Alumnus drives Ole Miss VIPs on Rebel Road Trip

Ole Miss Athletics Director Ross Bjork (left), Ben Burns, Burns' son Konner, Coach Hugh Freeze and Chancellor Dan Jones pose in front of Burns' RV.

s a huge Ole Miss fan, Ben Burns (BSPh 94) often drives his RV to games. Burns is also a life member of the Ole Miss Alumni Association and member of the Vaught Society, which is why Alumni Association and UMAA Foundation employees knew about his RV when they began planning the 2012 Rebel Road Trip.

"I figure they were sitting around a table in their office and thought, 'Who better to suck into this?'" Burns said.

Many alumni saw the RV that Coach Hugh Freeze, Athletics Director Ross Bjork, Chancellor Dan Jones, Alumni Association Executive Director Tim Walsh and Alumni Association President Richard Noble rode in during most of the inaugural Rebel Road Trip, which hit 16 cities in six days to help spread excitement about Ole Miss athletics and alumni events. What many may not know is that the RV belongs to the owner of two pharmacies and a health clinic, who donated not only the RV but also his time to drive it around the region.

For Burns, driving an RV full of Ole Miss VIPs was grueling but rewarding. He got up every morning to make sure everything on the RV was running right, then he slept the entire weekend when the road trip was over because he was so tired.

"It was great getting to know everybody," Burns said. "It was really cool."

Burns said that, without a doubt, he would do Rebel Road Trip again. He even joked about a "small reunion" participants were planning for the Ole Miss vs. Tennessee baseball game. It was to feature Gus's Fried Chicken from Memphis, a place at which Coach Freeze made them stop during the trip.

Burns said that it was "kind of weird" how often he was in the spotlight during the trip. He appeared in the middle of a picture a local paper took of the group, and he was introduced at events throughout the trip.

"One of them would say, 'And back here is our bus driver,' and I would just say, 'Y'all are embarrassing me,'" Burns said. "It was a blast, and I can't wait until the next one."

Throughout the trip, Burns' RV sported a bold multicolored wrapper proclaiming the 2012 Rebel Road Trip. Burns said he hopes another wrapper will take its place next spring.

When not transporting Burns' family to Ole Miss games or on a yearly vacation, the RV spends most of its time in storage.

"Ninety percent of the time, we use it to go to Ole Miss sporting events," said Burns, who lives in Iuka with his wife and four children. "Other than that, it's a family trip every year to some place like Destin or the Smoky Mountains. It's just like home."