Alumna's Tears Capture Ole Miss' Historic Playoff Moment
Fan's reaction reflects the resilience, pride and community behind a history-making season
OXFORD, Miss. – Overcome with emotion and tears in her eyes, University of Mississippi alumna Mallory McCormack experienced Hotty Toddy while on a plane to Syracuse, New York, for work.
The Huntsville, Alabama, resident filmed her quiet, yet poignant, reaction to watching the Rebels make history with a No. 6 national ranking and being selected to host a first-round game.
"I'm sure I was hilarious, sitting in an airplane trying to be quiet while also freaking out over the fact that Ole Miss is about to go do something that we've never done before," the 2015 MBA graduate said. "The way the fan base has rallied around this team, I needed to film my reaction for nothing else but for myself or a fun memory later.
"So I recorded it, and I silently cried happy tears."
According to her family, McCormack is an unofficial ambassador for Oxford and Ole Miss who is known to invite strangers to tailgate with her in the Grove. In fact, she was greeted with "Hotty Toddy" by several strangers at the Huntsville airport – the very airport from which she was leaving when the selection show aired.
Born into an Ole Miss-loving family in Grenada, she developed a passion for the university at a young age.
"Some of my earliest memories are of the early walks of champions with Billy Brewer and then growing up and seeing history being made with Cory Peterson and all the great days we had while he was there, and then Eli, and beating Alabama," she said.
Even though she moved to Alabama when she was 6, McCormack remained loyal to Ole Miss when her new Alabama friends told her she had to choose an Alabama school to support.
"I told them no; I was taking their schools' two best colors and keeping my red and blue," she said.
Her enthusiasm for the Rebels grew when she joined the Ole Miss Spirit message board in the early 2000s. She was the youngest participant on the message board, and her username was "Rebel Baby."
When she was 15, McCormack was diagnosed with cancer. Her online Ole Miss community and friends rallied around her. From them, she received cards of support and well wishes and autographed photos of Ole Miss players such as Deuce McAlister, Romaro Miller, Cory Peterson and Archie Manning.
Mallory McCormack (right) attends an Ole Miss-Alabama game in Tuscaloosa in 2015 with her mother. The Rebels won 43-37. Submitted photo
Her favorite memento is an autographed photo from Peterson, the wide receiver who caught touchdowns to beat Auburn and LSU and a two-point conversion to defeat Mississippi State.
"He signed the picture of him catching the touchdown at Auburn in (Tommy) Tuberville's first year at Auburn," McCormack said. "And on it, it says, 'To Mallory, you beat cancer, and we beat Auburn.'"
Her love and passion for the Rebels continued when she eventually decided to earn her Master of Business Administration through Ole Miss.
Already a working professional, the online MBA program afforded her the opportunity to have classmates such as Keith Carter and others from California and Las Vegas while also being able to continue her job.
"To have that experience felt very much like what I always knew about Ole Miss, which is, you come to campus and it feels like you can experience all different things from all over the world," she said. "It's not just little bitty Mississippi. It truly is a global brand and it's a place that people want to come and want to learn."
Experiencing all things Rebels was special for McCormack.
"Finally, being not just a fan, but also a student, and able to support all sports and classmates, was just a really cool and unique experience," she said. "It made it even better in the end, when I could say, 'I graduated from the University of Mississippi.'"
Fast forward to Dec. 7. Happy tears flowed and the emphasis shifted.
"We always hear people joke, 'Oh, we are Ole Miss,' but we ARE Ole Miss – changing the inflection changes everything," the 2024 Outstanding Young Alumni said.
Mallory McCormack (second from left) enjoys some pre-game tailgating with family and friends before the 2022 Ole Miss-Kentucky game. The Rebels won 22-19. Submitted photo
Like McCormack, the school and team have seen their share of adversity.
"Our history is what it is, and we've seen some tough times, and we've gone through things like Chucky Mullins, and coaches leaving in the middle of the night, and coaches leaving again in the middle of the night, and historic seasons," she said.
It was the tough times shared between McCormack and Ole Miss throughout her life that caused those happy tears.
"For me, it was just, even against all that adversity; they still fought through it, and they still came out on this side, and they're going to keep fighting – that is just the Ole Miss spirit."
Some call it Hotty Toddy.
"To me, Hotty Toddy is this place and these people," she said. "When you hear these two words you get a little bit of that feeling of home. It's the experiences, it's the fun of cheering on the Rebels, going to class, it's the community as a whole and it's knowing that we all find such an incredible place so special."
She looks forward to being with her people in this place celebrating the Rebels on Dec. 20.
"Being there cheering on the team – that's such a huge moment," McCormack said. "I can't wait."
Top: Mallory McCormack (left) celebrates an Ole Miss victory in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium with her husband, Cody, and brother, Phillip Chandler, in 2022. McCormack, who earned her MBA at the university in 2015, says that Hotty Toddy means home to her. Submitted photo