Nice obit for Leland Mitchell in NY Times...

thatsbaseball

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May 29, 2007
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OK anybody EVER heard this before ???

"Mississippi team was named the Maroons, an old Southern term for runaway slaves, which eventually gave way to Bulldogs." Exactly what is the need for making a connection between our team`s nickname and a term that was once used for escaped slaves ? To someone who doesn`t know why we were the Maroons this statement implies that name had something to do with slavery. 17 the NY Times.
 
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paindonthurt_

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Was Maroons really a name for runaway slaves?

If so, I imagine there was some connection to the name.

I say that not knowing for sure, but it wouldn't be that far fetched to think it was the case. And trust me I'm not an apologist.

After a little research, I did discover that maroon literally is a term for escaped slaves. It wasn't derived in America or the South though.
 

1msucub

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Oct 3, 2004
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maroon[SUP]1[/SUP]vb (tr)1. to leave ashore and abandon, esp on an island
2. to isolate without resources

n1. (Social Science / Peoples) a descendant of a group of runaway slaves living in the remoter areas of the Caribbean or Guyana
2. US and Canadian informal a person who has been marooned, esp on an island[C17 (applied to fugitive slaves): from American Spanish cimarrón wild, literally: dwelling on peaks, from Spanish cima summit]




Guyana/the Caribbean/Starkville.....you can see where the confusion would be, right?
 

thatsbaseball

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There is no 17ing connection...we were the Maroons because it was our school color period. This pure NY Times ********
 

LiterallyPolice

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Dec 15, 2011
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Wait.... to all you people saying '17 the NY Times'....

Wouldn't naming your team after runaway slaves be a statement AGAINST slavery? Isn't that kind of making heros out of those who defied slavery? So wouldn't pointing that out in an article be kind of a good thing?

Also, you know, the rest of the article is pretty good press.
 

AHSDawg

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Sep 18, 2012
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Yes, you are correct. And, I maintain that if this story happened elsewhere, the story of our '63 team would be a Disney made summer blockbuster type movie...
 

jb1020

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Jun 7, 2009
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that was my first thought too

That is the first time I've heard that's why we were called the Maroons, but I don't see it in a negative way at all.

The Peoples Freedom University....
 

futaba.79

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Jun 4, 2007
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absolutely correct.........

It was a nickname based on school colors, but we were also the Bulldogs. State quit acknowledging "the maroons" altogether when others brought up the connection.
 

paindonthurt_

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If we can label Ole Miss' name as definitely being a tribute to slavery and the civil war, i don't see it that crazy for an outsider making a connection with maroons and slavery considering the actual term.

True they likely didn't do any research, and true they are probably just labeling the south like normal.

I still don't completely believe that the term didn't have anything to do with slavery and was completely based on our color. Thats just a guess by me, but understanding the culture and times of early 1900s Mississippi, i don't see it as an absurd guess.
 

MadDawg.sixpack

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May 22, 2006
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We attribute it to them because it is true and well documented. Does someone still have that article from the Daily Journal where they explained how it came about with the vote of the student body?