by Travis Normand

Earlier today University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) Athletics Director Ross Bjork [@RossBjorkAD] tweeted this message:

Great to honor our 1962 national champs with new rings!  Love seeing our former athletes on campus.

Most college football fans remember that it was USC that won the 1962 National Championship as USC was awarded the National Title by the AP, the NFF, the FWAA, and the UPI.  However, Ole Miss has claimed a share of the 1962 title by virtue of some other polls and lists the 1962 National Championship on their website.

While the 1962 National Title is up for debate, the 1962 SEC Conference Championship is not.  Ole Miss claimed the SEC title in 1962 with an overall record of 10-0.

So why did the 1962 team get new rings?  Well, I am not 100% sure but I think I have a pretty good guess.  My guess is that whatever ring they received in 1962 only said “SEC Champions,” and did not say “National Champions.”  Now that Ole Miss claims the 1962 national title, they figured it was only right to give the players from that squad a ring that reflected the same accomplishment.

*Note: I asked Ross Bjork, via twitter, for more information on the new rings.  I will update this site as soon as I hear back from him.