Not necessarily, because Ole Miss was so proud of its early season ticket sales back in June that the school’s gratitude started showing. Publicly – in the newspapers, no less.

Nearly three months (11 weeks) before the start of the 2000 football season, word came out of the Southeastern Conference school that 30,573 season tickets had already been sold, breaking the previous record of 29,925 set a year ago. I don’t blame the university for boasting a bit; that’s pretty good.

Rebel home games this fall include Tulane and Auburn back-to-back Sept. 2 and Sept. 9; Kentucky and Arkansas State Sept. 30 and Oct. 7; Nevada-Las Vegas Oct. 28; the LSU Tigers Nov. 11; and Mississippi State Nov. 23 which is indeed a pretty good home schedule.

Truth of the matter is that all SEC schools draw well at their home football games. And particularly their home conference games. Ole Miss and Mississippi State, of course, lack the huge stadiums of LSU, Georgia, Alabama, etc. But they don’t do too bad at the gate.

Also, Vaught-Hemingway -Hollingsworth Field has been expanded to hold 50,577, thus the good home schedule. If you’re reading this, you probably agree that the SEC is the place to be.

By the way, Ole Miss also plays Vanderbilt, Alabama, Arkansas (a big ‘un), and Georgia. All away. Money will be coined at every away game except possibly Vandy.

Since we started by talkin’ Ole Miss, we naturally need to clue you in on some of the returning lettermen, etc., for the 2000 season.

In a nutshell, Ole Miss lost 18 letterman to graduation, but has 54 returning.

Twenty-seven offensive letter winners are back from 1999, meaning that only six departed. Almost ditto defensively, where only 10 graduated and 24 will be back. Three lettermen-specialists return while two left.

I’m not up on just how good each returning starter is supposed to be, but I do know that good things will be expected of starting ’99 quarterback Romaro Miller, a 6-1 senior-to-be our of Shannon. Romaro is a 195-pounder who is steady and reliable.

And not to forget All-American Heisman candidate, halfback Deuce McAllister.

David Morris is Miller’s backup at this time. He’s a junior that stands 6-1 also, and weighs 181. He is No.2, and that’s as it should be, although redshirt freshman Eli Manning has the tools as wells as the name to help.

Eli, son of Archie, is 6-4 (like ole dad) and weighs 200.

He has that Manning move, and you know what I mean. So three &uot;M&uot; boys compose the OM quarterback corps.

…Hurried Hash: Beau Pre leaders have indeed fashioned a quality golf course that’s state-of-the-art. Beau Pre golf professional Mark Powell isn’t a course man only – he’s one who can put together tournaments, large and small, and see that they’re calculated from start to finish …If an event is amateur it’s amateur, and everyone understands that. Right on the other hand, if a professional event is scheduled at Beau Pre, the young man from Louisiana (Baton Rouge, etc.) is great at seeing that things are PGA all the way …What I’m trying to say is that the fairly new course out South on U.S. 61 – for those who might not know – has it! And that Mark Powell has all the things at his disposal to string together special golfing events, and the know-how to direct them.

I salute you, Mark.