Grove Bowl Week
By: Darby Radcliff
The festivities of Grove Bowl Week 2012 begin tomorrow and will continue with a jam-packed Saturday surrounding the BancorpSouth Grove Bowl.
The annual Grove Bowl will be benefitting the scholarship fund of M-Club, which is an honor organization for men and women who have earned a varsity letter in an NCAA-sanctioned sport sponsored by the university and have participated in a formal induction ceremony.
Saturday’s festivities will kick off with tailgating at 10 a.m. in The Grove with children’s games, then the Rebel football players and coaches will tread the traditional Walk of Champions as they head to Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.
Following the legendary Walk of Champions, Eli Manning will headline a group of former Rebels that are set to take part in an awards ceremony and panel discussion on the National Football League. This panel discussion called “NFL & Beyond” will be held at the Grove stage, and joining the two-time Super Bowl MVP will be fellow NFL standout Stacy Andrews and former pros Ronnie Heard and Tre’ Stallings, who have both gone on to careers in college athletics.
Then, the BancorpSouth Grove Bowl, which is televised live by CSS, will feature first-year head coach Hugh Freeze and his Rebels in their annual spring intrasquad scrimmage in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Stadium gates will open at noon and kickoff is set for 1 p.m.
Following the football game, the Rebel baseball team will face Arkansas at 4 p.m. in game two of the weekend series. Friday’s opener is set for 6:30 p.m., while Sunday’s finale will start at 1:30 p.m.
Tickets for the BancorpSouth Grove Bowl are $10 general admission, $40 for the southzone club level and free for Ole Miss students, faculty and staff.
To purchase tickets, you can call 662-915-7167 or visit the athletics ticket office in Tad Smith Coliseum on Monday through Friday at 8:30 a.m. through 4 p.m. On game day, tickets are available in ‘The Grove’ and at the ticket office on All-American Drive, next to the Starnes Athletics Center.
For more information about BancorpSouth Grove Bowl events, call the Ole Miss Alumni Affairs office at 662-915-7375.