1964 Ole Miss Rebels football team

The 1964 Ole Miss Rebels football team represented the University of Mississippi during the 1964 NCAA University Division football season.^[1] The Rebels were led by 18th-year head coach Johnny Vaught and played their home games at Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, Mississippi. The team competed as members of the Southeastern Conference, finishing in seventh. The Rebels were the preseason favorite to win the national title, starting the season ranked first in the nation. The Rebels soon fell out of the rankings, however, after a loss to Kentucky in the second game of the year (the AP Poll ranked only the top 10 teams from 1962 to 1967). The Rebels' fall to seventh place in the conference was the school's first finish outside the conference's top four since 1950. They finished the regular season with a 5–4–1 record, tied for 20th in the final Coaches Poll, conducted before bowl season. They were invited to the 1964 Bluebonnet Bowl, where they lost to Tulsa.

1964 Ole Miss Rebels football
Bluebonnet Bowl, L 7–14 vs. Tulsa
Conference	Southeastern Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 20
Record	5–5–1 (2–4–1 SEC)
Head coach	Johnny Vaught (18th season)
Home stadium	Hemingway Stadium Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium
Seasons ← 1963 1965 →

1964 Southeastern Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 1 Alabama $	8	–	0	–	0			10	–	1	–	0
Florida	4	–	2	–	0			7	–	3	–	0
No. 7 LSU	4	–	2	–	1			8	–	2	–	1
Georgia	3	–	2	–	0			7	–	3	–	1
Auburn	3	–	3	–	0			6	–	4	–	0
Kentucky	3	–	3	–	0			5	–	5	–	0
Ole Miss	2	–	4	–	1			5	–	5	–	1
Mississippi State	2	–	5	–	0			4	–	6	–	0
Vanderbilt	1	–	4	–	1			3	–	6	–	1
Tennessee	1	–	5	–	1			4	–	5	–	1
Tulane	1	–	4	–	0			3	–	7	–	0
$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 19	Memphis State*	No. 1	Hemingway Stadium Oxford, MS (rivalry)	W 30–0	35,000	^[2]
September 26	Kentucky	No. 1	Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium Jackson, MS	L 21–27	35,000	^[3]
October 3	Houston*		Hemingway Stadium Oxford, MS	W 31–9	24,000	^[4]
October 10	at Florida		Florida Field Gainesville, FL	L 14–30	47,003	^[5]
October 17	at Tulane		Tulane Stadium New Orleans, LA (rivalry)	W 14–9	22,000	^[6]
October 24	at Vanderbilt		Dudley Field Nashville, TN (rivalry)	T 7–7	15,500	^[7]
October 31	at No. 9 LSU		Tiger Stadium Baton Rouge, LA (rivalry)	L 10–11	68,000	^[8]
November 7	Tampa*		Hemingway Stadium Oxford, MS	W 36–0	6,300	^[9]
November 14	at Tennessee		Neyland Stadium Knoxville, TN (rivalry)	W 30–0	46,000	^[10]
December 5	Mississippi State		Hemingway Stadium Oxford, MS (Egg Bowl)	L 17–20	30,000	^[11]
December 19	vs. Tulsa*		Rice Stadium Houston, TX (Bluebonnet Bowl)	L 7–14	52,500	^[12]
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Personnel

1964 Ole Miss Rebels football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class RB Mike Dennis Jr	Defense Pos. # Name Class	Special teams Pos. # Name Class	Head coach Johnny Vaught Coordinators/assistant coaches Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible   Injured   Redshirt

References

1. "1964 Ole Miss Football Schedule". August 17, 2014.
2. "Ole Miss avenges MSU upset after year's wait". The Clarion-Ledger. September 20, 1964. Retrieved October 18, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "Kentucky beats Ole Miss". The Tampa Tribune. September 27, 1964. Retrieved October 18, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Rebels rout Houston with late charge". The Commercial Appeal. October 4, 1964. Retrieved October 18, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Gators shock Rebels". The Pensacola News-Journal. October 11, 1964. Retrieved October 18, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "Ole Miss scrambles for win over Tulane". The Clarion-Ledger. October 18, 1964. Retrieved September 20, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Rebs tie Vandy on homer, 7–7". The Atlanta Journal & Constitution. October 25, 1964. Retrieved October 18, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "LSU squeezes by Rebs, 11–10". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. November 1, 1964. Retrieved October 18, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "Cunningham paces Ole Miss". The Selma Times-Journal. November 8, 1964. Retrieved October 18, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
10. "Rebs rip Vols 30 to 0". The Tennessean. November 15, 1964. Retrieved May 7, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
11. "Miss. State ends 18-year drought to Rebs, 20–17". The Selma Times-Journal. December 6, 1964. Retrieved October 18, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
12. "Rhome shines as Rebs fall in Bluebonnet". Waco Tribune-Herald. December 20, 1964. Retrieved October 18, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.