The country music story behind Ole Miss football commit John Wayne Oliver's name and The Duke
It takes only seconds to realize the obvious.
John Wayne Oliver is unique for a kid born at least two generations removed from his namesake. The CPA offensive lineman is used to the questions about it, and while those questions are often from people 30 or 40 years older, he's never grown tired of answering them.
Yes, the Ole Miss football commitment was named after Western film icon John Wayne.
"There's no shortage of material to draw on when people first meet me and I tell them my name," Oliver said. "Nearly every single college football coach has asked me about it. Every time."
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The 6-foot-5, 275-pound lineman is the No. 13-ranked prospect in Tennessee, according to the 247Sports Composite. He's ranked as the No. 39 offensive lineman in the nation. He's also No. 5 on The Tennessean's 2023 Dandy Dozen, a collection of the top college football prospects who are seniors in the Nashville area as selected by the newspaper.
Grew up watching 'Rio Bravo,' and 'True Grit'
Oliver's name is a combination of the screen legend and a family tradition. Oliver's father's first name is Wayne and his grandfather's first name is John. Both elder Oliver men were John Wayne fans and John Wayne Oliver grew up watching films like "The Searchers", "Rio Bravo" and John Wayne Oliver's favorite, "True Grit".
"I remember watching those old movies as a kid," John Wayne Oliver said. "Maybe somebody finds it a little weird because I'm so young, but when you're little, you just want to spend time with your dad and my dad would watch those movies, so I did to. He loves them so much, I started to love them too."
A chance meeting between Wayne Oliver and John Wayne the early 1970s led to John Wayne Oliver's name. Wayne Oliver was in Las Vegas at the Stardust Resort and Casino when he met John Wayne.
"He was standing there with a drink in his hands and with a few friends," said Wayne Oliver, 73. "He was big, about 6-4 and very broad. He said, 'nice to meet you Mr. Oliver.' I'll tell you, I've met a lot of celebrities, like Elvis Presley, but meeting John Wayne was like the icing on the cake. John Wayne was my hero."
Country music leads to second John Wayne meeting
Wayne Oliver spent much of the 1970s as a booking agent for country music stars George Jones and Tammy Wynette as well as Hank Williams Jr. and often took trips to Vegas. He ran into John Wayne again in the late '70s just before the screen legend's death in 1979.
"My son has a name to live up to, I know," Wayne Oliver said. "People I meet, I tell them I named my son after John Wayne and some think his name is Duke. They say they've met a lot of Dukes, but not a lot of John Waynes."
It was Wayne Oliver's friend, and Hollywood actor, writer and producer Bob Hinkle, who introduced Wayne Oliver to John Wayne at the Stardust. Hinkle, a Texas native, appeared in films with Paul Newman and Clint Eastwood, and worked with John Wayne in the 1960s.
Wayne Oliver's life in the entertainment world for nearly 50 years gave him a unique perspective, but he loves watching his youngest son on Friday nights.
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John Wayne Oliver embraces name
Oliver, a three-star Class of 2024 offensive lineman, committed to Lane Kiffin and Ole Miss last month, picking the Rebels over Auburn and TCU. He also held offers from Vanderbilt, Cincinnati, Michigan, Miami, Kentucky and Florida State. He's helped CPA reach the Division II-AA state championship game three straight years.
But almost none of John Wayne Oliver's classmates are familiar with the man whose movie career spanned from 1926 to 1976.
"And I listen to George Jones and Hank Williams Jr. too," John Wayne Oliver said. "My friends might listen to modern country music, but I don't listen to any new country music. It's strictly the old stuff, the old country.
"I'm always aware of my name and have been since I can remember. I don't really look at it like pressure to live up to that name, but think it's really a cool name to have. I'm a fan, just like my dad so it's something we share together."
Reach sports writer George Robinson at georgerobinson@theleafchronicle.com and on Twitter @Cville_Sports.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Ole Miss football commit John Wayne Oliver named after The Duke
