Anyone who has followed the Ole Miss Rebels this football season knows that they’ve had to navigate a tough schedule in the early going.
After building leads against two of the nation’s top programs, Florida State and Alabama, the Rebels went on to lose both games and start the season 1-2. While this had many writers and reporters ready to write the Rebels off, the team knew that what they believed mattered most.
New York Times best selling author Andy Andrews, unable to sleep on the Thursday before the Ole Miss/Alabama game, began to pen a letter to Hugh Freeze and the Rebel football team. After catching wind that Freeze had used Andrews’ book “The Traveler’s Gift” in talks with the team, the two have been in contact ever since.
“I have become a great admirer of the man and the coach. His football credentials are solid, of course, but the intangibles he possesses separate him from an awful lot of coaches,” Andrews said.
Andrews knew that the majority of the people watching expected Ole Miss to come up short, despite knocking off the Crimson Tide the previous two seasons. Putting himself in the shoes of Coach Freeze, Andrews came up with the theme “What do you Believe?,” challenging the players to block out the noise of what everyone else thinks or expects. After dropping the game to Florida State, the Rebels defeated unranked Wofford the following week.
“Your season record stands at 1-1. What do you believe about that? You lost to Florida State. You beat Wofford. Florida State is currently ranked #2. Wofford is unranked. Forget what anyone else says, where do you believe you belong?,” Andrews said in the letter, “What you believe will determine your composure on the field.”
Ole Miss went on to lose to Alabama 48-43, after again letting a 21-point lead slip away. Unlike the Florida State game, The Rebels continued to fight until the very end, scoring two quick touchdowns to cut the Tide’s lead to just 5 with time running out. While acknowledging the outcome of the game, Andrews saw the Rebels grow on the field that day and in the days since. The Rebels went on to crush the Georgia Bulldogs 45-14 in a game that felt like Ole Miss knew they had to have.
“In my opinion, Coach Freeze and his staff have done a masterful job managing the pulse of the team. ‘The Freeze Era’ at Ole Miss is still young,” Andrews said. “Championships are a process and those who can manage the process eventually win them. Frankly, there is not a coach in America with whom I have worked—in any sport—that I am more impressed with than Hugh Freeze.”
Andrews has been able to connect with many different programs, coaches and players all around the country. The same book used by Ole Miss, is used by four of the top five programs in the latest AP Poll: Alabama, Ohio State, Clemson and Michigan. He has received praise from those he’s worked work including SEC commissioner Greg Sankey, who mentioned he keeps a personal journal including quotes that he came across in Andrews’ book “The Noticer.”
Andrews’ work isn’t limited to just sports, however. He has found that in sports, encouragement doesn’t always last, but the results that are a byproduct of that encouragement is what counts.
“The effects of encouragement are fleeting. Proof lasts forever. Proof relies upon absolute truth. Without truth, doubt and fear fill the vacuum,” Andrews said.
Andrews’ wife is from Mississippi, and he is an Alabama fan. So, he knew writing the letter to the Rebels came with a cost.
“My wife is from Mississippi. She made sure I knew where my bread was really buttered!”
The Rebels have certainly been encouraged and tested in the early going of the 2016 season, and with a grueling schedule still remaining, Andrews’ words will continue to be used to keep on believing. While Andrews may not be able to visit the Rebels before the end of the season ,he will be watching closely.
“It’s really a scheduling thing for me, but I’ll tell you this… I will be following every game, and yelling Hotty Toddy as loudly as I can!”
To view the letter in its entirety, click here.
Steven Gagliano is a writer for HottyToddy.com. He can be reached at steven.gagliano@hottytoddy.com
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