Tonight, we take a look back at just a few of the personalities that for a few brief moments, made SNN memorable.
ADRIAN KARSTEN
A former ESPN commentator who committed suicide. SNN wrote a short blurb recounting the news, and somehow Google put it on the top of its search. Thousands of people curious about his death flocked to the site and left comments about him in what had to be one of the more bizarre moments in SNN history.
ALEX BLAGG / ONE ANGRY DWARF
The author of “How to Be a Cool and Tough Fraternity Guy”, arguably the most popular story in SNN history, this former Ole Miss student fueled the fires of controversy on The Network. Under the handle One Angry Dwarf, he skewered the excesses and foibles of many Ole Miss students. Later, under his real name, he turned his criticism to the Bush Administration. All the while, Blagg was building a name for himself as a writer and comedian. Success from his comedy routines and his own blog landed him a gig at VH1. To this day, Blagg is the only person I know who has parlayed his talent for writing on blogs into a handsomely-paid, full-time position.
BRANDONBULLDOGS.NET
A message board frequented by alumni of Brandon High School in Brandon, Mississippi. Members of BrandonBulldogs.net orchestrated one of the most spectacular voting campaigns in SNN history on behalf of SNN Valentine nominee Bailey Hopper.
BRITTANY BICKFORD
An occasional poster during 2006 who had her own blog, Bickford’s Randoms. Claimed to be a 28-year old teacher, but was caught plagiarizing her entire blog from the websites of other writers. It would later be discovered that Bickford was not in her late 20s, but was a freshman at Southern Cal at the time of the postings. It remains unclear whether Bickford was trying to be older than she was or someone else had stolen her identity.
CAMERON PHELAN
A hilarious and frequent contributor to the comments section of SNN during 2003 and 2004, Cameron was one of the more reliably funny voices on SNN. Sadly, Cameron would pass away in 2006. His obituary can be found here.
THE CLINTON ADMINISTRATION
One of the stronger Mississippi-based weblogs remaining, this sports, politics, and humor site from Clinton natives and a few of their friends features the Remington Steele-loving Tangy as well as the usually hilarious Thew.
DIANE
SNN’s lovely first Valentine who paved the way for Clinton dominance in the competition’s three-year run.
GARY FORCE
The fictional name used by a group of Ole Miss students to post completely absurd things about characters connected to Jackson Academy, a private school that many of the Force-Fans attended. While the identities of Gary Force’s creators remain sketchy at best, one is a graphic designer, and several are aspiring writers.
GANNON
Former RebelGrove.com owner who was often needled by Will Bardwell, who had obtained several free RebelGrove.com passwords and used them without paying Grant the monthly membership fee.
GODFREY
A one-time icon at Ole Miss, Godfrey was The Daily Mississippian’s most beloved (and berated) columnist during his (somewhere between 5 and 9 year) run at the paper. Godfrey mentioned SNN in a couple of his columns, and even took aim at the posters on Monty’s Message Board often used him as the object of their ire. Godfrey would later write a blog under The Network hosting. He occasionally comments over at Nafoom.com.
GRANVILLE
This running-obsessed Ole Miss student was the focus of SNN’s debut story after he was struck by a Ford Expedition driven by Ole Miss starting quarterback Romaro Miller during an afternoon jog. Quite fittingly, this running man has moved to the city with the fastest pace in America, New York. There, Granville is an-up-coming financial advisor of some sort. He attributes none of his success to SNN.
GUNNZILLA
This former collegiate basketball star made headlines on SNN when contributing writer Will Bardwell caught him marking his territory on a makeshift island at a fraternity party. The story was leaked to his scripture-quoting head coach, who then made him run laps for his sins. Today, Gunnzilla is still taller than 99% of Americans, has dabbled in journalism himself, and probably still resents The Network.
JOHNNY OLE MISS
A mainstay during 2000 and 2001 on Monty’s Message Board, Johnny Ole Miss always had a few interesting things to say. Sadly, a few years later, Johnny Ole Miss, whose real name was Josh Ousley, would pass away after a lengthy illness.
MR. RUTLEDGE
The champion of the conservatism was Alex Blagg’s ultimate foil during the 2003-2004 years. His commenting dropped drastically in recent years, resulting in the emergence of Shane as SNN’s most reliable right-leaning reader and commenter. Recently produced a short film about law school that is a loose takeoff of Bartleby the Scrivener.
POS
SNN’s first columnist, the youngest curmudgeon in America was a star attraction for SNN with his discussions of fraternity food, Jackson nightclubs, and other things and people he did not like. The namesake of the first message board on SNN, POS left as quickly as he entered, citing unwelcome readership (I think his parents discovered the site). Today, POS lives in Mississippi, where he remains an avid Ole Miss Sports fan and an ardent critic of gelled hair and white trash.
THE SCOUTMASTER
A jive-talking commentator on Monty’s Message Board who appeared in 2001, the Scoutmaster assailed Godfrey (who he called ‘Godfoo’) and other members of the Ole Miss community. The identity of The Scoutmaster remains a mystery to readers.
SHANE
Right-wing restaurateur and foil to fellow Brandon native Will Bardwell. He commented regularly on SNN during the site’s final years.
SIGMA NU vs. PHI DELT
Immature, inane, yet kind of hilarious message board flame war between members of two fraternities at Ole Miss after rush in 2001. One of the primary reasons SNN banned anonymous comments in its reopening several years later.
SQUIRREL
Arguably SNN’s most loyal reader. His passion for The Network comes behind only his love for God, Brandon, The Jim Rome Show, and Johnny Beck.
THIGPEN
SNN’s substitute writer and a long-time supporter of The Network, Thigpen wrote hilarious pieces about Grant Gannon’s Rebel Grove account, the Ole Miss Tenders, and the Order of the Kotite, a Hall of Fame for bad NFL head coaches.
WILL BARDWELL
A former contributing writer to SNN who now operates his own blog, WillBardwell.com. Bardwell is best known for tormenting Grant Gannon over free RebelGrove accounts, arguing with Shane or Mr. Rutledge over politics, and providing typically hilarious comments about a variety of subjects.