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Ole Miss defensive end John Youngblood was named the 2016 Chucky Mullins Courage Award winner on Saturday.
The senior will be the 26th player to don the Rebels’ No. 38 jersey next season in honor of former Ole Miss player Chucky Mullins, who passed away in 1991 after sustaining injuries during a game in 1989 which left him paralyzed.
Youngblood was selected for the award from a pool of seniors by Hugh Freeze and the Ole Miss coaching staff.
“This is a great honor,” Youngblood said. “I’m a little numb right now and I know my teammates were also worthy of this honor. I’m humbled and honored to be wearing Chucky’s number.”
Youngblood will be a fifth-year senior in 2016 after contributing 19 tackles during 13 Ole Miss games in 2015.
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For those who are not aware of the criteria and origin for the award, here is an excerpt from Ole Miss’ official website:
In the spring of 1990, the Phi Beta Sigma fraternity at Ole Miss initiated the Chucky Mullins Courage Award to be given each spring to a defensive player, who 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. Recipients are presented the award at the Chucky Mullins Courage Award banquet, with the proceeds from the banquet going to a special fund created to help Ole Miss students that are involved in serious accidents.
Each award recipient receives a framed Mullins jersey and has the honor of wearing Mullins’ No. 38 on the field the following season. In 2006, the number was officially retired, joining Archie Manning’s No. 18 as the only retired numbers in the Rebels’ storied football history. A 38 patch, rather than the jersey number, was worn from 2006 until 2010. The decision was made in March 2011 for the jersey to remain retired and be worn only by the Chucky Mullins Courage Award winner each year.
Nick Cole is a former print journalist with several years of experience covering the SEC. Born and raised in SEC country, he has taken in the game-day experience at all 14 stadiums.
