176 - Original vintage black-and-white gelatin silver press photograph featuring University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) football standout Ralph E. Fletcher, dating to the fall of 1912. The full-length portrait frames the legendary quarterback standing in full uniform on the playing field, with rows of vintage wooden grandstand bleachers visibly banking the stadium grounds in the background.

Original vintage black-and-white gelatin silver press photograph featuring University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) football standout Ralph E. Fletcher, dating to the fall of 1912. The full-length portrait frames the legendary quarterback standing in full uniform on the playing field, with rows of vintage wooden grandstand bleachers visibly banking the stadium grounds in the background. The reverse of the photograph contains extensive handwritten newsroom archive annotations, including the subject's name, "Ralph E. Fletcher," along with historical programmatic notes identifying him as "All Southern / Ole Miss Rebels / 1912 QB." The back is stamped with an official purple ink archive repository stamp from the Newspaper Enterprise Association (N.E.A.) Reference Department dated "OCT 3 29"—marking its subsequent pull or reuse during retro reviews of Southern gridiron history—alongside handwritten archive code markers (B2695) and grease pencil cropping circles (10 3/8). Ralph E. Fletcher remains one of the most fascinating and fiercely debated figures of early Southern college football lore. As the elite signal-caller for Ole Miss under coach Leo DeTray during the 1912 season, Fletcher starred in a historic matchup against Vanderbilt and spearheaded a dominant campaign that earned him prestigious Consensus All-Southern honors. However, his legacy became eternally cemented in the annals of the deep-seated "Egg Bowl" rivalry when he was famously at the center of an eligibility scandal involving previous appearances in a Chicago freshman game. The resulting SIAA eligibility dispute between Ole Miss and Mississippi A&M (Mississippi State) nearly resulted in the cancellation of their iconic annual Thanksgiving game. This breathtaking, crisp image represents an exceptionally scarce and paramount artifact from the pre-WWI infancy of Southern intercollegiate football, preserved in magnificent vintage condition with sharp contrasts. Medium: Original vintage silver gelatin press photograph Provenance: From the inventories of Artelisted. Note on Dimensions: Media press photos measure mainly 10" x 8" and/or 7" x 9". Some minor size variances can occur due to the normal historical manipulation process. THIS IS A RESERVE AUCTION, and the final price will include a Buyer’s Premium. Please, view our full terms and conditions. ARTELISTED IS LICENSED IN THE US STATES OF FLORIDA AND TEXAS. All the items purchased through Artelisted must be shipped. We no longer offer or accept local pick-ups for any sold lots. The shipment will be made directly by Artelisted. Shipping insurance is the responsibility of the buyer. Ask us if you want to add insurance cost. Note that if there is loss or damage due to bad handling by the transporter, this loss will be assumed only by the buyer. We mainly ship via USPS Ground Advantage, UPS and Fedex International. If you do not pay during the 48 hrs after the end of the event, your credit card on file will be charged 2 days after the auction. All items must be paid in full within five (5) days of the sale date. Any lots remaining unpaid after the 5-day period will be considered and reported in default. The unpaid items may be re-sold at Artelisted sole discretion and without further notice to the original bidder. Items returned to our facility after shipping (for any reason, including undeliverable addresses or refused delivery) will be held for a maximum of thirty (30) days. To have a returned item shipped again, the buyer must pay all new shipping and handling fees. If re-shipping fees are not paid within the 30-day holding period, the items will be considered forfeited. In such cases, no refunds will be issued, and the items may be re-sold at the auction house's discretion. We have included quality images showing its current condition. Do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.