Rebel Rex

On today's show is Comone Fisher. Coming out of Texas, he was a three year starter at defensive tackle who played his final season in 1999. While at Ole Miss, Comone also earned a degree in Poltical Science and also has a Master's degree in education. I'm looking forward to visiting with him about playing on some of my favorite Rebel teams. When it was time for Comone to make his college choice, coming out of Texas it would've been normal for him to dream of playing for Texas or Texas A&M. He's always prided himself on being a little different than everybody else though. He grew up playing high school football in an incredibly small conference and would've been the first to play at an SEC school and he wanted to play SEC football. He also felt like Ole Miss just felt like home for him, and his parents also enjoyed the program and the university. When Comone left Ole Miss almost 15 years ago, he trained with a few NFL camps and nothing panned out until he played arena football in Tampa, Jacksonville, and eventually signed with the Tampa Bay Storm for several years before playing in Fort Myers as well. After he finished playing arena football he decided he wanted to plan for his future and received his masters degree in education. He ended up being a principal at a high school for quite some time while his wife (also an Ole Miss Rebel) was attending law school. Together they made plans to open their own law firm, and they're doing well. Listen in for my full interview with Comone Fisher.

Our guest for today's show is Andrew Ritter who took a redshirt last year and this year is handling the place kicking and the field goals. When Coach Freeze approached both Tyler Campbell and Andrew in the Spring of 2012 right before their fourth years, they both sat down and weighed their options and when it came down to it they found too many positives. They were able to further their educations by getting their masters degrees, have another year at Ole Miss and in Oxford, and would also really be able to help the football team in a stronger capacity. Throughout that season, Andrew didn't have to worry about being ready for game day and was able to work on his craft and do what he needed to do to prepare for the next year and he thinks that helped both he and Tyler tremendously. Andrew was the back up place kicker but for his first three years and his main focus during that season was to get as consistent as he could with his field goals. That took going back to the fundamentals, something that Andrew is still focusing on now. He felt good with his kick-offs but was also able to work on those and build a lot of strength. Andrew also discusses the importance of kicking strategy in kick-off.

Today's guest on the show is Matt Koon, who finished his time at Ole Miss in 2001. The teams around 1998-2001 are honestly some of my favorites. When you go back and look through those rosters, you can't help but notice the great group of guys you're finding. Matt is quick to back up my observation and note that in his signing class alone you'll find Terrence Metcalf, Deuce McAllister, Keydrick Vincent, and Ken Lucas, who all played nine or ten years in the NFL. Then you add in some of the younger guys who he still keeps in touch with today, Doug Zeigler, Matt Barkley, Justin and Todd Wade, and obviously Eli Manning. Some of those guys have still really kept in touch and he and David Morris are actually trying to plan a trip to go up to New York and watch Eli play soon. When Matt signed on, it was with Tuberville and he also ended up playing under Cutcliffe. Their coaching styles were very different and Tuberville was more of what Matt would consider a general manager. He remembers him riding his golf cart down and talking to alumni and fans where as Cutcliffe would come in and direct practice. He was heavily involved in the offense where Tuberville allowed his coaches to do more of the coaching. I ask Matt if he believes the group was there was better under Tuberville or Cutcliffe with their different coaching styles. Listen in for my full interview with Matt Koon.

For today's show, I welcome JD Lawhorn, who was a senior on the 2009 team which ended up in the Cotton Bowl beating Oklahoma State! During the 2009 season, Ole Miss fans were flying high especially with an end like that and JD remembers the LSU game in particular. It was the last game for the seniors and ended with spiking the ball and JD thinks a few fans may have even rushed the field. To him, it was just full of excitement. The program was doing well at that point and I had to ask JD if he saw any signs of the downturn that was to come. JD does note that it was hard watching that for a couple years but now things are good. Coach Freeze is doing great things and all Rebel fans think he's ahead of the schedule we thought he'd be at this point. JD even says that during his days at Ole Miss he thought Freeze would be a good offensive coordinator because he knew him. Click on the headline for my full interview with JD Lawhorn.

Today's guest is the founder of Land Shark Nation, Jonathan Ferguson. Jonathan has spent most of his life in Daytona Beach and with a family that attended Ole Miss, he was raised a Rebel. He started Land Shark Nation in 2008 amidst the mascot change at Ole Miss when he and lots of others preferred the Land Shark option over the Black Bear that was chosen. The main mission Jonathan has for Land Shark Nation is to make sure that Tony Fein is honored and respected as he created the Land Shark. They really want to make sure that everyone knows that that's the case and honor him daily, and they continue to do so. They've also reached out to Fein's family and don't do anything without their consent. What makes the Land Shark so unique is that its not a signal that's thrown out 15 times per game, but rather its only used when something is really special which really adds to its meaning.

When you look in the record books for yards receiving, pass receptions, and TD's caught, the name Shay Hodge stands out. While he might have come out of high school as a 3 Star (which Shay takes exception to!), his performance on the field was exemplary. Shay had grown up an Ole Miss fan having watched Eli and Deuce so when it came time, he was ready to be a Rebel. The 2009 All SEC receiver was a key player on the team that won back to back Cotton Bowls. Shay shares how, like most freshman, he wanted to jump in and play, but that he'd likely have had an even better career if he'd been redshirted. His advice to our highly-touted freshmen is to "Take things in stride. Be a team player." Shay's currently not playing as he works to rehab his knee. While Shay would like to be back on the field next season, if the knee prevents it, he's ready to move into coaching. His initial objective would be to start building his resume in high school with the eventual target of being a college receiver coach.

Today's guest is John Darnell, the quarterback of the 1989 Rebs that went 8-4, closing out the season with a win over Air Force in the Liberty Bowl. You're probably wondering what made an eight win season stand out and remain special to many Rebel fans. The Rebs were coming off two losing seasons with a total of eight wins. This team was one that truly lived up to the saying "never give up." A number of the wins were last-minute comebacks. Then there was the game - Vanderbilt - where Chucky Mullins was injured. Through all the adversity, they stuck together. In today's show, John talks about how Coach Brewer kept the team together and helped them handle the injury to Chucky as well as the emotional moment of Chucky visiting the team in the locker room prior to the Liberty Bowl game.

Rebel baseball fans had the pleasure of watching Alex for three seasons before he was selected in the fourth round by the Los Angeles Angels. Alex, from Allen, Texas, was drawn to Ole Miss by the opportunity of playing in the SEC and the charm of Oxford. He definitely came to play as he earned All American honors his Junior season, finishing in the top ten in six categories while being solid in the field with a .989 fielding percentage. His accomplishments in the SEC were nationally recognized with his being a semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award and the Dick Howser Trophy. Today he's enjoying a good season with the Inland Empire 66'ers of the Class A Advanced California League, hitting .319 at the time of this episode. Alex is regarded as a top ten prospect in the Angels minor league system.

Today's guest seemed destined to be a Rebel from day one with his family ties to Ole Miss. With Todd Wade on the right side and his teammate, Tutan Reyes holding down left tackle, Romaro enjoyed great protection. And the running game led by Deuce, Stackhouse and Gunn was right at the top of SEC in rushing offense. Todd was part of the special group that came to Ole Miss as we were coming off some tough years. After making progress as freshman, this group went on to win three consecutive bowl games beating Marshall, Texas Tech, and Oklahoma. This particular group of Rebs left quite an impression on me so the list is pretty long from those years of players I'm working to track down for you. Todd recalls those days and we talk about things on and off the field. Click on the article headline to see the picture he still keeps on his desk.

Today's guest has only been away from Oxford for a short time as he wrapped up his four year career on the diamond in May. Though drafted by the Houston Astro's after his junior season, Tanner Mathis chose to stay in Oxford for one more year chasing his dream of playing in Omaha and living in the City he's grown to love. While unfortunately we came up short on making it to the College World Series, Tanner leaves Ole Miss with lots of memories and some solid play on the field. His career batting average with the Rebs was .327 while being a fixture in the outfield. Today he's living the life in the minors playing for the Greenville Astros-Rookie Appalachian League. Tanner shares what it's like in the minors and contrasts it back to the days at Ole Miss.

In 1996, Ole Miss was coming off some tough years following probation. Ronnie was one of thirteen players that came in to form the nucleus of a group that quickly got the Rebels on the right track. After going 5-6 in their first year, they closed by winning three consecutive bowls. A native of Lake Jackson, Texas, Heard made the All SEC freshman team and went on to be a have a standout career with the Rebs. His brother and fellow Reb, Grant, has said that Ronnie played defense because he could not catch the ball. Ronnie has something to say about that in today's episode. A special honor Ronnie received was his wearing #38 as the recipient of the Chucky Mullins Courage Award for his final season in 1999. For those that did not have the opportunity to see him play, that should give you a little more insight into the role Ronnie played in Rebel history.

It's fitting that the first episode features a man who started his career at Ole Miss by being named SEC Defensive Player of the Week and scoring on a 91 yard fumble interception. He capped off that season by being named MVP of the Liberty Bowl. Cassius Ware went on to record 175 tackles, 25 for loss, and 17 sacks in this two years. Led by the linebacking core which included Dwayne Dobson, Abdul Jackson, Gary Abide, and Michael Lowery, the Rebs rushing defense was a fearsome group that put some punishing hits on opposing players.