As the University of Mississippi celebrates the 60th anniversary of integration, it is only fitting to look back at some of the greatest African American athletes to attend Ole Miss. These athletes contributed a lot to the university as students and accomplished great things in their careers after college.
This would not be a proper retrospective without mentioning the name Patrick Willis. The star linebacker left a permanent mark on the Rebel football program while also putting together an NFL career he and the university hold in high regard.
Photo courtesy: The Ole Miss Yearbook.
As a Rebel, Willis was a two-time All-American and First-Team All-SEC, SEC Defensive Player of the Year in 2006 and the Butkus Award winner for the best linebacker in all of football in that same year. In 2015, the University of Mississippi inducted Willis into the M-Club Hall of Fame, and in 2019, he became a member of the College Football Hall of Fame.
Willis will forever be an Ole Miss Rebel, and the university’s fans are grateful for his immense impact on the football program.
Next up is the late and great Eugenia Conner. Conner attended the university from 1981-1985 and played basketball for head coach Van Chancellor. Before she became an Ole Miss Rebel, it is essential to note that she went 155-9 in her four-year Harrison Central High School career while leading her team to four straight state championships. Conner was a winner as early as high school, and she brought that mentality to Oxford.
As a Lady Rebel, Conner was the starting forward on an Ole Miss team that made the NCAA Tournament four years in a row. In fact, the Lady Rebels made it as far as the Elite Eight before falling to Western Kentucky 72-68 in her senior year.
Photo courtesy: The Ole Miss Yearbook.
Aside from team stats, Conner is one of two athletes from Ole Miss who can boast four All-SEC First Team nominations. She was the definition of a high-impact player and her presence on the court and on the team propelled the Rebels to greatness. Because of her grandeur, she is a member of the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and her memory lives with Rebel fans daily.
It is only right to highlight the first African American athlete to sign a football scholarship with the Rebels: Ben Williams. A Mississippi native, Williams chose to make history by signing with Ole Miss, but that is not the only history he made as a Rebel.
Photo courtesy: The Ole Miss Yearbook.
Williams became the first African American Ole Miss football player to receive All-American honors in 1975. Additionally, Williams accumulated three First Team All-SEC selections, and most notably, Williams was a member of “The Team of the Century.”
In acknowledgment of the trail Williams blazed for Black athletes at Ole Miss, the university is retiring his jersey No. 74.
As a university, Ole Miss continues to make great leaps in diversity and inclusion, and the 60th anniversary of James Meredith’s integration is an excellent opportunity to shed light on the many fantastic African American athletes that have competed for the Rebels.
