Ole Miss' Football Season Officially Comes To A Close

Dec. 9, 2001

OXFORD, Miss. - Ole Miss' 2001 football season officially came to an end Sunday as the Rebels were not among the eight Southeastern Conference teams selected for a bowl game.

Ole Miss finished the season with a 7-4 overall mark, including a 4-4 record in the SEC. It was the Rebels' fifth straight seven-win season, their longest such streak since having 12 consecutive campaigns of at least seven victories from 1952-1963.

It is the first time since 1996 that Ole Miss will not be playing in a bowl game. The Rebels entered the 2001 campaign as the only SEC Western Division school to have appeared in a bowl game in each of the past four seasons, having made trips to the 1997 Motor City, 1998 and 1999 Independence, and 2000 Music City Bowls.

ATHLETIC DIRECTOR JOHN SHAFER STATEMENT CONCERNING OLE MISS NOT BEING INCLUDED IN SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE BOWL AGREEMENTS:

"I'm going through a lot of emotions right now. I'm disappointed, frustrated, sad, and mad.

"In my opinion, it's a travesty that we have been left out of the post-season. Obviously, the SEC system currently in place didn't work for everybody.

"When you consider our overall record, and our record head-to-head within the conference, it just seems to me that Ole Miss should have been included in one of the SEC's bowl tie-ups.

"It is my intention to try and bring certain criteria for selection into the system. As it now exists, bowls pick their teams using different criteria. I think we owe it to the players to make sure a level playing field exists when it comes to team selections.

"I'm extremely disappointed for our players, especially our seniors, and the thousands of fans who would have traveled anywhere with the Rebels."

The University of Mississippi Athletics

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