.png&width=32&height=32&type=webp)
The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss Brothers See Rebel Football Team Uniting
8/16/2001 | Football
Aug. 16, 2001
Oxford, Miss. - By Tobie Baker University Communications
What do you get when you cross 30 whole chickens, two dozen rib slabs, 40-plus pounds of catfish, 20 pounds of ground beef, 40 hotdogs and 30 sausages with buckets of potato salad, cole slaw and baked beans? A summertime barbecue fit for the Ole Miss football team.
Wow! How could they eat so much? Actually, considering the team's combined weight surpasses 12 tons, it may be difficult to imagine how that much food could actually be enough. It's a good thing they only walk through The Grove before game time.
Being ready to take that stroll down the Walk of Champions requires lots of preparation. Playing smash-mouth football in the Southeastern Conference is no easy task, so the Ole Miss football team worked diligently with grueling voluntary summer workout sessions. Nearly every member of the squad remained in Oxford over the summer to train under the direction of new head strength and conditioning coach, Ruben Mendoza, who joined the staff in January.
With his intense work ethic and hands-on approach to conditioning, Mendoza helped rally the Rebel troops. He kept the players busy throughout the dog days of summer training in what's called a four-day split. On Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday mornings, players participated in two-hour workouts constructed around a triple extension and ground-based combination exercise program. The entire team returned in mid-afternoon for a group run.
"Coach Mendoza was able to test the players, and work them as hard as they could be worked," said Head Football Coach David Cutcliffe. "That's what I call esprit de corps. It's part of survival, and I think he's made a significant impact on our program."
Returning center Ben Claxton of Dublin, Ga., is greatly appreciative of Mendoza. Coming off an injury last year, Claxton worked all summer preparing for his junior year, and he believes he's now in the best shape ever. He attributes Mendoza's approach to weightlifting, which he described as the most profound, excellent way to motivate players.
"People say it doesn't matter what kind of weight coach you have," Claxton said. "They'll say if you're a motivated person, then you can go in and lift weights, but there are some days you just don't feel like lifting."
To successfully increase the players' strength, Mendoza used peer pressure to keep the team motivated. On any given day this past summer, posted inside the doorway of the Starnes Center weight room, typewritten names like B. Claxton, J. Gunn, T. Metcalf and E. Manning could be found in plain view. All of the names appeared under one of the three marker-scribbled headings: "Go to War," "Foxhole" and "Get Cha' Killed." As a motivational tool, Mendoza and his staff updated the lists weekly, after evaluating each player's progress.
"If you can `go to war' with somebody, then it's someone you can put your back to and not worry about," Mendoza said. "A person in a `foxhole' is someone you have doubts about and question. A person in the `get cha' killed' category, well, that's somebody that really hasn't put in the effort."
In addition to peer pressure, 6-6, 290-pound offensive lineman Belton Johnson of Coffeeville, Miss., had his younger -- but bigger -- brother, Marcus, a 6-6, 320-pound red-shirt freshman, pushing him to excel. The Johnson brothers trained and encouraged each other all summer to improve their already massive physiques, which by the way aren't solely due to team barbecues. Their size also is a testament to Glenda Smith's Southern culinary expertise.
"Our mom makes the best greens, cornbread and cabbage," the elder Johnson justified. "It puts the weight on, boy. It gets you big."
"It's just good old soul food that tastes good," the younger Johnson quipped, licking his lips. "Man, it's good."
Although he wasn't surprised to discover what the Johnsons were eating, Mendoza was concerned about their diet when he first arrived. Mendoza doesn't discourage players from eating foods they enjoy, rather he educates them on what foods are healthier. Players also have an opportunity to participate in a food supplement program to ensure proper nutrition.
"I don't put players on strict diets, because most of them can't cook," said Mendoza.
Although the players may not be able to prepare a five-course meal, the team definitely began to cook as a unit over the summer. Claxton, and his older (by 25 minutes) fraternal twin, Jon, said a sense of togetherness is key to a successful football team.
The Claxton twins, who have played football together since age seven and now are both on the Ole Miss roster, see the 2001 Rebel squad as a more unified team. "Everybody relates to each other more this year," said Jon Claxton, "and since we don't have a key highlight, like a Deuce McAllister, we all have had to come together as a team and rely more on each other."
Just as the Johnson brothers and Claxton twins recognize the importance of brotherhood among the team, so do Chris and Clifton Collins of Liberty, Miss.. Chris, a returning wide receiver, and Clifton, a junior college defensive back transfer, agree that it means a lot to be able to play together once more on the gridiron.
"It gives you a special feeling that most players don't have," said Chris Collins.
Each of the three sets of brothers also feels the team is more a family this year than in the past, due in large part to Mendoza. Cutcliffe agreed, saying it's natural for a strength and conditioning coach to unite the team. While NCAA rules prohibit a head coach from having contact with players during the summer months, Mendoza sees the players every day throughout the year.
"Ruben cares about the players," Cutcliffe said. "That's why he's here."
With three sets of brothers on the roster, family is important to the team concept. Cutcliffe said players not only depend on one another but also must take up for one another, much like brothers do. He compared it to soldiers in combat.
"It's interesting to have three sets of brothers, but I think they all feel like brothers," said Cutcliffe. "This is a really close football team, top to bottom."
