The Rebellion Continued...

Former NFL and standout Ole Miss lineman, Todd Wade, has joined Former Ole Miss Quarterback in his plea for the fans to take back Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. I couldn't agree more with what these guys are asking. Seriously, you are at a football game, you are supposed to cheer and cheer loud. I think its insane that this is actually an issue but it is and these guys at least have the stones to step up and challenge the fan base to actually show there support and quit being so bandwagon. I know, from time to time, I get pissy with the Rebs, when we just continue to shoot ourselves in the foot during the game, but that does not waiver from loyalty or my ability to cheer for the team. I don't get to go to many games, maybe one a year. But when I do go, I am not there making a scarf or looking at a catalog. I'm 10 in the pack, 1 in the bottle and rabid. If you don't agree, ask those poor bastards sitting around me. Popcorn flying in the air, you name it. I think everyone who is a fan and routes for there respective team will tell you that they love watching there team in there respective stadiums and that is the way it should be, as far as I am concerned. I know Mac loves watches the Tigers in Baton Rouge. I've seen the joy in his eyes. Anyway, here is the letter that was posted on www.theolemissblog.com/ . Enjoy!


A LETTER FROM TODD WADE:

There is a deep rooted culture that exists on gamedays in the fall in Oxford. Its a deep rooted culture that goes back longer than I've lived. Ole Miss fans are familiar with the slogan "We May Not Win Every Game But We Ain't Ever Lost a Party?" A friend and neighbor of mine came up with that fun and catchy slogan, but unfortunately too many of us embrace this mantra on Football Saturdays in Oxford. The Grove has created a unique atmosphere for all who experience it. It is something Ole Miss fans take a lot of pride in. However, The Grove has been an achilles heel to a place called Vaught-Hemingway Stadium for a long time. A former teammate of mine, Romaro Miller, just recently voiced his concerns about the lackluster gameday environment in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. I completely agree. Words can not express how influential fans, students and alumni can be to a team during a sporting event. The Grove has created a unique atmosphere for all who experience it. It is something Ole Miss fans take a lot of pride in. But like Romaro, I think the event at The Grove has become the primary reason for gameday, instead of a place called Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. After all, Isn't this why we show up to show our undying support?

I've played football all of my life until two years ago. I decided to hang it up and move back to Oxford. Something had to replace the passion that I lost in the sport I loved to play so much. So like all of you, I became a fan. A serious one. Since that time, I have traveled to all of the away games and have been in Oxford for every single home game to support my beloved Rebels. Becoming a diehard Rebel fan was good timing to say the least. In my first two years since leaving football, I have seen my alma mater make it to back to back Cotton Bowls and win both of them! Its a remarkable feat considering that in the 26 games we played in the last two years we have won 18 of those with little to zero home field advantage. Steve Spurrier brought his Gamecocks to Oxford in 2008 and left with a victory. After the game Spurrier was asked if there were communication problems? Spurrier implied that our crowd noise was not an issue and did nothing to affect his offense and its audibles. Their game plan was completely intact for the entire 60 minutes. Romaro mentioned that Coach Cut said "Carry the Fight to the Opponent and Keep it there for 60 minutes." That is correct. Our young team must do this now, and so should we as Ole Miss fans.

It is our duty.

We are simply not entitled to bowl games. I can promise you the guys on our team wish they could take a lot of things back and be 4-0 coming into this week...but they're not. They're 2-2. So what do you do about it as a fan besides complain? Do we continue to look like we don't care? We need to ask ourselves "What can I do to help the situation and improve morale inside the Stadium?" Something has to happen in your mind as you walk from the Grove to Vaught-Hemingway. It is two seperate mindset entities. When you leave the Great American Social Scene (which I enjoy) something must happen to turn the switch into becoming a FAN. A loud one. Win or lose. Students, I encourage all of you to wear our school colors for the game. Whatever is asked, please do it. We need uniformity. Guys, you have no excuse. So how to support our team in the stadium? Stand up when the defense hits the field.. Do not tell someone standing in front of you to sit down. Its a football game. Stand up with them, we are all in this together. When our defense hits the field it is Imperative that you make "Continuous Noise" for each Defensive down including 4th down when they punt! Don't say one thing while our offense is out there! Eat a hot dog! It doesn't matter. Please remain quiet. As a former offensive lineman who jumped offsides more than once in my career, I can promise you that crowd noise is detrimental to an opposing offense. As Ole Miss fans we seem to have never gotten the memo to cheer on every single defensive down, not just 3rd. As fans, if we can get an opposing offensive player to jump on 1st down then it becomes 1st and 15. The opposing offensive coordinator has to go back to his playbook to find a certain play that fits what has now become very long yardage. We have now just taken them out of their gameplan! Please do yourself a favor and YouTube Jeremiah Masoli's old stadium, Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon. There stadium is SMALLER than ours! At 54,000, it is widely regarded as one of the loudest places to play in America. What about Lane Stadium at Virginia Tech? It was rated the number one home field advantage in all of college football in 2005 by Rivals.com. It is also ranked #2 on ESPN.com's "Top 10 Scariest Places To Play." Their stadium seats 66,000, about 5,000 more than ours. While our Rebels work on the things they need to work on to improve their game, we must do the same as fans. We need to improve our intensity! Sacrifice just over 3 hours of your time on Gameday. Lets change this lifeless culture in Vaught-Hemingway at Ole Miss. As alumni and students we need to rally behind our teams win or lose. For one, you will help our team by making it so deafly loud that the opposing offense will have a difficult time communicating. Secondly, you will have much more fun! Personally, I am ready to go to new heights at Ole Miss. I want to do my part so that I can say I did everything I could have done to make our beloved Vaught-Hemingway Stadium one of the most intense and difficult places to play in the country.

Lastly, I've talked with members of the team, alumni, students, and former players as well as people in the administration who feel strongly about our cause, The Rebellion. I can assure you that the University will do everything in their power to improve the Vaught-Hemingway Gameday Experience. We finally have people excited about getting on board for a good thing. A New Tradition. This staff is recruiting lights out right now (as high as 9th in the country) and we need to show them that we love Ole Miss. I don't feel that this metamorphosis can happen overnight. Students will have to hold other students accountable and it will need a carry over effect. I do feel this is a great opportunity, that if done correctly right now, will make us truly proud for years to come. I'd love for our record to be perfect, just like the rest of you, and the timing could be better, but the time is now, Not next year. Now!

Let's get Home Field Advantage.

Hotty Toddy!

Todd M. Wade