They Came for College, They Stayed for Hotty Toddy

For the Siebert family, Ole Miss is more than tradition; it’s perseverance, connection and home

What began as merely following a cousin to Ole Miss in the late 1960s turned into a way of life.

In the fall of 1966, Bonnie Schoenknecht Siebert followed her cousin from Joliet, Illinois, to the University of Mississippi. Transferring from Joliet Junior College, the nation’s oldest junior college, Bonnie graduated from Ole Miss in January 1969 with a degree in education.

She returned to Joliet and almost never came back.

There, she began teaching and met her now-husband, Denny. They were a new couple in 1970 when Ole Miss made its eighth appearance in the Sugar Bowl, facing Arkansas. (The Rebels defeated the Razorbacks 27-22.)

“I really wanted to go to the Sugar Bowl in 1970,” she said. “But Denny talked me into going on a ski trip instead since he owned a ski store at the time.”

Missing the 1970 Sugar Bowl, the Rebels’ last for 46 years, became family lore.

“The joke was that she never forgave him until the 2016 Sugar Bowl (when Ole Miss defeated Oklahoma State 48-20),” daughter Sarah Siebert said. “I think she still hasn’t forgiven him for missing that Sugar Bowl.”

After a 35-year hiatus, Bonnie found herself back on campus when Sarah decided to attend Ole Miss in the fall of 2004 after visiting campus a few times during high school.

“I always would have regretted it if Sarah didn’t at least look at Ole Miss,” Bonnie said.

Sarah had her heart set on the University of Iowa until she visited the Oxford campus a few times and realized she really liked it.

“I’d always done something different from my friends in Illinois, so I came to Ole Miss,” Sarah said. “And then, my parents followed and just kind of fell in love with it, too.”

Mom and Dad were soon to become staples.

“They came to the first home football game my freshman year and just walked around,” she said. “Then the second game, they started a Grove tent right in front of Ventress Hall.”

The Sieberts have been a tailgate fixture in front of Ventress Hall for more than 20 years now.

They even hang a sign in their tent representing their hometown of Sherwood, Illinois. Passersby from that area will often stop to visit and the Sieberts welcome them with food and familiarity.

“I love that part about it,” Sarah said. “You’re so far away from home and it’s sometimes just nice to have a local contact if you need something.”

Sarah graduated with a bachelor’s degree in education but was not ready to end her stay.

“I graduated, and I was like, I’m not quite ready to leave yet,” she said. “I became a graduate assistant for the Center for Excellence in Literacy Instruction in the School of Education, and then right after graduation, accepted a job with the university.”

She later earned a master’s in curriculum and instruction and a master’s in early childhood development.

Just as the family’s tailgating spot is a bona fide landmark, she has become a staple at Willie Price Lab School, where she has worked since 2013.

Denny and Bonnie retired in 2008 after she taught for nearly 40 years. The couple’s retirement gift to each other was to move to Oxford and follow the Rebels.

While Bonnie has missed only two home games since 2004, Denny has missed four, due to his Parkinson’s disease diagnosis eight years ago.

It was during this new way of life that the DePauw University alum began sending motivational videos to a cousin who coached football. His most notable video telling people: “Get your ass up. It’s game day.”

The phrase brought laughs, but it also exuded the family’s mantra.

“It’s kind of like our family motto,” Sarah said. “Whatever you’re going through, you can get up and keep going.”

Family and friends can be seen wearing Denny’s words of wisdom on stickers and hats, which were party favors at his recent 80th birthday celebration.

Toward the end of the 2025 football season, Denny spent 17 days in the hospital, causing him to miss two Rebel home games. He recovered and did what he knew how to do: He got up. It was almost game day, after all.

Denny was released from the hospital Nov. 14, the day before the Ole Miss-Florida game, and was in the Grove the next morning.

Some may call it Hotty Toddy.

“To me, ‘Hotty Toddy’ means: common ground. Family. Being all in. Having an ally wherever you go,” Sarah said.

The Sieberts experienced Hotty Toddy at the 2026 Sugar Bowl in New Orleans, where the Rebels beat Georgia 39-34. Denny and Bonnie get around with the assistance of walkers and wheelchairs, but maneuvering ADA parking and seating was worth it.

“It was so surreal,” Bonnie said. “Everything happened so fast and when they kept having them come out on the field again for that one second – we couldn’t believe it that they were going to do that – but it was just the most amazing thing I’ve ever been to in my life.”

They will also experience Hotty Toddy in Glendale, Arizona, at the Fiesta Bowl, where they will get to visit family – family by blood as well as Rebel family.

The Fiesta Bowl also happens to be Sarah’s birthday.

“We’re excited to see family and celebrate my birthday,” Sarah said. “Hopefully the Rebels give us the best birthday party ever!”

By Marisa C. Atkinson

About the Author

University of Mississippi

Author

The University of Mississippi, affectionately known as Ole Miss, is Mississippi’s flagship university. A member of the elite group of R1: Doctoral Universities - Highest Research Activity by the Carnegie Classification, Ole Miss has a long history of producing leaders in public service, business, academics and the professions. Its 16 academic divisions include a major medical school; nationally recognized schools of accountancy, law and pharmacy; and an Honors College acclaimed for a blend of academic rigor, experiential learning and opportunities for community action. Acclaimed as one of the nation’s most beautiful, Ole Miss's main campus is in Oxford, which is routinely recognized as one of the nation's best college towns.

Visit Website View All Posts