OM/LSU Rivalry Bedtime Stories- Part 8a

Part 8a:
Last time I listed the QB's Vaught had found which had earned Ole Miss the
reputation of being QB U. But there was one I left out from that '59 team who
was probably good enough to start for most SEC teams that year but was 4th team
on that Ole Miss squad. This was one of the all time great college football
teams as the sports editor for the NY Times would later write. I don't have the
exact quote but the article said that the best college football team in 1959 was
Ole Miss' 1st team; the 2nd best team in America that year was Ole Miss' 2nd
team and the 3rd wa s Ole Miss' 3rd team. Billy B rewer was not a quite good
enough QB to crack the 1st 3 teams but was a valuable player that year. Brewer
was the man assigned by Vaught to shadow Heisman Award Trophy winner Billy
Cannon who was arguably the best RB, considering his day, ever in the South. In
the '60 Sugar Bowl, the only bowl matchup between Ole Miss and LSU, Cannon was
held to a total of 7 yards rushing and Brewer was the main reason. And of course
Billy Brewer was the coach who would later restore respectability to Ole Miss
football.
To better understand the intensity of the rivalry, the recruiting battles
between Vaught and Dietzel should be mentioned.
Paul Dietzel was a very personable and impressive fellow. He was talkative and
had a good sense of humor. He was a great college football recruiter. Dietzel
lost very few battles to Vaught during his career at LSU from his home state.
On the Ole Miss side Tom Swayze was Ole Miss' ace. And Swayze was instructed by
Vaught to primarily recruit Miss boys who were tall. athletic and possessing
good character. During the '40's high school football in Miss lagged far behind
that in states like La and Texas but by the '50's high school football in Miss
had caught and even surpassed that in both of those states. Vaught wanted Miss
boys and felt that he could win NC's with Miss talent supplimented by some
talent from Eastern Ark and Western Tenn. And by 1960, Vaught basically owned
those 3 areas.
But for the same reason Vaught owned Western Tenn, Dietzel and LSU remained
strong competition in South Miss. State pride was a much bigger factor in those
days and that coupled with the fact that Ole Miss had looked like the best team
in America for several years, Ole Miss and Vaught was able to keep the best
players from Miss in red and blue.
Two of the more notable recruiting battles between Ole Miss an d LSU in South
Miss involv ed two of the most highly recruited players ever from this state.
Glynn Griffing was from Culkin, Miss, a small town only a few miles from
Vicksburg and an hour + change to Baton Rouge. Paul Dietzel had spent a great
amount of time recruiting him to LSU. One morning just weeks before national
signing day, Dietzel appeared at Glynn's house just before breakfast. Mrs.
Griffing fixed bacon and eggs for them all and by the time Dietzel had left,
Glynn was sold on LSU. Dietzel said as he was leaving "I've got a bunk with your
name on it at LSU". Glynn responded "I'll be there".
Later that day Glynn's father was informed of the decision that he and his wife
had made but he successfully talked Glynn into checking out the Miss schools
before making a final decision. Glynn's father was a strong State alum and I'm
sure was hoping he'd choose State. But after visiting both schools he choose Ole
Miss and the rest is history.
Anoth er story is that of probably the most highly recruited player ever from
Miss- Perry Lee Dunn. Perry Lee was being heavily recruited by every major
football program in America. Dietzel had practically lived in Natchez, Miss his
senior year, had done a fabulous job of swaying him away from Vaught and Ole
Miss and coming into the final week in Dec before signing day, virtually had the
biggest fish ever from Miss all wrapped up in purple and gold. Dietzel was cagey
and resourceful just as his counterpart at Ole Miss. They both had spies
everywhere reporting in on each other's whereabouts and schedules, constantly
looking for some chink in the other's armor, some place to take advantage of the
other.
Dietzel was literally living in Natchez the week of signing day. 3 days before
signing day his spies had reported that Vaught was in Oxford and would be there
for at least another day. Dietzel wanted to take a day off, go home and meet
with some important La recruits and saw his chance. The next day Vaught had
talked Perry Lee and his father into visiting him on campus. They took a brief
tour, heard Vaught's best shot and were invited by Vaught to go deer hunting
with him at one of the best hunting clubs in Miss near Jackson. The Dunn's were
avid deer hunters and decided to go. They remained at that club with Vaught for
2 full days and at 12:01 AM on national signing day, Perry Lee Dunn signed the
dotted line and became a Rebel. At the same hour Dietzel and his entire staff
were sitting in 2 cars in front of Dunn's home in Natchez.
This time, Vaught had snookered Dietzel but he had his victories over Vaught too
and to be honest, had it not been for pride in their home state, Vaught might
have lost them both.
I added those sideline stories because the reader needs to understand that this
was not just a great rivalry in terms o f equality of programs but was a nd
continues to be a great natural rivalry where the same athletes are battled over
and local interest is stirred.
And when the great Ole Miss team of 1961 rolled into Baton Rouge with a #1
national ranking, it was not just another group of great players LSU would face.
The Chinese Bandits would be playing against Ole Miss' 1st team AA QB, Glynn
Griffing, Doug Elmore whose attempt to cross the goal line in the '59 game fell
1 foot short and whose 3rd team QB was none other than the most ballyhooed high
school QB ever in the South who had grown up less than 1 hour from LSU's
backyard. And yes there were many more stories of players from both teams
similar to the ones I mentioned.
It seemed impossible to wedge more people into Tiger Stadium each year but every
time the Rebs showed up, there was a new, higher capacity figure. And there
seemed to be no way that the magic and mystique of an Ole Miss/LSU Halloween
night spen t together in Tiger Stadium could ever again be equal to that '59 game
but many say it was.
LSU came into the game with 1 loss to a mediocre Rice team the 1st game of the
year- a game they should never have lost. But they were rated in the top 10, had
lost early and still very much in another NC hunt. Griffing, who in many Ole
Miss fan's opinions was the greatest passing QB in our history was again great
that night, but a couple of turnovers was all the brilliant LSU team would need
to pull the upset. In the end, the Chinese Bandits who were on the field every
time Glynn was, were at their NC best and LSU and AA RB Jerry Stovall and All
SEC WR Wendell Harris did enough to win the game 10-7.