For reasons that remain unknown, Stuart Stevens agreed to speak with me for a special podcast. For those who don’t know, Stevens is one of the premier political strategists on the Republican side of the aisle. He was Mitt Romney’s chief strategist in 2012 and worked on George W Bush’s 2000 and 2004 campaigns. He’s an accomplished author and huge Ole Miss fan, which was the reason for our conversation.

Stevens wrote The Last Season, which chronicled the 2013 Ole Miss season through the eyes of Stevens and his 95-year-old father, who went to most games that year. The book, while superficially about football, is more about a father and son bonding through shared experiences.

Stevens and I discuss the book, but we mainly focus on how civil rights and college football intersected in the South. Civil Rights had a deep impact on college football. But so too did college football on civil rights.

We also touch on the 2016 election (26:00 minute mark) where Stevens offers up his thoughts on Donald Trump. Spoiler: Not a fan.

I can’t thank Stevens enough for taking the time to speak with me. I hope you guys enjoy the conversation, and please let me know what you think in the comments on on Twitter @ParrishWalton.