America’s Game – 1962 Ole Miss Rebels National Champions – John Vaught
I am doing a series on the “Ghosts of Ole Miss broadcast.” I enjoyed watching the Ghosts of Ole Miss broadcast on ESPN on 1-27-13 with my mother. She went to Ole Miss in the early 1960’s. Also living in Little Rock my wife has relatives that were also present and involved at Central High during the 1957 Little Rock Central High School Crisis. It is amazing that the neighboring states Arkansas and Mississippi both were a part of history like this.
#6 Arkansas v. #3 Ole Miss wrapped up 1962 football season in 1963 Sugar Bowl. Wikipedia reported the top ten rankings of each team in the 11 week season of 1962:
AP Poll
While the AP Poll began ranking 25 teams in 1989, it ranked only 10 teams in 1962.
| Preseason | Week 1 Sep 24 |
Week 2 Oct 1 |
Week 3 Oct 8 |
Week 4 Oct 15 |
Week 5 Oct 22 |
Week 6 Oct 29 |
Week 7 Nov 5 |
Week 8 Nov 12 |
Week 9 Nov 19 |
Week 10 Nov 26 |
Week 11 (Final) |
||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Ohio State (41) | Alabama (1–0) (14) | Ohio State (1–0) (18) | Alabama (3–0) (23) | Texas (4–0) (21) | Texas (5–0) (23) | Northwestern (5–0) (34) | Northwestern (6–0) (24) | Alabama (8–0) (22) | USC (8–0) (20) | USC (9–0) (19) | USC (10–0) (42) | 1. |
| 2. | Texas (1) | Ohio State (0–0) (19) | Alabama (2–0) (19) | Texas (3–0) (20) | Alabama (4–0) (24) | Alabama (5–0) (18) | Alabama (6–0) (15) | USC (6–0) (6) | USC (7–0) (17) | Mississippi (8–0) (15) | Wisconsin (8–1) (9) | Wisconsin (8–1) (5) | 2. |
| 3. | Alabama (3) | Texas (1–0) (3) | Texas (2–0) (3) | Penn State (3–0) (3) | USC (3–0) | Northwestern (4–0) (8) | USC (5–0) (1) | Alabama (7–0) (9) | Mississippi (7–0) (3) | Wisconsin (7–1) (7) | Mississippi (8–0) (12) | Mississippi (9–0) (2) | 3. |
| 4. | Michigan State (2) | Penn State (1–0) (3) | Penn State (2–0) | USC (3–0) (1) | LSU (3–0–1) | USC (4–0) (1) | LSU (5–0–1) | Mississippi (6–0) (9) | Wisconsin (6–1) (8) | Texas (8–0–1) (3) | Texas (9–0–1) | Texas (9–0–1) | 4. |
| 5. | LSU | LSU (1–0) | Georgia Tech (2–0) | Mississippi (3–0) (1) | Mississippi (3–0) | Wisconsin (4–0) (1) | Texas (5–0–1) | Texas (6–0–1) (1) | Texas (7–0–1) | Minnesota (6–1–1) (1) | Alabama (8–1) | Alabama (9–1) (1) | 5. |
| 6. | Mississippi (2) | Michigan State (0–0) | USC (2–0) | LSU (2–0–1) | Ohio State (2–1) (2) | LSU (4–0–1) | Mississippi (5–0) (1) | Arkansas (6–1) | Missouri (7–0–1) | Alabama (8–1) | Arkansas (9–1) | Arkansas (9–1) | 6. |
| 7. | Purdue | Mississippi (1–0) (1) | Mississippi (2–0) | Washington (2–0–1) | Arkansas (4–0) (1) | Mississippi (4–0) | Michigan State (4–1) (1) | Missouri (6–0–1) | Arkansas (7–1) | Arkansas (8–1) | LSU (8–1–1) | LSU (8–1–1) | 7. |
| 8. | Duke | Georgia Tech (1–0) | Washington (1–0–1) | Arkansas (3–0) (1) | Northwestern (3–0) (3) | Washington (4–0–1) | Arkansas (5–1) | Wisconsin (5–1) | Minnesota (5–1–1) | LSU (7–1–1) | Oklahoma (7–2) | Oklahoma (8–2) | 8. |
| 9. | Penn State | USC (1–0) | Miami (FL) (2–0) | Purdue (1–0–1) | Washington (3–0–1) | Arkansas (4–1) | Washington (4–0–2) | LSU (5–1–1) | Northwestern (6–1) | Penn State (8–1) | Penn State (9–1) (3) | Penn State (9–1) (2) | 9. |
| 10. | Washington | Missouri (1–0) | Army (2–0) | Ohio State (1–1) | Wisconsin (3–0) | Michigan State (3–1) | Auburn (5–0) | Minnesota (4–1–1) | LSU (6–1–1) | Oklahoma (6–2) | Minnesota (6–2–1) | Minnesota (6–2–1) | 10 |
