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Campus Speed Limit
March 19th, 2007
You know how the speed limit on the Ole Miss campus is 18mph? And you know how everyone thinks it’s completely retarded? It’s apparently 18 because that was Archie Manning’s jersey number.
Am I the only one who thinks that it’s silly, and maybe a bit embarassing, that so much of our University revolves around one family of athletes, only two of which even attended Ole Miss?
March 19th, 2007 at 4:04 pm
Or is it more embarassing that the University (an academic institute) revolves around athletics…period.
March 19th, 2007 at 4:06 pm
Absolutely. I think it’s wierd that Eli Manning and I are the same age, we’re both living in New York and were at Ole Miss at the same time. However, I am supposed to be honored to have an article with *his* signature on it.
March 19th, 2007 at 7:00 pm
Derek, I think it’s possibly more embarrassing that you’ve lived in Oxford for six years, and you’re just now finding out why the speed limit is 18 mph. :)
Seriously, I’ve heard that explanation several times, and while it makes sense, I’m not sure that’s it’s not somewhat apocryphal.
March 19th, 2007 at 9:29 pm
I guess you could see it that way, but I’m a little bit surprised that you do. It smacks a bit of resentment and anti-populist bullshit hippyism.
Archie Manning has probably entertained and brought joy to more people than any other graduate of Ole Miss. For better or for worse, only Shepard Smith and John Grisham can compare as popular attendees of the school. In addition, the athletics programs at Ole Miss are a huge part of the school’s atmosphere. It may seem a little bizarre at first glance, but it’s not entirely out of place on a campus that celebrates the past (see James Meredith’s memorial, that he didn’t want) while claiming to look towards the future.
March 20th, 2007 at 6:18 am
“It smacks a bit of resentment and anti-populist bullshit hippyism.”
Celebrate, honor, memorialize, etc. Sure. But the speed limit? That’s going beyond into the ridiculous.
March 20th, 2007 at 8:28 am
I guess. It’s just a number.
March 20th, 2007 at 8:47 am
If you think about it, basing a law around Archie Manning is actually a bit crazy. That’s like having an ordinance saying the bars have to close at 1:03 AM because that’s Eli’s birthday. It wouldn’t be a major problem, just a bit retarded.
I don’t think disagreeing with the athletic obsession (and particularly the Manning fixation) makes me an anti-populist hippy.
March 20th, 2007 at 8:16 pm
Well, the speed limit would likely have been 15 or 20 mph anyway. I guess I can see thinking it’s silly. I just can’t see getting worked up about it. Heh.
Damn hippies!
March 21st, 2007 at 7:20 am
Since when is posting a blog entry “getting worked up”?
March 21st, 2007 at 7:46 am
Since your mother.
March 21st, 2007 at 6:31 pm
Ooooooo!
March 22nd, 2007 at 3:37 pm
Speaking as a former Ole Miss student who was actually a student there when Archie Manning was a student there and who was in the band and went to all those great football games from 1968 thru 1970, I think it’s great to memorialize Archie’s number! You can’t imagine how exciting it was when Ole Miss beat Arkansas in the 1970 Sugar Bowl and I was there on the sidelines. Anyway, it makes a more interesting speed limit than 15 or 20. Makes you think a little and maybe pay a little more attention to your speed.