Lets hope Dan keeps #21 retired for Keffer....

[bonedaddy401]

I hope he can see the reason it has been retired and stayed retired. As much as he has embraced the JWS years I would think he would recognize this as well. <div>
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[bonedaddy401]

I hope he can see the reason it has been retired and stayed retired. As much as he has embraced the JWS years I would think he would recognize this as well. <div>
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[therightway]

nm

 

[bonedaddy401]

http://www.facebook.com/p...34384?ref=mf&v=wall#!/pages/Coach-Mullen-Please-Keep-21-RETIRED/142511852434384?v=wall&ref=mf

 

[obdurant]

There isn't a retired football #. The school needs to acknowledge all players who have died while at State...Stowers, etc.

 

[Shmuley]

like chucky mullins' #.

 

[UpTheMiddlex3Punt]

I know of a Keffer who used to wear that number, but not a Keefer.

If you're going to talk about honoring the guy, at least get his name right.

 

[TheStateUofMS]

Nick Griffin was wearing a black MSU #21 jersey at the Big Dawg Camp. He looked cut up and like a baller.<div>

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[bonedaddy401]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CilkS9PDdA<div>
</div><div>excuses, excuses</div>

 

[Felonious Junk]

and his response was that mullen can do whatever he wants as long as he receives permission from the mama. he said she is the only one who should have a say in it.

i thought that was pretty cool

 

[bulldogbaja]

Just Keffer's jersey?

 

[jmbeck]

http://nems360.com/pages/insidemississippistatesports_full/push?blog-entry-McGee-s+Mom+Wok-t+Let6+21+Be+Unretired%20&id=8901858&instance=insidemississippistatesports_blog

 

[UpTheMiddlex3Punt]

There is apparently some coldness between Ms. McGee and the football
program. I asked if the program had been good to her over the years, and
she replied, “No, no, no, no. Not since Jackie left there.”<div style="overflow: hidden; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; border: medium none;"></div>

<div style="overflow: hidden; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; border: medium none;">
Thanks Crooms!
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[leftydog]

Did Croom do ANYTHING right? Surely whoever wants this number will let it go and take another.

 

[karlchilders.sixpack]

If you are going to retire a jersy, for emotional reasons, it should ..."We are retiring No.XX for 10 Years" or whatever time.

Nothing is forever. Things change, we gotta move on.

 

[KurtRambis4]

for keeping his number retired, but why all the animosity from his mom? What are we supposed to be doing to her to keep things good? Give her money? What is she talking about?

 

[Felonious Junk]

in this thread makes total sense. the number has not been officially retired. we dont really owe his mother anything. all of these things are true.

in reality i think it boils down to the fact that at the time jackie was devastated by keffer's death and he chose to unofficially retire the number and keep his mother in the loop for the rest of the time he was coach. her distaste for the program most likely stems from the fact that all of that "respect" ended when he left. its not that she was treated poorly she just wasnt treated at all.

for those that dont have a sense of the loss that jackie went through when keffer died, still to this day he openly weeps when you bring the drowning up. so with that said, jackie realizes that the number is not officially retired but just views it as a matter of respect, (doing the right thing, even though you dont have to do it that way) when it comes to mother and the jersey.</p>

 

[mjh94]

i'm all for retired #21, but we can't exactly give momma a pension.

for keeping his number retired, but why all the animosity from his mom? What are we supposed to be doing to her to keep things good? Give her money? What is she talking about?

 

[vhdawg]

He died in 1991, from complications from an injury actually sustained on the field, and #97 was back on another player in 1992 and every year since. Why should we continue to not use #21? I've never understood this.

 

[patdog]

I believe we do have both uniforms on display either in or around the locker room. Personally, I've never been in favor of retiring anyone's number. We should have a more public display for both players but continue to use their numbers.</p>

 

[vhdawg]

Saw it a few weeks ago.

 

[paindonthurt_]

I don't see a problem with someone getting the number as long as we honor Keffer.

As asked earlier, was Keffer's jersey retired or was the number 21 retired?

 

[patdog]

or in some common area where the fans can see it.</p>

 

[Dinkle]

get his mom to come on the field before the memphis game with stricklin and jws officially retire the #

 

[louddawg.sixpack]

I like Dinkle's idea but would rather wait until pre-Auburn game to do this. A little extra motivation on that game...

 

[patdog]

no one has worn it since Keifer, and that's been 13 years, so it's effectively been retired.

 

[Original48]

you could have any player who chooses to wear #21 or #97 write a letter to momma including an understanding of who their son was and what they intend to do to uphold that jersey number. Or you could go Stansbury..do whatever it takes to get the kid. Simply promise the kid the number, sign him, and then say...oh...my bad we can't do that.

 

[Phil Wenneck.sixpack]

This is a football jersey we're talking about here.It's a horrible aspectof loss but no jersey or anything else will ever bring them back.It pains me to no end to think about what it must be like losing a child in that fashion, let me say that right off the bat. I can't imagine and hope to never have to endure anything of that nature.However,to publicly degrade a university and it's officials, past or present, while the jersey has been retired all this time is pretty selfish. What more can be or could be done?As it's been noted already, Stowers was a great kid and played his heart out for MSU also. If we're gonna start retiring jerseys, we best not leave him out. That interview just kinda strikes me as bizzare and downing MSU's administration after JWS is pretty unfair. For all of Croom's faults, I can't sit here and point fingers or play some sort of guilt blame game because he didn't call, write, or whatever the mother of a player who sadly passed almost 10 years before he ever showed up. He was presented with a challenge ofa tough rebuilding joband sure,he failed miserably at itbut to putblame on himabout thisor outcry on him iskinda unfair.Same with Mullen. Maybe I just don't think like her or maybe anyone else but if I'm in those shoes, I'd want to see a RB wear my son's jersey in honor because that's what it's all about. Giving a kid an opportunity. I hate to sound like this but she needs to remember that MSU gave Keifer an opportunity.He did great things with that opportunity.I personally feel it'd be great to give a special RB a shot every year to live up to that same higher standard. I think that keeps a legacy alive more than anything else.

 

[Steakonastick]

I saw we put something up in the stadium to honor him, but if we retire his number we have to retire stowers number too. it would be a slap in the face of stowers if we did not retire his also. I hope we never have a player that is killed again but do we retire their jersey too if that happens? If we were going to retire his jersey it shoudl have happend 13 years ago or at the 5 or 10 year anniversary. MSU dropped the ball on this. Keefer was my second favorite player to ever wear the maroon and white behind sleepy when i was growing up , but i think his mom is being selfish here. I think we do alot more to honor is name by seeing his number on the field not hung up in a locker. I bet you could ask half our fan base and most could not tell you why nobody wears number 21.

 

[o_MrSunglasses]

Lots of stories about her.

 

[jmbeck]

Obviously, Jackie kept in good contact with the family, probably up until his last game. Jackie set a precedent with not awarding the number for 7 years. Then, when the new coach comes in, I'm assuming she went from knowing a little about the program, to nothing. However, thenumber is still not awarded. Now, another coach is in, and the first quasi-official exchangeshe has about her sons "tribute" being removed is from Brad Locke. I can understand her initial reaction being "no, hell no, that's ********". Hopefully, Dan will explain this wasn't a spur of the moment thought, and that Keffer's memory will forever be tied to Mississippi State.

I honestly think that Ms. McGee is assuming that her son's memory is being forgotten, and with that she loses a part of him all over again. The first exchange on the subject shouldn't have been from Brad Locke. I don't think she's looking for anything other than the satisfaction of knowing that we haven't, and won't forget Keffer L.McGee.

 

[Beretta.sixpack]

i crooms and LT werent good to keffer's mama, by all means, get Dan The Man to bring her on the field, and give it some meaning to wear no 21, like Chucky Mullins.....make it an honor, do something to make it right for mama....

and look at the plus side of doing this......it gives more reason as a team to work together, and individually work harder to earn something......DUH.....


This is reason no. 1,238,986 to hate LT and Crooms......

"The Croom Error"

 

[Phil Wenneck.sixpack]

We put aside his jersey. We've honored him in the locker room all these years. Croom can only do so much to continue a legacy that was started 7 years before him for a player he never knew. Was he supposed to wake up one day and propose we name the stadium after him or something? I simply don't know what more Ms. Mcgee wants at this point.

 

[KurtRambis4]

read the story that Veazey did this morning. Apparently she isn't too worried about getting up with the coaches. It said that Mulled tried to call her but she had someone at the house fixing her air so she couldn't talk? WTF? I know that when peole come to your house to fix the ac, you usually aren't involved at all. Oh well.

 

[karlchilders.sixpack]

Croom is innocent.

Perhaps have the Jackel and Strickland to do the on field stuff, Mullen is busy.

 

[jmbeck]

Maybe it was less "I gotta watch this ******* cause if he's venting CFC's, I'm turning his *** in to the EPA to get my $10K" and more "You know, this is still a really sensitive subject, and it's not a good time for me to discuss something that has the potential to get me upset while there is a stranger in my home".

I think we need to hold off judgement of Ms. McGee based on assumptions. You know, "walk a mile in her shoes" and ****.

 

[Beretta.sixpack]

We put aside his jersey. We've honored him in the locker room all these years. Croom can only do so much to continue a legacy that was started 7 years before him for a player he never knew. Was he supposed to wake up one day and propose we name the stadium after him or something? I simply don't know what more Ms. Mcgee wants at this point.

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in all seriousness, i dont know what more ms mcgee wants, maybe she wants to see the love.....meaning just a little attention....does she see the locker room before games?

i think both sides need to give a little.....and jackie is back, so let him handle it....

 

[KurtRambis4]

understand. I was just saying that she seems to be up in arms over something that she isn't 100% committed tosolve.</p>

 

[jmbeck]

In hindsight, I think Mullen and Stricklin should have met with Ms. McGee personally. Crawford certainly isn't that far from the Jewel. And until that was done, kept with the precedent set by Jackie. This way, they could have presented whatever plan they had in place to continue to remember Keffer. If they had no such plan, then this was entirely ill-conceived. But, I expect there were priorthoughts on other ways to keep his memory alive with our program. Presented in this manner, I can't help but think that Ms. McGee and her family are reasonable people, and understand what we are doing.

But, as it is presented to us, Mullen made a phone call that she wasn't able to take. Next, we see a picture of a freshman wearing Keffer's number at a camp, with no explanation of why after 13 years. Still not hearing an explanation from our AD, Brad Locke calls her, and hopefully with tact (who knows), asks her opinion on seeing a freshman wearing Keffer's number.

These kind of actions make people reluctant to listen. In her mind, this was an honor to her son, and know "well, it's been long enough, time to move on". That's not acceptable to anyone.

Things can probably be handled better by both sides. At this point, I think everyone needs to backup and start over.
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[bsp34]

i like the idea of letting someone wear it every year, but because they earn it. since MSU doesnt officially retire numbers, #21 could be rotated each year by the Dawg who earns them in some way