BY AUSTIN MILLER
akmiller90@gmail.com
Well, it’s about that time.
And a lot has changed in four years.
For example, when I came to Ole Miss in the fall of 2009, no one had heard of my high school alma mater. Four years later, you might have heard of Grayson High School.
And the same can be said for Ole Miss athletics. The exciting times ahead from last year are here now, so I ask those of you who will be back in the fall to take advantage.
It’s overwhelming to think back on my three years at The Daily Mississippian, from a beat writer, to a sports editor, to a managing editor. I think of it as a filmstrip with individual moments, frozen in time.
One moment was in Loganville, Ga., when it all came full circle for me as I covered Robert Nkemdiche’s National Signing Day announcement.
Another moment was in Nashville when I saw Andy Kennedy and the players cut down the nets after an improbable SEC tournament run.
And that’s just this past semester.
There are so many games, so many practices, so many press conferences, so many interviews, so many stories, and that’s why I enjoyed my time. There’s always a story to tell.
It’s moments like those I will remember — that and a lot of stress-filled days and sleepless nights. But it was worth it because of the people.
It’s the administrators, coaches and players you cover.
It’s the Ole Miss beat writers you share the press box with.
It’s the other DM staffers who are sometimes similarly stuck in the Student Media Center.
And it’s the people who read, share, comment on and criticize your work.
With all that said, I’m not going anywhere.
I will be back in the fall as a graduate assistant for Ole Miss Athletics, where I will serve as a writer, reporter and blogger for the official website.
But for now, I’m looking forward to one final weekend as an undergraduate in the right-field student section, that and what the future holds for Ole Miss athletics and me.
Austin Miller is a senior journalism major from Grayson, Ga. Follow him on Twitter @austinkmiller
