OXFORD, Miss. – As part of Grove Bowl Week festivities, the Chucky Mullins Courage Award banquet will be Thursday, April 19, and CBS analyst and former Oklahoma All-American Spencer Tillman will serve as guest speaker.
Emceed by the “Voice of the Rebels” David Kellum, the event is set for 7 p.m. CT in the Indoor Practice Facility on the Ole Miss campus, and tickets go on sale Monday (April 2) at the UM Box Office by stopping by the Student Union location, calling 662-915-7411 or ordering online at www.olemiss.edu/depts/tickets.
Tickets for the Chucky Mullins Courage Award Banquet are $25 for the general public and $15 in advance for Ole Miss students with a valid student ID ($20 at the door). For more information or for banquet sponsorship opportunities for corporations and local businesses, contact Julius Minor at 662-380-0645.
Presented at the banquet will be the 23rd annual Chucky Mullins Courage Award, which goes to an upperclassman defensive player at Ole Miss who will have the honor of wearing Mullins’ No. 38 on the field during the 2012 football season.
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 21 at 1 p.m. at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium/ Hollingsworth Field.
In addition to Tillman’s speech, attendees to this year’s banquet will be addressed by first-year head coach Hugh Freeze and see video highlights of many former award winners offering their reflections on Chucky Mullins and the significance of the honor.
Spencer, a published author, has most recently served as the lead studio analyst for CBS Sports’ coverage of college football. In his first two full seasons at CBS, he also served as reporter for the network’s coverage of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. Spencer is also the color commentator for the Houston Texans.
A freshman All-American running back for Oklahoma (1982-86), Spencer was captain of the 1985 national championship team. He was the recipient of many awards, including UPI Player of the Year in the Big Eight Conference in 1982, Big Eight Football Newcomer of the Year in 1983 and most valuable player of the 1987 Orange Bowl. He completed his career with the Sooners with 2,257 yards on 434 carries, for 5.2 yards per carry, ranking him 12th on OU’s career rushing list.
After being drafted and serving as team captain for the Houston Oilers (1987-88), Tillman was traded to the San Francisco 49ers, where he stayed for three years (1989-91), won a Super Bowl in 1989 and served as team captain in 1990. In 1992, he was traded back to Houston, where he completed his football career in 1994 after eight years in the NFL.
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), Kentrell Lockett (2010) and D.T. Shackelford (2011).
Other events of Grove Bowl Week are the Rebels’ Choice Awards on Monday, April 16; a free concert in The Grove with Gavin DeGraw and special guest Craig Morgan on Friday, April 20 and a weekend baseball series against Arkansas.