Here’s your chance at a peek inside some of Ole Miss football’s most hallowed places.
Written by Eugene Stockstill | Photographed by Joe Worthem
The Ole Miss M-Club. A luxury suite inside Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. The Olivia and Archie Manning Athletics Performance Center.
“It’s no accident that of all the monuments left of the Greco-Roman culture, the biggest is the ballpark, the Colosseum, the Yankee Stadium of ancient times,” the great sportswriter Red Smith once wrote.
Wonder if the same will be true 1,000 years from now about these majestic structures at the University of Mississippi?
Next to the stadium is what Ole Miss considers the crown jewel of its athletics compound: the Olivia and Archie Manning Athletics Performance Center, pictured on page 52-53. Lane Kiffin hailed it as state-of-the-art when it reopened last year.
Renovated to the tune of $45.7 million, the upgraded training facility and fitness center added around 40,000 square feet of space and a new extra-large weight room, among other things. The center also has a full-size football field with artificial turf and ringed by a running track.
The new locker room is 9,000 square feet, and though it has not lost the sparkle of newness yet, it already has that lived-in feel that comes with high-level athletes making final mental preparations before a game.
Sorry, none of it is open to the general public, folks.
Pictured at left is perhaps the most private vantage point from which to watch a game: one of the 89 luxury suites inside Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.
“This, in my opinion, is the best view,” said Catherine Adkins, assistant director for development for the foundation. She was standing inside Athletic Director Keith Carter’s luxury suite at the top of the football stadium. It is situated at about the 50-yard line and at least two stories above ground. With windows closed, noise is kept to a minimum, she said. With windows opened, sounds of the game are still not all that loud. But yes, you can see just about everything from this height.
Suites accommodate anywhere from 12 to 22 people. The bigger ones look like tiny furnished apartments. The suites on the south end of the stadium run $45,000 a year, according to Nicky Spades, sales manager for the foundation. That price includes food and accommodations. BYOB, though, is the current policy. Those who pay for a suite have the option of selling standing-room-only tickets, too. Talk about a party.
Thinking of shelling out a few bucks for your very own box? Don’t hold your breath. The waitlist is several hundred names long.
You may be more likely to someday step inside the fabled M-Club, pictured. One website describes it like this: “The M-Club at the University of Mississippi provides a platform for letter-winners to maintain relationships across different sports, generations and geographical locations. It allows them to remain actively involved in Ole Miss athletics. (The club) hosts events like the hall of fame banquet, where outstanding athletes are recognized for their contributions to Ole Miss sports history.”
The M-Club, in other words, is for athletic divinity and those closest to them. It was the brainchild of Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame inductee Langston Rogers. The director of the place is Jessica Lynch. The space almost seems to let the dear-departed heroes of a bygone age breathe the free air of this world once again.
History lives in every last corner, with trophies, plaques, game balls and historic documents all over the place. One whole cabinet is dedicated to all things Archie Manning, of course, and includes an old photo of him in the days when he played baseball, too.
The M-Club is available for private reservations but is reserved only for athletes and other higher-ups during a game day.
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