OXFORD, Miss. – Ole Miss will celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Chucky Mullins Courage Award with the annual awards banquet, Thursday, April 16 at 6:30 p.m. CT in the Indoor Practice Facility on the campus of the University of Mississippi.

For the first time in the history of the award, the Ole Miss coaching staff has named the finalists prior to the banquet. Rebel head coach Houston Nutt announced Wednesday the finalists are cornerback Marshay Green, safety Kendrick Lewis and lineman Marcus Tillman.

The winner will be chosen by the Rebel coaching staff and members of the Chucky Mullins Courage Award Banquet Committee.  The 2009 Chucky Mullins Courage Award recipient will be announced during the banquet, which is sponsored by Phi Kappa Psi and Phi Beta Sigma fraternities.

This year’s winner will also be recognized during pregame ceremonies of the annual Grove Bowl spring football game, which takes place Saturday, April 18 at 1 p.m. at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium/ Hollingsworth Field.

Attendees to this year’s banquet will be addressed by Coach Nutt and will see video highlights of many former award winners offering their reflections on Chucky Mullins and the significance of the honor. Former award winner and current Ole Miss Assistant Athletics Director Jamil Northcutt will also address the crowd, representing the past recipients.

Tickets for the Chucky Mullins Courage Award Banquet, which includes admission to the banquet and a commemorative 20th anniversary poster, cost $25 each and may be purchased online in the OleMissSports.com ticket office.

Tickets are also available in room 331 of the Martindale Center or by contacting any member of Phi Beta Sigma or Phi Kappa Psi on the Ole Miss campus. For more information or for banquet sponsorship opportunities for corporations and local businesses, call 662-915-7404.

Established in the Spring of 1990 by the Phi Beta Sigma fraternity at Ole Miss, the Chucky Mullins Courage Award honors the late Chucky Mullins, who had his Rebel football career come to an end during the 1989 Homecoming game against Vanderbilt when he was paralyzed after making a tackle. After returning to his studies at Ole Miss, Mullins passed away on May 6, 1991.

The Chucky Mullins Courage Award goes to a rising senior defensive player at Ole Miss, and the recipient receives a framed Mullins jersey and plaque and wears a 38 patch on the front of his jersey. The winning player had previously worn Mullins' No. 38 jersey until 2006, when the number was officially retired. It joined Archie Manning's No. 18 as the only retired numbers in the Rebels’ storied 114-year football history.

Past recipients of the Chucky Mullins Courage Award include Chris Mitchell (1990), Jeff Carter (1991), Trea Southerland (1992), Johnny Dixon (1993), Alundis Brice (1994), Michael Lowery (1995), Derek Jones (1996), Nate Wayne (1997), Gary Thigpen (1998), Ronnie Heard (1999), Anthony Magee (2000), Kevin Thomas (2001), Lanier Goethie (2002), Jamil Northcutt (2003), Eric Oliver (2004), Kelvin Robinson (2005), Patrick Willis (2006), Jeremy Garrett (2007) and Jamarca Sanford (2008).

Chucky Mullins Courage Award Banquet Committee members include Curt Boling, Chad Bush, Kyle Campbell, JoElla Duhon, Clifton Ealy, Micah Ginn, Michael Johansson, Robert Reece and Thomas Wallace.