OXFORD, Miss. -- Former Mississippi head football coach Billy Kinard has died at the age of 84.
The University of Mississippi said Monday that Kinard died Saturday at his home in Fort Payne, Alabama, after an extended illness.
Kinard was a defensive back and halfback in the 1950s under Ole Miss legend Johnny Vaught, with the Rebels winning Southeastern Conference championships in 1954 and 1955 and playing in two Sugar Bowls and one Cotton Bowl.
When Vaught retired after a heart attack in 1970, Ole Miss promoted star football alumnus Frank "Bruiser" Kinard from assistant football coach to athletic director and hired younger brother Billy as head football coach.