Like many Ole Miss fans, McKenzie Cavanaugh cannot wait for gameday. The Rhode Island native waits patiently through the week for the excitement of watching the Rebels play each Saturday.
For Cavanaugh, however, football is more than a game – it’s her past, her lifestyle and a big part of her future.
“I was an offensive lineman,” she said, explaining that she played football in high school.
An exercise science major, Cavanaugh wants to eventually work in sports medicine and become a physical trainer.
Her love of playing, and not just watching, football brought her to Ole Miss.
Breaking the gender boundary, Cavanaugh fell in love with football at an early age, as did her sisters, ages 15 and 20. While her sisters picked up the pompoms, Cavanaugh put football pads on her small frame.
Cavanaugh’s family and high school team supported her love for football. Her sisters cheered for her on the sidelines, and her teammates became her brothers. The young men defended her from the ridicule of rival teams on and off the field.
“Many opposing players would taunt me with either words or physical harm,” Cavanaugh recalled. “One game, a player twice my size from the other team tackled me to the ground because he knew I was a girl and started punching me. It didn’t take long for my brothers to throw him off of me and teach him a lesson.”
The occasional name-calling and discrimination didn’t bother Cavanaugh.
“I learned to set a goal and work towards achieving it,” she said. “This helped me in every sport that I played, not just football, but being the only girl on the field taught me to just be tough and push through it, giving everything I have.”
Cavanaugh also played basketball and earned two Rhode Island state championship titles in women’s fast-pitch softball.
But football was her first love, and she described her family as football fanatics.
“Our weekends were always dedicated to watching football,” she said, referring to favorite NFL team, the New England Patriots. She can be found almost every Sunday live streaming the game while eating in the Rebel Market.
“I always knew that I wanted to go to school in the South,” Cavanaugh said. “Nothing can compare to SEC football. The size of The University of Mississippi was perfect for me, especially coming from Rhode Island.”
Cavanaugh’s friends and loved ones back home were surprised by her choice to attend Ole Miss.
“Some of my high school friends have visited me on gameday, and they were completely shocked, not just by the Grove and the game, but the friendly people,” Cavanaugh said.
But as much as she loves Ole Miss, being far away from home has presented her with some obstacles.
“It was definitely a challenge, but I slowly began meeting people around the United States who were alone just like me,” Cavanaugh said. “The girl that lives across from me is from New Jersey. It is easy to talk to her and make that transition together.”
Cavanaugh has been dealing with challenges like this all her life, however, from her decision to play what was considered a “man’s game” to attending school thousands of miles from everything she knew.
“I know that I made the right decision to attend Ole Miss,” Cavanaugh said. “I’ve found my home.”
