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Top five events of 2019 for Ole Miss athletics
Top five events of 2019 for Ole Miss athletics
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Mike Smith (Photo: 247Sports)
5. The resignation of Mike Smith
The head coach of the Ole Miss softball program resigned on Sun., Dec. 8, at the conclusion of a mysterious investigation centering around the "culture" of his program that university officials nor Smith have yet to shed further light on.
Smith breathed life into what was a listless program for many, many years during his five-year tenure in Oxford, guiding the Rebels to four consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, two Super Regional berths in his final three seasons and winning the program's first-ever SEC Tournament championship in 2017.
Smith has not spoken on the record about his resignation, but Ole Miss athletic director Keith carter issued a statement when the announcement was made.
“We are committed to a healthy culture and overall experience for our student-athletes,” said Carter. “Our primary focus is to foster success for everyone involved with our program, on and off the field, while continuing our rise as one of the premier softball programs in the nation. Coach Smith helped establish our softball program as a national contender and we wish him all the best.”
A December article published by Softball America included allegations that the investigation focused on Smith in part stemmed from false claims by the parents of a player angered by the level of scholarship monies their daughter received.
Smith's long-time associated head coach, Ruben Felix, was named the interim head coach earlier this month.
Ole Miss returns eight of nine every-day starters and most of its pitching staff from a team that finished ranked as high as 11th nationally last season.
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Kermit Davis (Photo: 247Sports)
4. Kermit Davis takes Rebels to NCAA Tournament in first season
Ole Miss can be somebody in basketball and Kermit Davis proved it in his first season as head coach of the Rebels.
Davis guided Ole Miss to a 20-13 overall record and a berth in the NCAA Tournament. It was a complete reversal of Ole Miss' 12-20 finish the season before under previous head coach Andy Kennedy. The eight-win improvement ranked as the 11th best turn of fortunes in the country.
Davis' 2019-2020 team is off to an 8-3 start in what is now his second season at the helm in Oxford.
In addition to winning on the court, Davis and his staff have proven to be capable recruiters, as the program continues to build for the future.
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Keith Carter (Photo: Bruce Newman, 247Sports)
3. Changing of the guard in athletics director's post
Ross Bjork left his post as athletics director at Ole Miss in late May for the same position at Texas A&M leading to a six-month interim period of Keith Carter at the helm of the department. The interim tag was taken off Carter on Nov. 22 and he was promptly faced with making some major decisions.
The first was the firing of head football coach Matt Luke three days following a controversial 21-20 loss to Mississippi State. Next up was the hiring of Lane Kiffin to be the Rebels' next head football coach followed by the handling of the resignation of softball coach Mike Smith. Carter also fired head volleyball coach Steve McRoberts in his first days as the permanent athletics director.
Carter had proven his ability to make difficult decisions already as the the interim athletics director when he chose not to extend head baseball coach Mike Bianco's contract to a customary fourth year following the 2019 season.
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Matt Luke (Photo: 247Sports)
2. The firing of Matt Luke
Ole Miss head coach Matt Luke was fired the Sunday following the Rebels' Thanksgiving night loss to Mississippi State in the Egg Bowl. Luke's termination was somewhat surprising, considering most sources believed him to be safe in the days leading up to the game.
A combination of fan apathy and the controversial way the Egg Bowl ended, however, were the final straws on a delicately stacked pile of hay for Luke. He learned of his termination while on the road recruiting some 60 hours after coaching his last game as the Rebels' head coach.
Athletic director Keith Carter would meet with the players in a fiery sitting a few hours after Luke's termination was made public. Tensions, however, would subside in the coming days and with the announcement of Lane Kiffin as the Rebels' new head coach.
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From left, Lane Kiffin, chancellor Glenn Boyce and athletics director Keith Carter. (Photo: Bruce Newman, 247Sports)
1. The hiring of Lane Kiffin
Ole Mis officially named Lane Kiffin its new head football coach on Sat., Dec. 7. It ended a 9-day search that also focused on then Memphis head coach Mike Norvell and Louisiana-Lafayette head coach Billy Napier among others.
The Kiffin hire immediately interjected excitement and energy into what had become a lethargic and apathetic Ole Miss fan base. Kiffin was greeted on the airport tarmac by hundreds of Ole Miss fans upon his arrival to Oxford on Sunday. His public introduction came before thousands during a pep-rally-like atmosphere inside the Pavilion the following Monday.
"We didn't come here to be good, that's not why we're here today. We came here to be great," Kiffin proclaimed.
Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter spoke of the galvanizing effect he believed Kiffin would bring to Ole Miss football.
"When I stood before you last week, I talked about finding a coach that could bring energy, passion, and a track record of success," Carter said. "We talked about somebody who can be a program builder and somebody who can galvanize and unite Rebel nation.
"As I got started with this search, I spoke to a number of potential candidates to try and identify someone that can check all of those boxes, and also someone that can be a great representative of our flagship institution. We had a tremendous response of qualified coaches around the country but one name stood out. I knew Lane Kiffin was highly respected as one of the brightest minds in college football, but as we went through the process, I learned so much more about him. Coach Kiffin is an innovator. He engineered some of the most creative and high-powered offenses in college football."
SOURCE: Johnson, David. "Top five events of 2019 for Ole Miss athletics." OMSpirit - 247Sports.com, 28 December 2019,
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- catfishboy
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Re: Top five events of 2019 for Ole Miss athletics
To add to these items, it would be good to see if Carter will put a keg of dynamite under Bianco's ass and tell him to get to Omaha consistently or else. It seems like Bianco only performs when he is under extreme pressure. Maybe Ole Miss baseball could probably do better with a new head coach, but you have to give Bianco credit for making Ole Miss a bigger name in the college baseball world.
Another top event would be firing Lynette Johnson for her involvement in the Mike Smith fiasco and for bring the NCAA to Oxford would be a nice addition to the top things happening in Ole Miss athletics. It is getting obvious that the Smith ordeal was a witch hunt of sorts, but then some things might be justified.
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