Ole Miss Football Great Stan Hindman Passes Away

Ole Miss has lost a football legend with the passing of Stan Hindman, 76, who passed away Wednesday, July 15.

OXFORD, Miss. (Ole Miss Athletics) - Ole Miss has lost a football legend with the passing of Stan Hindman, 76, who passed away Wednesday, July 15.

Hindman, a three-year letterwinner for the Rebels from 1963-65, was considered by former coach, Johnny Vaught, as one of the finest interior lineman he had ever coached. He served as co-captain of Vaught’s 1965 team and earned first team All-America honors that season as a senior.

The Newton, Mississippi, native was a three‑time All‑SEC selection and was the first Ole Miss sophomore to ever earn first-team All-SEC recognition in 1963. Hindman played on three bowl teams, including with the 1963 SEC championship squad that played in the Sugar Bowl.

In a game shown on regional TV, Hindman was involved in one of the most dynamic plays in Ole Miss football history in 1963 when he ran down LSU halfback-sprinter Joe Labruzzo at the one-yard line, ending Labruzzo’s 81-yard punt return. Four plays later, LSU turned the ball over at the six with Ole Miss still leading 23-3 in an eventual 37-3 win in Baton Rouge.

A pre-med student, Hindman received an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship in 1966. He also received the National Football Foundation Ole Miss Chapter Scholar-Athlete Award in 1966 and was an Academic All‑America and Academic All-SEC selection in 1965.

Following his stellar collegiate career, Hindman was selected in the first round (11 overall pick) of the 1966 NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers. He played seven seasons in San Francisco, seeing action in 76 NFL games.

Hindman entered the league as a defensive end, but suffered a knee injury in 1969 and was moved to tackle. He retired in 1971, then returned to the active roster and played eight games for the 49ers in 1973 when injuries decimated the San Francisco defensive line. His post-NFL career saw him become a successful architect in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Hindman was inducted into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame in 1988 and the Ole Miss Athletic Hall of Fame in 1992. He was also chosen as an SEC Legend in 2014 and is a member of Ole Miss’ Team of the Century (1893‑1992).

As a 1961 senior at Newton High School in Mississippi, Hindman earned all-southern and all-state honors and was twice a member of the Choctaw Conference all-star team. He earned three letters in football, five in track, two in basketball and one in baseball.