Content about Hemingway Stadium

The UMAA campaign Forward Together has now raised over $59 million since beginning its capital campaign fundraiser in August to build a new basketball arena and add seating to bowl in the North Endzone of Vaught-Hemingway Stadium by the start of the 2015-16 school year.

The goal of Forward Together is to raise $150 million through a diverse, mixed-funding approach. Forward Together celebrated reaching the $25 million fundraising mark at the end of September and reached the $50 million mark in early January.

On Saturday night, every Ole Miss senior will be playing their last game inside Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, and they will do so against the No. 1 LSU Tigers. It will also mark head coach Houston Nutt’s last home game in Oxford, before the Rebels close out the 2011 season next week at Mississippi State. For now, all Nutt is worried about is LSU.

The University of Mississippi Athletics Department has been hitting the streets since it unveiled its Forward Together campaign on Aug. 10.

In just under two months, the group has reached a miniature milestone, topping $25 million in donations.

The Forward Together capital campaign is a $150 million fundraising effort to build a new basketball arena and expand the football stadium. 

The construction of the Forward Together project will be completed over a two-phase plan for both venues.  

The past year for Ole Miss defensive end Kentrell Lockett has been a rollercoaster to say the least, but as the 2011 season approaches, he is ready to get back out in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium for another year of SEC football.

Saturday afternoon will not arrive soon enough for sophomore quarterback Barry Brunetti.

Brunetti played in four games last year at West Virginia, but his first collegiate start will come Saturday against BYU in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.

Growing up, Gunter Brewer listened to stories about his dad.
His father, Billy Brewer, was on the gridiron at Ole Miss, both as a player and a coach. Nearly 20 years after his father was at the helm, another Brewer, Gunter, will roam the sidelines of Vaught-Hemingway Stadium for the first time this season. He will do so as the Rebels’ new associate head coach, passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach.

Forward Together, a capital campaign fundraiser for Ole Miss Athletics, kicked off at a public announcement on Aug. 9 in the South Endzone Club at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. 

Ole Miss had a relatively light practice Friday afternoon in preparation for Saturday night’s scrimmage, open to the public inside Vaught-Hemingway Stadium and scheduled for 6 p.m.

Ole Miss battles inconsistency

After being pleased with his team on Thursday, head coach Houston Nutt felt the Rebels struggled with consistency during Friday’s practice.

Think back to the day it was announced. Some of the more dedicated Rebel fans can even remember where they were when they heard the news. 

Most abhorred the decision, claiming that the university was trying to take away “everything good.” Season ticket holders stormed the Lyceum with outrage. Loyal fans retreated to the Square to drink the pain away. Students formed groups and promised riots. 

Ole Miss quarterback Randall Mackey’s Hail Mary pass was intercepted and subsequently fumbled by linebacker Ralph Williams on the last play from scrimmage, and Grove Bowl 2011 ended mercifully in a 17-17 tie Saturday afternoon at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.

Spring practice started this week. The Ole Miss football team has 13 more practices, counting the Grove Bowl, left before players are let out for the summer.

After a 4-8 season last year, a myriad of story lines will play out over the next few weeks. The most popular will undoubtedly be the quarterback competition, where the Rebels have four candidates vying to be the team’s starter on Sept. 3 when BYU comes to town.

While in high school, Gunter Brewer walked the sidelines of Vaught-Hemingway Stadium with his father, former Ole Miss coach Billy Brewer, who directed the Rebels from 1983 to 1993.  

He remembers watching his father guide the Rebels to their first bowl game in over a decade during his first year on the job. He also remembers when his father’s 1991 squad landed Ole Miss its first New Year’s Day bowl in 22 years.