March 24, 2011

Order Tickets Online | History of Chucky Mullins Courage Award

OXFORD, Miss. – As part of Grove Bowl Week festivities, the Chucky Mullins Courage Award banquet has been set for Thursday, April 14 at 7 p.m. CT in the Indoor Practice Facility on the Ole Miss campus. Mullins’s head coach at Ole Miss, Billy Brewer, will serve as speaker for the banquet, which fans are encouraged to attend.

Tickets for the Chucky Mullins Courage Award Banquet are $25 for the general public and $15 for Ole Miss students and may be purchased through the UM Box Office by stopping by the Student Union location, calling 662-915-7411 or ordering online at www.olemiss.edu/depts/tickets. Students need to present their student ID to purchase a ticket.

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.

The Chucky Mullins Courage Award goes to a rising senior defensive player at Ole Miss and is announced during the banquet. The recipient is chosen by the Rebel coaching staff in conjunction with the Chucky Mullins Courage Award Banquet Committee, which is comprised of representatives from the athletics department, university staff, Oxford community and Phi Beta Sigma and Phi Kappa Psi fraternities.

The award winner will also be recognized during ceremonies of the annual BancorpSouth Grove Bowl spring football game, which takes place Saturday, April 16 at 1 p.m. at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium/ Hollingsworth Field.

In addition to Brewer’s speech, 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.

Brewer was a standout defensive back for the Rebels, 1957-59, and was selected to Ole Miss’ Team of the Century (1893-1992). He served as the Rebels’ head coach 1983-93, and this winter, his son Gunter joined the Ole Miss football staff as wide receivers coach/ passing game coordinator.

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.

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), Jamarca  Sanford (2008), Marcus  Tillman (2009) and Kentrell Lockett (2010).

Other Grove Bowl Week festivities include the Rebels Choice Awards, April 11 at the Gertrude C. Ford Center for Performing Arts. Visit www.rebelschoiceawards.com for more information.