Posted on 07/25/2006 9:22:59 AM PDT by Sybeck1
OXFORD, Miss. -- Ole Miss athletic director Pete Boone announced Monday that the school will retire the late Chucky Mullins' No. 38 football jersey during pregame ceremonies Sept. 3, when the Rebels open the 2006 season against the University of Memphis.
"There are only a few people in this world that have the courage and competitive spirit to overcome the unbelievable obstacles Chucky faced," Boone said in announcing the decision to retire No. 38. "His legacy reaches beyond the football field and deserves to be memorialized as such.
"It was decided that the ultimate way to honor Chucky Mullins and his legacy is the retiring of his No. 38 alongside Archie Manning's No. 18, which was retired in 1986. These two men have set a standard for everyone who ever walked through the Grove or wore the Ole Miss colors."
Carver and Karen Phillips, who became Mullins' legal guardians when he was in the seventh grade, are scheduled to participate in the pregame ceremony along with others who were closely associated with Mullins.
"It's a blessing," Carver Phillips said when notified about the upcoming retirement of Mullins' number. "This is an amazing honor for Chucky, and our family is very excited about it. I thought it would happen sooner or later. It's going to be a great day for our family, and we look forward to representing and supporting Chucky."
Mullins, who was redshirted as a freshman in 1988, had his career come to a tragic end on Oct. 28, 1989, when he broke his neck while making a tackle against Vanderbilt. The injury left him paralyzed from the neck down.
Mullins died on May 6, 1991, due to complications resulting from a blood clot.
"We just think the timing is right to permanently retire the number," said Andy Kilpatrick, president of the M-Club Chapter of the University of Mississippi Alumni Association. "Retiring his number will forever preserve and honor his indomitable sprit."
Since 1990, the Chucky Mullins Courage Award winner has been selected each spring, given to a senior defensive player, who then has worn Mullins' No. 38 the following season.
All-American linebacker Patrick Willis was selected as the 2006 honoree. Since the number is being retired, plans call for Willis to wear a 38 patch on the front of his jersey.
Copyright 2006, commercialappeal.com - Memphis, TN. All Rights Reserved.
ping the Missippy list please!
I was at Ole Miss right after this happened and will be attending this game. Time does fly by, I am glad they are not forgetting Chuckie there.
Chucky that is.
Ole Miss ping, Dawgs and Eagles are welcome.
I agree with you. They should have some other form of rememberance than retiring a number, which should be limited to on the field accomplishments.
Well, considering Archie's pro career - was he really THAT good? (Somebody had to say it) :)
Do you feel the same way about Pat Tillman?
"Dawgs and Eagles are welcome.
Why go and ruin a perfectly good thread??:>)"
LOLOL!
My congrats to Chucky!
Thanks for the ping!
Considering his pro team, yes he was.
He would have done much better somewhere else.
But, he wanted to stay close to his home and
family, and wanted his own family to be stable.
So shoot him...
That's a tough call. He obviously should be honored by his team and football in a very special and esteemed manner. But if his number is retired, shouldn't the numbers of every major league baseball player who left their teams to serve in WWII be retired as well? There would be no numbers left.
Actually, I LOVE Archie (even though I hate his son - the one who isn't Eli). Just ribbin' ya.
BTW, I think we ought to retire Mullins' number, if anything, to help give some closure to Brad Gaines. I've never seen such a tortured soul in all my life. I don't know if it would help, but my heart just hurts for Gaines.
Let me tell you, as a Vandy fan (yeah, I know, I know), I look forward every year to the Ole Miss game. The two teams are mediocre year-in and out (Vandy for the most part has been downright bad), but the Ole Miss/Vandy game every year is a barn-burner. Wish I could go to Oxford this year, but I probably wouldn't wear my black & gold - Rebel fans are still smarting from us (barely) beating them last year. Plus, we've lost probably the best QB we'll ever have, and it's time to slip back down to the bottom of the conference again.
I'm afraid I mostly agree with you. A 'Chucky Mullins Award' would be a better memorial. The #38 jersey used to be issued as the award (though I'm sure there was a post-season trophy or plaque also). Retiring #38 requires at least a cursory review of Mullins' football career which was short-lived and unspectacular (he wasn't even a starter was he?). As you say, when a school has only a single number retired to date and it belongs to an individual synonymous with Ole Miss (18 mph speed limit on campus, etc.) in Archie Manning, the comparisons are inevitable.
U of Miami utilizes a Ring of Honor rather than retiring jerseys, but Marc Buoniconti (paralysis) and Jerome Brown (killed in car accident) are not yet enshrined.
Comparisons with players killed in the line of military duty aren't really valid. We all like to joke about taking football seriously but the Pat Tillmans and Nile Kinnicks are a world apart for obvious reasons.
There's no easy way to resolve the issue. I was touched by Mullins' plight and post-injury struggles (having been seriously injured myself two years ago) but a cynic might wonder if this is pre-season emotion-stoking on the part of the AD/SID.
You sure had us sweating in Gainesville last year.
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