in both passing yard-age and total offense. And if he should falter, Bobby Franklin, an All-SEC choice in 1958, is most capable of taking over. And, from the halfback slots, Bobby Cre-spino, Cowboy Woodruff and George Blair can run with speed and power. Also key performers are fullback James (Hoss) An-derson and halfback Dewey Par-tridge.

It is needless to say that this will be the best of all the bowl games this year and the game should reach the heights of the earlier meeting of the two schools. But the outcome may be different. For, with Ole Miss’ All-America lawyer laying the ground work for the case, the Rifl eman could easily become the Bandit’s execu-tioner.

Blast from the Past New Orleans Battle To Be Greatest Epic 12/17/1959

BY JIMMIE ROBERTSONFormer Sports Editor

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: DECEMBER 17, 1959 | The Daily Mississippian

COACH, continued from page 8

COM ICS | 6 . 16 . 11 | THE DAILY M IS S IS S IP P I AN | PAG E 6

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One of the more veteran units on the Ole Miss team in 2010, the 2011 Ole Miss defensive line is much smaller and less experienced than it was a year ago but enjoys a boost in the unit’s athleticism.

Gone are defensive tackle stalwarts Jerrell Powe (Kansas City Chiefs), Ted Laurent (Ed-monton Eskimos) and Lawon Scott. In their place is a pair of talented redshirt freshmen and a junior college transfer.

At the defensive end posi-tion, Ole Miss gets a playmaker and team leader back as senior Kentrell Lockett is on track to be ready for fall practice after missing most of last season with a torn ACL. Lockett received his waiver from the NCAA that gave him one more year of eligibility on April 1. Ole Miss needs him even more now that junior linebacker D.T. Shackel-ford went down with an ACL injury of his own.

As a junior in 2009, Lockett showed flashes of great ability, recording 39 tackles and five sacks, in addition to 10 tackles for loss. The Rebels struggled mightily for most of last season generating a pass rush.

The return of a healthy Lock-ett gives Ole Miss the legitimate pass rusher they lacked in 2010. He is also one of the leaders of the team, and his abilty to mo-tivate and lead younger players cannot be over looked. He is listed as a co-starter at one of the defensive end spots along with talented junior Gerald Rivers.

Rivers battled injuries both in the fall and spring, but showed plenty of promise and improved both as a pass rusher and against the run. He suf-fered a knee injury during spring practice, but should be ready to go when fall practice starts. Last year, he recorded 14 tackles and 2.5 sacks in 10 games played.

Behind them on the post-spring depth chart is sopho-more Carlos Thompson, who was forced into duty last sea-son due to injuries all over the defensive front. Thompson showed in the spring that he is already a proficient pass rusher, but just needs to add weight to improve against the run.

At the other defensive end position, senior Wayne Dorsey is hoping to improve on a dis-appointing 2010 season. He showed

improvement during spring practice before being sidelined with a concussion. He was one of the top junior college re-cruits in the 2010 signing class, but struggled with the transi-tion to Southeastern Confer-ence football.

Listed behind Dorsey on the post-spring depth chart is ju-nior Jason Jones, whose work ethic and high-intensity play have impressed coaches. He recorded 17 tackles and and 2.5 sacks last season. Third on the depth chart is sophomore Cameron Whigham, who has the size and strength for the position, but is still learning the nuances of the position.

Ole Miss signed only one de-fensive end, Kameroon Wood from Birmingham, Ala., in the

2011 class. Sophomore defen-sive end Delvin Jones was boot-ed from the team in the spring for violation of team rules.

Redshirt-freshman Bryon Bennett emerged in the spring at nose tackle and sits atop of the depth chart with co-starter Gilbert Pena, a junior college transfer from Yonkers, N.Y. While still undersized, Ben-nett showed explosiveness and toughness at the position, and impressed during the spring, despite nagging injuries.

Pena was a key part of Hous-ton Nutt’s 2011 signing class and quickly showed why the Rebels recruited him. Listed at 6’-2,” 336-pounds, Pena needs

to drop some weight before he is ready for the rigors of Di-vision 1 football. He showed quick feet and impressive ex-plosiveness in the spring for a player his size. Sophomore Corey Gaines is another player to watch this season, but also needs to drop some weight and improve his conditioning.

Sophomore Carlton Mar-tin, a high school teammate of Bennett at Madison Central, emerged at the other defensive tackle spot and is thought to be team’s best interior pass rusher. He has a great deal of athleti-cism for a tackle, which helps him immensely, and showed great explosiveness during

spring practice before suffering a concussion. He is listead as a co-starter with junior Justin Smith, who has battled injuries throughout his Ole Miss career, but will have a chance to con-tribute in 2011.

The Rebels will receive even more help at the position when Uriah Grant, another junior college transfer, enrolls and joins the team this fall. He will add depth at the position and could step into the rotation im-mediately. Ole Miss also signed a high school defensive tackle in Woodrow Hamilton, who could use a year in the weight room, but has a bright future at the position.

UM football position breakdown: Defensive lineWith college football only a couple months away, it’s time to take an early look at the Ole Miss football team. Each Thursday, The Daily Mississippian’s Bennett Hipp will break down Ole Miss position-by-position as part of an eight-week series. Next week: Special teams

BY BENNETT HIPPThe Daily Mississippian

FILE PHOTO | The Daily Mississippian

Senior Wayne Dorsey lines up at defensive end in a 27-13 win at Tulane last season. Dorsey, who is expected to start opposite senior Kentrell Lockett this season, finished with 12 tackles and a sack last season.

With two of the three assistant coaching jobs filled, former Flor-ida International University head coach Sergio Rouco accepted the final assistant coaching position early last month. Rouco brings head coaching experience from the high school, college and in-ternational level to the Ole Miss bench for this upcoming season.

“You can’t take away experi-ence,” Rouco said. “Every day you learn something different.”

Rouco was born in Cuba but raised in Miami, where he attend-ed Nova Southeastern University.

While in college, he began his coaching career at Loyola High School in Miami (1986-87).

After college, Rouco was offered an assistant coaching position at Florida International, where he stayed from 1987-91. He returned to the high school level, where he was very successful at Miami Nor-land from 1991-95. He led Miami Norland to a No. 1 state ranking for part of the 1994-95 season.

From there, Rouco was hired to coach in the Dominican Republic for Club Mauricio Baez (1995) and Los Minas (1996). In the same year, Rouco also made his first coaching stop in Venezuela as head coach of the Trotamundos

de Carabobo. He later returned to Venezuela in 2010 and led the Marinos de Anzoategui to a runner-up finish in the 2009-10 season.

Following the 1996-97 season in Venezuela, Rouco spent the next three years with the Boys & Girls Club of Miami as an as-sociate director. In this position, Rouco dealt with fundraising in the community and started new programs like flag football and

basketball.“I’ve been blessed and fortunate

to be able to coach in different ar-eas and different places,” he said.

Meet the new assistant basketball coach: Sergio RoucoMichael White left for a head coaching position at Louisiana Tech, Owen Miller to become the head coach at Gulfport High School and Torrey Ward to pursue other coaching opportunities. This is the third of a three-part series, introducing the three new assistant basketball coaches.

BY CAMAL PETROThe Daily Mississippian

See COACH, PAGE 5