.png&width=32&height=32&type=webp)
The University of Mississippi Athletics
Rebel Club Seating Area to be Dedicated Saturday
6/21/1999 | Football
September 9, 1998
OXFORD, Miss. - When Guy C. Billups Jr. of Gulfport wants to be involved in a sport, he does some serious fishing -- sailfishing to be exact, on 20-pound lines. He has won numerous tournaments, including the Masters Tournament in the United States and a second-place finish in Kenya, Africa. He also held a world record for a 92-pound Pacific sailfish caught on a five-pound test line.
When Billups wants to enjoy a spectator sport, his favorite is Ole Miss football.
The football facilities on the Oxford campus will take on an even more special meaning for Billups on Saturday, Sept. 12, when Ole Miss hosts Auburn. In pregame ceremonies, the Rebel Club Seating added to Vaught-Hemingway Stadium during the recent expansion project will be named in honor of Billups, a successful banker who has provided financial support to the University over the years.
Most recently, Billups contributed more than $1 million to the Loyalty Foundation for general athletic use. "I feel very positive about the University; there is great leadership in place," he said. "I am absolutely thrilled over the honor of having the Rebel Club Seating bear the Billups name."
Ole Miss Chancellor Robert C. Khayat said Billups is most deserving of the recognition because of his generosity and commitment to providing resources for students.
"Students are the reason The University of Mississippi exists," he said. "Mr. Billups has always been supportive of Ole Miss, and we are truly grateful for this extraordinary gift to our athletic program. Many, many young people are given the chance to attend college through athletics and, as a result, have a whole world of opportunities and possibilities open up for them."
Billups credits his love of Ole Miss to his father, Guy C. Billups Sr., who as an Ole Miss student in 1917 was voted "Freshest Freshman." The younger Billups began attending Ole Miss football games at age 13 with his father. His affection for the school increased during his tenure as a student at the University and as a member of Kappa Alpha Order.
Director of Intercollegiate Athletics John Shafer said, "It is certainly fitting that we name the Rebel Club Seating for Mr. Billups. Through his gift he has made a tremendous investment in our student-athletes and in our athletic program. We thank him for his confidence, as we continue building our program and enhancing our facilities for a future we think will be very bright."
The exclusive Billups Rebel Club Seating area contains 1,000 seats which cost $1,000 each for five years. The open-air, chair-back seats are shielded by a roof, and seat owners have access to what is thought to be the nation's largest skybox, only available for Rebel Club Seating owners. It includes closed-circuit television viewing and complimentary concessions in a climate-controlled atmosphere.
The Billups Rebel Club Seating area sold out much faster than Ole Miss officials expected, and there is a waiting list. "Most of the seats were bought by people who have never been affiliated with the Loyalty Foundation," said George Smith, executive director of the Loyalty Foundation. "Quality seating is what these people have been waiting on. The Rebel Club Seating is an exciting addition."
Considering the new seating area and the rest of the expansion, Head Football Coach Tommy Tuberville said, "Anything you do, you have to set your goals as high as you possibly can to shoot at them. That is the same way with the stadium. If you have a 40,000-seat stadium, that's how many people you try to get in there. Now we are going to be 50,000. I think the Ole Miss family is responding to what we are trying to do."
Billups is one of the Rebel fans who will be enjoying the stadium expansion, as he travels to the Oxford campus from his Gulfport home about three times a year.
The Greenwood native launched his career with Billups Petroleum Co., his family's business which was headquartered in Hammond, La., and lived in that state after his Ole Miss years. In the late 1960s, he purchased the Merchants Bank and Trust Co. in Gulfport, which was a $4 million bank at the time. In 1997, with the bank worth $200 million, Billups sold to Whitney Bank of Louisiana. He now is advisory chairman of the Whitney National Bank of Mississippi Board of Directors and a member of the Whitney Board of Directors, as well as a partner in Billups Farms and a director of Billups Plantation Inc. of Indianola. He serves on the Mississippi Gulf Coast Economic Development Council and is a member of the Gulfport Group, a downtown revitalization organization, and the Gulf Coast Community Foundation. Billups also is a benefactor of the newly opened Lynn Meadows Discovery Center in Gulfport.
Marine conservation is important to Billups, who provides leadership on the board of the National Coalition for Marine Conservation and was invited to be a trustee for the International Game Fish Association. The civic leader actively supports the American Cancer Society, Salvation Army, Goodwill Industries, United Way, American Diabetes Association, Easter Seals, March of Dimes, and Gulf Coast Society for Retarded Citizens.
Billups is married to the former Nancy Blackmon of Greenville, and he has five children, two stepchildren and five grandchildren. The couple are members of Trinity United Methodist Church.
