Nate Wayne Special Guest at 2015 Chucky Mullins Courage Award Ceremony

Photo courtesy UM Communications

Former Chucky Mullins Courage Award winner and NFL linebacker Nate Wayne will be the featured guest at this year’s award ceremony on the Ole Miss campus.

The Chucky Mullins Courage Award ceremony, presented by the M-Club, will be held at the Grill at 1810 inside the Manning Center on Saturday morning, April 11.

Tickets are $15 and can be purchased online or by calling 888-REB-TKTS.

Breakfast will begin at 8 a.m. CT, followed by the ceremony emceed by radio and television personality Richard Cross. The Regions Bank Grove Bowl game will kick off at noon later that day.

Wayne was a four-year letterman at linebacker for the Rebels and the 1997 recipient of the Chucky Mullins award. As a co-captain of the team that year, he helped lead Ole Miss to an 8-4 record and a win over Marshall in the Motor City Bowl.

Following his graduation with a criminal justice degree, Wayne was selected in the seventh round of the 1998 NFL Draft and enjoyed an eight-year pro career with the Denver Broncos, Green Bay Packers, Philadelphia Eagles and Detroit Lions.

Several other former winners are expected to be on hand for the occasion, as well.

Presented at the breakfast will be the 26th 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 2015 football season.

The recipient, which is chosen by the Rebel coaching staff, will also be recognized during on-field ceremonies at the Regions Bank Grove Bowl game.

In addition to the announcement of this year’s award winner, attendees to the breakfast will hear from 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.

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), Deterrian Shackelford (2011 and 2014), Jason Jones (2012) and Mike Marry (2013).

Other events surrounding the Regions Bank Grove Bowl include Ole Miss Softball hosting Georgia in a weekend series and the women’s tennis team hosting Mississippi State on Saturday.