It's a funny thing, rivalries. Two teams battle year-in and year-out. Both sides talk about the game 365 days a year. One fan base believes it is obviously superior to the other. Neither base is right or wrong particularly. Blood-curdled hatred exists because the battles on the field are so epic. So close. So legendary.
Then there is the Ole Miss and Alabama football series. The rivalry may exist in Oxford, but in Tuscaloosa the Ole Miss game serves as a trap that 'Bama fans hope and pray the players don't overlook before Tennessee, the open date, and the LSU game.
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Alabama has lost eight games on the field in the entire history of the series. They have won 48. Eight might have been enough for Nicholas Bradford and his adorable head of hair, but it certainly does not quantify a rivalry.
It's not even close.
I almost forgot one thing that might help add some spice to the rivalry. There are two ties sprinkled in there. One occurred in Jackson in 1909 and the other in the SEC's inaugural season in 1933 in the fine city of Birmingham.
Oh, and a Manning was playing quarterback in four of those games. The NCAA has yet to give a ruling on whether or not those games count.
So instead of discussing this "rivalry" any longer, let's look at six of those games that Ole Miss bested the 'Tide. The final two victories occurred in 2001 and 2002, so they are recent enough to remember what was going on in our world. The previous six victories occurred far enough in the past that our minds may be a little fuzzy about what was going on in the world at the time. Was Moses putting chisel to tablet collaborating with God on the Ten Commandments? Was Dale Murphy playing in front of 67 fans random people at Fulton County Stadium in Atlanta?
Let's take a look.
Win 1
1894
- Ole Miss wins 6-0 in Jacksonville
- Coca-Cola is sold in bottles for the first time
- Manchester United Football Club team is formed
- Joe Paterno welcomes his first grandchild
Win 2
1910
- Ole Miss wins 16-0 in Greenville, MS -- Greenville is the birthplace of most famous puppeteer in history, Jim Henson. Henson is probably best known for creating the voice of Bill King.
- Boutros Ghali is assassinated
- Barbara Walters invents the fuzzy lense so she can be on television up into her 90s and 100s.
- The earth passes through Halley's Comet tail
- Today's old people were very young infants that were training to make Willard Scott's birthday list in 2010
Win 3
1968
- Ole Miss wins 10-8 in Jackson
- Houston Nutt's chin leaves for Vietnam
- The Green Bay Packers win Super Bowl II
- Brett Favre retires after Super Bowl II
- Madison Square Garden opens in New York
- Al Gore, Jr. takes credit for inventing Madison Square Garden
- Hank Williams, Jr. is VERY comfortable in the South he so longs for today
Win 4
1970
- Ole Miss Wins 48-24 in Jackson
- Brett Favre retires for third time
- Rock and blues singer Janis Joplin dies in her hotel room from an overdose of heroin.
- Jimmy Hendrix also dies
- Houston Nutt's chin returns from Vietnam
Win 5
1976
- Ole Miss wins 10-7 in Jackson. This is possibly the biggest upset of the entire series
- Mel Gibson thinks up all five of the Lethal Weapon movies in his head and blames it on the Jews. He then decides Mad Max may be a good start. Break in the people before throwing big stuff like Lethal Weapon, Braveheart, and What Women Want. Who can forget Bird on a Wire? Simply genius.
- Apple Computer Company is formed by Steve Jobs and Steve Wosniak. NEVER DROP OUT OF SCHOOL! ALWAYS FINISH! Let these guys be sufficient proof of what investing 99 percent of your life into the United States education system can do for our children. Simply amazing. Get them lessons and get them grades up, kids.
Win 6
1988
- Ole Miss wins 22-12 in Tuscaloosa on Homecoming.
- Hulk Hogan wears the WWF Championship belt like it's part of his everyday attire. It looks so natural. Of course, he is a real American and fights for the rights of every man. Why would it not?
- Reagan's presidential era ended and the Bush Dynasty began. Michael Dukakis played a presidential candidate in a movie about a guy married to Kitty. Or was that real? I don't know. Look it up on your own time.
- Dale Murphy was beginning to miss that dang slider, low and away.
- Oprah was beginning to practice the whole-note introduction of her guests. The first was when she had legendary sitcom star Scott Valentine from Family Ties on the show. She said his character name in that alto/soprano/bass voice -- "Niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii-iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiick." The best part was when Nick said, "Hey, yo, OH-PRAH!"
-Houston Nutt's chin cancelled Cop Rocks and given medal of honor.
I hope this helps you understand our world's historical backdrop at the time these games took place. I know I do. If you don't better understand, please contact management and have your policy number ready. Please be advised that all calls may be monitored and/or recorded for training purposes.
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