The First 100 Days
From the Office of Keith Carter
Last Saturday night, I was reminded of the pure joy that Ole Miss provides us all. And it didn’t come from a buzzer-beating trey or a high-flying dunk by a 20-year-old student-athlete. Instead, it was a 94-foot putt by an 86-years-young mother of seven, grandmother of 14 and great grandmother of four.
At the Rebels’ basketball game against Alabama, Mary Ann Wakfield gripped the putter, asked our marketing graduate assistant Aaron Longe where the hole was located, and then drained the putt like she was Tiger Woods. The shot won Mary Ann a brand new Nissan Altima, but more than the car, it turned her into America’s darling overnight. She was featured on everything from the Today Show to SportsCenter and has conducted countless interviews over the past week.
We couldn’t be happier for Mary Ann and grateful for Cannon Motors’ sponsorship that made it possible. It’s for fans like Mary Ann that our staff works tirelessly to provide the best possible gameday experience and create Ole Miss memories to last a lifetime. I know Mary Ann will never forget that moment, and I’m glad we were all able to share it with her.
94 Feet? No problem.
— Ole Miss Athletics (@OleMissSports) February 23, 2020
Mary Ann walked into The Pavilion tonight for @OleMissMBB. She walks out with a NEW CAR thanks to our friends at @CannonMotors! pic.twitter.com/iZqgA5g73a
It’s the busiest time of the year for our athletics department as the spring sports season is in full swing while the winter sports are still in action. Led by our nationally-ranked baseball team, you can feel the renewed energy permeating the Ole Miss family.
Coach Bianco’s squad opened the campaign with a series win over top-ranked Louisville and has carried that momentum to a 10-game win streak. I love the confidence in our locker room right now, and I can’t wait to see what’s ahead for that group.
And thanks to the unyielding support of Rebel Nation, they’ll be playing in front of a packed stadium every time out. We were proud to announce that the program set a new season ticket record for the second straight year. There isn’t a better atmosphere in baseball than Swayze Field or a more passionate fanbase than Ole Miss.
Later this month, our Rebel football team will begin its first spring drills under Lane Kiffin. Practice begins March 17 and will culminate with the Grove Bowl under the lights of Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on April 18 at 6:30 p.m. Baseball (vs. Vanderbilt) and Softball (vs. Alabama) will also be in action at home, so make your plans now for an exciting weekend on campus.
When we announced Coach Kiffin as our next head coach, I talked about galvanizing our fanbase, and he is clearly accomplishing that. Season ticket sales are more than 100 percent ahead of last year’s pace, including a large number of new accounts. Renewals are due March 31, so be sure to secure your seats and join us this fall.
Sunday marked 100 days in the athletics director seat for me, and it has been an eventful three months on the job. Since assuming this role, I have talked about constructing a program that is built to last, and the leaders that we have been able to attract are providing that stability while invigorating our department.
From the moment he stepped off the plane to hundreds of roaring fans, Coach Kiffin has brought a newfound swagger to our team. He immediately put his fingerprints on our program by assembling a dynamic staff, and once again, the college football world is talking about the Ole Miss Rebels.
We also brought a championship mentality to our volleyball program with the hiring of Kayla Banwarth as head coach. From her experience with Team USA and national power Nebraska, she has competed at the highest levels of the sport, and her youthful energy, recruiting prowess and knowledge of the game have us all excited about the future of that team.
In addition to the coaching changes, we were able to strengthen our administration with Tom Kleinlein as deputy athletics director and Fowler Staines as chief executive officer of the Athletics Foundation. A former AD at Georgia Southern, Tom brings a high-level perspective and the experience to manage all areas related to our external operation and football program. Fowler provided tremendous leadership as our chief financial officer, and she has the vision and understanding to grow our fundraising efforts in this new role.
With our senior leadership now in place, our next priority is to continue formulating the strategic plan for Ole Miss Athletics. Budgetary goals will always focus on maximizing revenue while remaining fiscally responsible, and in the immediate future, that will include evaluation of all aspects of the department and relationships with third-party vendors.
From a development standpoint, the roadmap will begin with closing out Forward Together and exploring prospects of a new capital campaign that would center around major renovations to Vaught-Hemingway.
Short-term facility priorities include the softball stadium and the Manning Center. One current project is a locker room project at the track complex, which begins construction this spring.
Fan experience will always be a top priority for our staff, and we are currently evaluating last year’s football survey results to determine gameday and facility improvements for the upcoming season. Per new SEC policy, one major safety enhancement will include metal detectors at each stadium gate. We will have these in place for the Grove Bowl, so fans will know what to expect this fall.
Our student-athletes are doing amazing things. A few recent accomplishments include:
- Tying the highest cumulative GPA in school history at 3.049 in the fall
- 50 beds presented to underprivileged children from North Mississippi
- MoMo Sanogo among three SEC student-athletes representing the league in the NCAA voting process
- School-record four women’s golf tournament titles by the 12th-ranked Rebels
- A pair of SEC titles at the Indoor track & field championships
- A six-game softball win streak, including a home tournament title
- Both top-25 tennis teams coming off SEC wins
I am proud to serve these amazing young people as well as our coaches, staff and fans. I plan to provide more updates like this and look forward to actively connecting with the Ole Miss family at every opportunity.
For the ninth straight year, we will be traveling to communities across the nation this spring on the BancorpSouth Rebel Road Trip. I will be joined by Chancellor Boyce, Coach Kiffin and other Rebel coaches, and I’m excited to unveil this year’s schedule:
- Saturday, April 25, Oxford (Double Decker Festival)
- Sunday, April 26, Dallas
- Monday, April 27, Nashville/Corinth
- Wednesday, April 29, Biloxi
- Thursday, April 30, Meridian/Birmingham/Tupelo
- Friday, May 1, Memphis/Cleveland (MS)
- Wednesday, July 15, Jackson (MS)
We look forward to sharing our vision for Rebel Athletics and continuing to build your trust. Thank you for your love for Ole Miss, and together, we will take our program to championship heights.
Go Rebs!
Keith