Chucky Mullins

Chucky Mullins was injured on October 28, 1989, during the Ole Miss Rebels’ Homecoming game against the Vanderbilt Commodores in Oxford, Mississippi. Chucky Mullins plunged head-first into a tackle of Vanderbilt fullback Brad Gaines after a short pass attempt. The impact shattered four vertebrae in Mullins' cervical spine, immediately paralyzing him.

After being airlifted to Baptist Memorial Hospital in Memphis, Mullins underwent a tracheotomy and five-hour bone graft operation to fuse the vertebrae. Mullins never regained sensation below his neck. After months of intensive physical therapy, however, Mullins was eventually able to move a hand across his body and touch his chest.

As soon as the injury occurred, Mullins became the recipient of a huge outpouring of community support. Ole Miss fans, college football fans in the South and people from all over the nation immediately began to donate money towards Mullins' growing medical expenses. President George H.W. Bush visited Mullins in his hospital room and encouraged him while on a visit to Memphis. Soon, Ole Miss established the "Chucky Mullins Trust Fund" to properly manage the donations. The city of Oxford donated land for a specially-designed, handicap-accessible house for Mullins. Donations to the trust fund eventually exceeded $1 million.

Mullins returned to Ole Miss on June 20, 1990 to complete his undergraduate studies.

Less than a year after returning to school, Mullins was stricken by a pulmonary embolism, caused by blood clots formed by inactivity and poor circulation. He died in the hospital on May 6, 1991 and was buried in his home town of Russellville, Alabama.

On Sept. 26, 2014, Coliseum Drive on the Ole Miss campus was renamed Chucky Mullins Drive, honoring his life and influence in the most visible and enduring way.

During Mullins' time in the hospital, he and Gaines, who did not know each other before the accident, became close friends. Since Mullins' death, Gaines visits and maintains his friend's gravesite three times a year: May 6 (the anniversary of Mullins' death), October 28 (the anniversary of the injury) and December 25 (Christmas Day). Brad Gaines continues this personal tradition to this day.[1]

The impact of the accident on Gaines, and the injury to Mullins, is the subject of a SEC Storied documentary "It's Time", which first aired on September 2014 on the SEC Network.[2]

Each spring, during the annual Grove Bowl (a game at the end of spring practices pitting Ole Miss players against each other), the player who most embodies Chucky Mullins' spirit and courage receives the "Chucky Mullins Memorial Courage Award". With the award, the player received the right to wear jersey number 38, the same number Chucky wore. Chucky's number 38 was retired on September 3, 2006 in a pregame ceremony before the Rebels' victory over Memphis. From 2006 until 2009, the winner of the "Chucky Mullins Memorial Courage Award" wore a patch in honor of this award. However, the retiring of Chucky's jersey #38 proved to be an unpopular move. Thus, after changes to the award (i.e. any player is eligible, no longer just a rising senior defensive player), the number was returned to circulation in 2010 to be exclusively worn by the award winner for that season.[3]

Chucky Mullins DB, Retired Ole Miss Number

Winners of the Chucky Mullins Courage Award

• 1990 – Chris Mitchell
• 1991 – Jeff Carter
• 1992 – Trea Southerland
• 1993 – Johnny Dixon
• 1994 – Alundice Brice
• 1995 – Michael Lowery
• 1996 – Derek Jones
• 1997 – Nate Wayne
• 1998 – Gary Thigpen
• 1999 – Ronnie Heard
• 2000 – Anthony Magee
• 2001 – Kevin Thomas
• 2002 – Lanier Goethie
• 2003 – Jamil Northcutt
• 2004 – Eric Oliver
• 2005 – Kelvin Robinson
• 2006 – Patrick Willis
• 2007 – Jeremy Garrett
• 2008 – Jamarca Sanford
• 2009 – Marcus Tillman
• 2010 – Kentrell Lockett
• 2011 – D. T. Shackelford
• 2012 – Jason Jones
• 2013 – Mike Marry
• 2014 – Detarrian (D.T.) Shackleford (2nd award)
• 2015 – Mike Hilton
• 2016 – John Youngblood
• 2017 - Marquis Haynes
• 2018 - CJ Moore
• 2019 - Austrian Robinson
• 2020 - Jaylon Jones

Mullins's story was memorialized in a documentary film, Undefeated: The Chucky Mullins Story and also the SEC Storied Documentary film, "It's Time".

• Former Auburn University defensive back Zach Gilbert, who is a cousin of Mullins, wore number 38 in his honor.
• Former Rebels and 49ers linebacker Patrick Willis was the first recipient of the Chucky Mullins Award after the number was retired.
• A book was written by author Larry Woody about the incident: Dixie Farewell: The Life and Death of Chucky Mullins (1994) Eggman Publishing
• Rev. Jody Hill, a former Ole Miss teammate of Mullins, also wrote a book: 38: The Chucky Mullins Effect (Deeds Publishing (August 12, 2014), ISBN 978-1941165324).

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Chucky Mullins.

• Undefeated: The Chucky Mullins Story
• The Ole Miss Athlete of the decade – The Daily Mississippian, 1995
• "20 years after Ole Miss tragedy, Mullins' legacy lives on". USA Today. September 30, 2009.
• "In Memory of Chucky Mullins". RebelGrove.com. OMSN. Retrieved 3 December 2014.