1954 Ole Miss Rebels football team

The 1954 Ole Miss Rebels football team represented the University of Mississippi as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) during the 1954 college football season. Led by eighth-year head coach Johnny Vaught, the Rebels compiled an overall record of 9–2 with a mark of 5–1 in conference play, winning the SEC title.^[1] Ole Miss was ranked sixth in both major polls at end of the regular season. The Rebels were invited to the Sugar Bowl, where they lost to Navy. The team played home games at Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, Mississippi and Crump Stadium in Memphis, Tennessee.

1954 Ole Miss Rebels football
SEC champion
Sugar Bowl, L 0–21 vs. Navy
Conference	Southeastern Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 6
AP	No. 6
Record	9–2 (5–1 SEC)
Head coach	Johnny Vaught (8th season)
Captains	Jimmy Patton Allen "Red" Muirhead
Home stadium	Hemingway Stadium, Crump Stadium
Seasons ← 1953 1955 →

1954 Southeastern Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 6 Ole Miss $	5	–	1	–	0			9	–	2	–	0
Georgia Tech	6	–	2	–	0			8	–	3	–	0
Florida	5	–	2	–	0			5	–	5	–	0
Kentucky	5	–	2	–	0			7	–	3	–	0
Georgia	3	–	2	–	1			6	–	3	–	1
No. 13 Auburn	3	–	3	–	0			8	–	3	–	0
Mississippi State	3	–	3	–	0			6	–	4	–	0
Alabama	3	–	3	–	2			4	–	5	–	2
LSU	2	–	5	–	0			5	–	6	–	0
Tulane	1	–	6	–	1			1	–	6	–	3
Vanderbilt	1	–	5	–	0			2	–	7	–	0
Tennessee	1	–	5	–	0			4	–	6	–	0
$ – Conference champion Ole Miss's game against Arkansas counted in the conference standings. Rankings from AP Poll

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 17	North Texas State*	No. 10	Crump Stadium Memphis, TN	W 35–12	6,418	[2]
September 25	Kentucky	No. 9	Crump Stadium Memphis, TN	W 28–9	28,545	[3]
October 2	at Villanova*	No. 8	Philadelphia Municipal Stadium Philadelphia, PA	W 52–0	95,607	[4]
October 9	at Vanderbilt	No. 7	Dudley Field Nashville, TN (rivalry)	W 22–7	26,000	[5]
October 16	Tulane	No. 7	Hemingway Stadium Oxford, MS (rivalry)	W 34–7	23,500	[6]
October 23	at No. 7 Arkansas[n 1]	No. 5	War Memorial Stadium Little Rock, AR (rivalry)	L 0–6	38,000	[7]
October 30	at LSU	No. 12	Tiger Stadium Baton Rouge, LA (rivalry)	W 21–6		[8]
November 6	at Memphis State*	No. 9	Crump Stadium Memphis, TN (rivalry)	W 51–0		[9]
November 13	at Houston*	No. 7	Rice Stadium Houston, TX	W 26–0	23,000	[10]
November 27	Mississippi State	No. 7	Hemingway Stadium Oxford, MS (Egg Bowl)	W 14–0	36,000	[11]
January 1	vs. No. 5 Navy*	No. 6	Tulane Stadium New Orleans, LA (Sugar Bowl)	L 0–21	80,190	[12]
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Roster

• OT Rex Reed Bogan
• FB Paige Cothren
• QB Eagle Day Jr.
• FB Billy Kinard
• Bobby McCool
• DB Jimmy Patton

Notes

1. Ole Miss's game against Arkansas counted in the SEC standings.

References

1. "2024 SEC Football Media Guide". Southeastern Conference. pp. 63–64. Retrieved December 28, 2024.
2. "Ole Miss trims Texans". The Commercial Appeal. September 18, 1954. Retrieved November 4, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "Outmanned U.K. smashed 28–9 by Mississippi". The Courier-Journal. September 26, 1954. Retrieved October 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "95,607 watch Mississippi pummel Villanova, 52 to 0". Atlantic City Press. October 3, 1954. Retrieved October 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Ole Miss fights off Vandy to win, 22–7". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. October 10, 1954. Retrieved October 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "Ole Miss crushes Tulane 34–7". The Clarion-Ledger. October 17, 1954. Retrieved September 19, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "6–0! Hogs throttle Ole Miss". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. October 24, 1954. Retrieved October 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "Rebels belt Bengals, 21–6, and look to SEC crown". The Birmingham News. October 31, 1954. Retrieved October 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "Rebels romp 51 to 0". The Clarion-Ledger. November 7, 1954. Retrieved September 21, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
10. "Ole Miss spanks Houston by 26–0". The Selma Times-Journal. November 14, 1954. Retrieved October 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
11. "Ole Miss, Navy to Sugar Bowl". The Chattanooga Times. November 28, 1954. Retrieved October 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
12. "Navy sinks Rebs, 21–0". The Atlanta Journal. January 2, 1955. Retrieved October 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.