Jason Smith (left to right) and Teddy Underwood were among the Special Olympics athletes playing the Unified Egg Bowl last week at Mississippi State's intramural fields. PHOTO: Megan Bean | Public Affairs
The Unified Ole Miss flag football team brought home the trophy and Mississippi State outraised its rival in donations, but every player earned a medal and bragging rights in the first Special Olympics Mississippi Unified Egg Bowl, held at MSUâs Sports Club fields on Wednesday afternoon [Nov. 19].
âWe are very proud of our athletes and the courage and talent they displayed on the field,â said Tony Bahou, President and CEO of Special Olympics Mississippi. âThis game had all the drama -- one-handed touchdown catches, back-to-back scores and a true winning spirit -- that characterize the best competitions anywhere. We thank both universities and our volunteers for helping make this dream game come true for these athletes.â
Fans, students and alumni of both schools participated in the fundraising challenge for the Unified Egg Bowl, ultimately totaling $12,465 for Special Olympics. MSU nabbed a three-point advantage in the game by closing the fundraising gap $6,250 to $6,215 just before kickoff, but Ole Miss won the matchup 23-17.
âBoth universities have supported this cause from the beginning, and it couldnât have been done without them,â said Bahou. âFrom the involvement of coaches Dan Mullen and Hugh Freeze and their staffs, to the intramural sports staffs and university administrations, this was an all-hands effort.â
MSU Chief Communications Officer Sid Salter served as emcee for the first Unified Egg Bowl, while special guest speaker Scott Sticklin, MSUâs athletic director, inspired the teams and crowd and led the coin toss. A pep squad from the Famous Maroon Band performed with the cheerleading squad, and Miss MSU Randi-Kathryn Harmon sang the national anthem as the schoolâs ROTC color guard displayed the flags. Anthony Craven of WMSV, MSUâs world-class radio station, and Myson Craft, an MSU senior communication/broadcasting major who also is an on-air host at WMSV, did play-by-play announcing.
The Unified Egg Bowl brought the international Special Olympics Unified Sports movement, which joins people with and without intellectual disabilities on the same team, to Mississippi. The program was inspired by a simple principle: playing together is a quick path to friendship, understanding and inclusion.
âThis is truly an historic time for Mississippi, and the world is watching and cheering,â said Bahou. âThereâs much more at stake than the glory of winning -- we are challenging both schools to make history by helping create unified sports programs on their campuses. They can do that by donating, volunteering and pledging not to use the R-word.â
Special Olympics Mississippi became one of the first pilot programs after Special Olympics founder Eunice Kennedy Shriver visited Ellisville State School in Jones County in 1968, and was officially incorporated and recognized by the state in August 1975, making 2015 the organizationâs 40th anniversary in Mississippi.
Today, Special Olympics Mississippi serves more than 3,000 athletes through a network of 17 multi-county areas and thousands of volunteers. Athletes compete locally at more than 50 events across the state, then statewide at the annual Summer Games and Fall Games. Athletes can then advance to the national and international levels of competition.