James Howard Meredith is an American civil rights activist, writer, political adviser, and United States Air Force veteran who became, in 1962, the first African-American student admitted to the racially segregated University of Mississippi after the intervention of the federal government. Inspired by President John F. Kennedy's inaugural address, Meredith decided to exercise his constitutional rights and apply to the University of Mississippi. His goal was to put pressure on the Kennedy administration to enforce civil rights for African Americans. The admission of Meredith ignited the Ole Miss riot of 1962 where Meredith's life was threatened and 31,000 American servicemen were required to quell the violence – the largest ever invocation of the Insurrection Act of 1807.
The University of Mississippi is a public research university in Oxford, Mississippi, with a medical center in Jackson. It is Mississippi's oldest public university and is the state's largest by enrollment.
Oxford is the 14th most populous city in Mississippi, United States, and the county seat of Lafayette County, 75 miles (121 km) southeast of Memphis. A college town, the University of Mississippi or "Ole Miss" is adjacent to the city. Founded in 1837, it is named for Oxford, England.
Carrollwood is a census-designated place (CDP) in northwestern Hillsborough County, Florida, United States. The census area includes the unincorporated communities of Carrollwood and Carrollwood Village. For the 2000 census the area was enumerated under the name "Greater Carrollwood". A similar area was listed as "Lake Carroll" in 1970 and 1980; for the 1990 census it was split into the smaller Carrollwood and Carrollwood Village CDPs. The population was 34,352 at the 2020 census.
Flying Officer Lloyd Allan Trigg VC DFC, of Houhora, New Zealand, was a pilot in the RNZAF during World War II. He was a posthumous recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy for British and Commonwealth armed forces, and received the award for pressing home an attack on a German U-boat in August 1943. He was killed in the action. His award is unique, as it was awarded on evidence solely provided by the enemy, for an action in which there were no surviving Allied witnesses to corroborate his gallantry.
Houston Dale Nutt Jr. is a former American football player and coach. He formerly worked for CBS Sports as a college football studio analyst. Previously, he served as the head football coach at Murray State University (1993–1996), Boise State University (1997), the University of Arkansas (1998–2007), and the University of Mississippi (2008–2011). Nutt's all-time career winning percentage is just under 59 percent.
Colonel Reb was the official mascot of Ole Miss Rebels, the collegiate athletic teams of the University of Mississippi in Oxford, Mississippi. Designed in 1936, the Colonel served as the teams' official sideline mascot from 1979 until 2003. The university replaced him in 2010 with a new on-field mascot, the Black Bear, who was replaced with Tony the Landshark in 2018.
Carrollwood is an unincorporated community in Hillsborough County, Florida, United States. It is part of the larger census-designated place (CDP) of Carrollwood, which also includes the neighborhood of Carrollwood Village. A census-designated place corresponding just to Carrollwood existed during the 1990 census, with a population of 7,195. The ZIP code for Carrollwood is 33618.
Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium is an outdoor football stadium in Jackson, Mississippi, United States. Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium has been the home stadium of the Jackson State Tigers football team since 1970. Originally known as War Veterans Memorial Stadium, it was later known as Hinds County War Memorial Stadium. It was redesigned and enlarged in 1960 and Ole Miss vs. Arkansas dedicated Mississippi Memorial Stadium in 1961 before a capacity crowd of 46,000. With political support from Ole Miss and Mississippi State and leadership from Ole Miss Athletics Director Warner Alford, Mississippi Memorial Stadium was enlarged to 62,500 in 1981 and on September 26, 1981 Ole Miss and Arkansas again dedicated the facility before 63,522.
Carrollwood Village is an unincorporated community in Hillsborough County, Florida, United States. Along with neighboring Carrollwood, it is part of the Carrollwood census-designated place. The ZIP codes for the community are 33624 and 33618. Carrollwood Village was its own census-designated place during the 1990 census, with a recorded population of 15,051.
Michael Jerome Oher is an American former football tackle who played in the National Football League (NFL) for eight seasons. He played college football at the University of Mississippi, where he earned unanimous All-American honors as a senior, and was selected by the Baltimore Ravens in the first round of the 2009 NFL draft. He spent his first five seasons with the Ravens and was a member of the team that won Super Bowl XLVII. He later played one season for the Tennessee Titans and his final two for the Carolina Panthers.
Jackson Preparatory School is a private school in Flowood, Mississippi, a suburb of Jackson, with a controversial history as a segregation academy. The school is coeducational and serves preschool through grade 12.
The Ole Miss Rebels football program represents the University of Mississippi, also known as "Ole Miss". The Rebels compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) as members of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The Rebels play their home games at Vaught–Hemingway Stadium on the university's campus in Oxford, Mississippi.
Danny Hugh Freeze Jr. is an American football coach who is the head coach at Auburn University. A successful high school football coach at Briarcrest Christian School in Memphis, Tennessee, Freeze coached Michael Oher and Greg Hardy. He subsequently was the head football coach at Lambuth University from 2008 to 2009, Arkansas State University in 2011, the University of Mississippi from 2012 to 2016, and Liberty University from 2018 to 2022.
Michael Emerson White is an American college basketball coach and former player. He is the head coach of the University of Georgia men's basketball team. Prior to accepting the job at Georgia, White was the head coach of the Florida Gators from 2015 to 2022 and the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs from 2011 to 2015.
Jaxson Chase Dart is an American football quarterback for the Ole Miss Rebels. He began his college football career for the USC Trojans before transferring to Ole Miss in 2022.
Samuel Degarrick Williams is an American professional football defensive end for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Northeast Mississippi Community College before transferring to Ole Miss.
Jacob Jesus Gonzalez is an American professional baseball shortstop in the Chicago White Sox organization.
Michael Trigg is an American football tight end for the Baylor Bears of the Big 12 Conference. He previously played for the USC Trojans and the Ole Miss Rebels.
Ryder Anderson is an American professional football defensive end who is a free agent. He played college football at Ole Miss and Indiana.
