<Note: Eagle Day was one of my boyhood football heroes. The obituary
describes how he looked at the end of the 1956 Cotton Bowl. They must have
been looking at the same photo I kept in my bedroom as a teenager. His
ripped jersey was pulled loose as he pushed for that 25 yards. He had no
quit in him in that football game. Man, I just loved this guy. He is in
the CFL's top-ten for highest pass completion percentage career, regular
season.>
Former Football Great Eagle Day Dies
Photos:
http://www.msfame.com/artman/uploads/day_eagle_action.jpg
http://www.msfame.com/artman/uploads/day_eagle_induction_cotton__bowl...
(recent)
FROM: The Hattiesburg (Mississippi) American ~
OXFORD
Ole Miss lost another football legend Friday with the passing
of Herman Sidney "Eagle" Day, who earned the nickname
"The Mississippi Gambler" while playing football for Coach
John Vaught's Rebels during the 1950s.
Day, who was 75, passed away at 11:45 a.m. in Nashville,
Tenn., at the home of his daughter, Diana, following a short
illness.
Visitation for the former Columbia High School star is set
for 5-7 p.m. Friday at First Baptist Church in Jackson, with
services to be at noon Saturday, March 1, also at First
Baptist Church.
A two-time All-Southeastern Conference first team
quarterback, Day earned three letters at Ole Miss during his
three varsity seasons, helping lead Vaught's Rebels to a
26-5-1 overall record as well as back-to-back conference
crowns in 1954 and 1955. He was also named to the
All-South team in 1955.
Considered an excellent combination passer and runner
who could dissect any defense that stood in his way, Day
was tagged as "The Mississippi Gambler" after being
selected the Offensive Most Valuable Player of the 1956
Cotton Bowl when he led Ole Miss to a 14-13 upset of
Southwest Conference champ TCU, which just so
happened to be Vaught's alma mater.
In that Cotton Bowl Classic, the Frogs held a 13-7 lead late
in the fourth quarter when Day initiated a brilliant 66-yard
scoring drive that consumed 10 plays and five minutes off
the clock. With his battle-worn jersey flapping in the breeze,
Day sealed TCU's fate. Forced to scramble on third down,
the elusive quarterback broke loose for 25 yards, sprinting
through the heart of the Frog defense to the TCU five.
Ole Miss scored on the next play to nail down its first major
bowl victory.
Day, who seemed to always come up with the big play on
third down, completed 111 of 233 passes for 2,022 yards
and 14 TDs during his Ole Miss career. Not counting bowl
statistics, he had 2,428 yards of total offense and was
responsible for 21 TDs. His first pass in college
(vs. Chattanooga) in 1953 was a 63-yard scoring strike.
After playing in the 1956 Hula Bowl, Day was selected in the
17th round of the 1956 National Football League draft by
the Washington Redskins. However, he opted to play three
seasons with Winnipeg of the Canadian Football League
before returning to the United States to play the next two
years (1959-60) with the Redskins where he averaged 42.0
yards on 59 punts in 1960.
Day returned to the CFL the following year and went on
to compile an outstanding 12-year career in Canada, earning
All-Pro honors twice (1961 and 1962). He won the
Jeff Nicklin Memorial Trophy in 1962 as the Most Valuable
Player in the West Division of the CFL and was runner-up
for MVP in Canada that year.
During his college days, Day also earned three letters as a
pitcher on the Ole Miss baseball team. He was a member
of Coach Tom Swayze's 1956 Rebel squad which won
the NCAA District III crown and advanced to the College
World Series.
Day, who was inducted into the Mississippi Sports
Hall of Fame in 1981, the Ole Miss Athletics Hall of Fame
in 1988 and the Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame in 2003, rated
All-Southern, All-State and honorable mention All-America
in football while playing at Columbia High School, earning
16 prep letters in four sports. He scored 158 points in
football in 1951, hurled six no-hitters in high school and
was team captain in football, basketball and baseball.
Born on Oct. 2, 1932 in Columbia, Day is survived by his
wife, the former JoAnne Fulmer of Jackson; a daughter,
Diana, and her husband, Alan Cartee, of Nashville; a son,
William Day of Baton Rouge, La., and his wife, Leslie;
and two grandchildren, Ashley Day of Baton Rouge and
Ali Day Cartee of Nashville.
---
1963 O-Pee-Chee football card:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=300070604040&ssPag...
NFL Stats:
http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/D/DayxEa00.htm
