Former Ole Miss star Poole dies at 86

OXFORD — Former Ole Miss three-sport star and assistant football coach Ray Poole died Wednesday [April 2, 2008] after a short battle with cancer.

Poole, 86, and his late brothers Buster and Barney combined to form one of the most well-known athletic trio in school history. All three are in the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame, and Poole Drive on the Ole Miss campus is named in their honor.

Ray Poole played football, basketball and baseball at Ole Miss in 1941-43 and ’46-47. His athletic career was interrupted by service in the Marines, where he saw combat at Guam, Saipan and Okinawa in World War II.

“Ray Poole was among the most favorite Ole Miss athletes and coaches in our history,” said Ole Miss Chancellor Robert Khayat in a statement released by the school. “As a student he was a three-sport letterman and his career at Ole Miss was followed by a number of years in professional football. He joined Coach Johnny Vaught’s staff and coached place-kickers and special teams during those remarkable years. He and his wife, Wanda, are much loved by the people of Ole Miss and Oxford and he will be missed.”

Ole Miss athletic director Pete Boone, who played on football teams coached by Poole, echoed Khayat’s comments.

“He has been an integral part of Ole Miss athletics for over five decades,” Boone said. “His presence will be greatly missed.”

Visitation is scheduled for 5-7 p.m. on Friday at the Oxford-University United Methodist Church. Services will be held at the church Saturday at 1 p.m. with burial in Oxford Memorial Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to the UMAA Foundation and designated to the Ray Poole Golf Scholarship Fund.

Poole led the Ole Miss basketball team in scoring in 1943, was an All-Southeastern Conference end in football in 1946 and was the baseball team’s best pitcher in 1947, compiling a 5-2 record.

He played six seasons in the NFL for the New York Giants, where he earned all-pro honors in 1950 as a defensive end, and two in the Canadian Football League before returning to Oxford. He served as an assistant football coach under Johnny Vaught from 1955-74.