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The University of Mississippi Athletics
McCluster, NFL Panel Part Of Grove Bowl Weekend
3/25/2010 | Football
OXFORD, Miss. - Dexter McCluster headlines a group of former Ole Miss Rebels set to take part in an awards ceremony and panel discussion on the National Football League during 2010 Grove Bowl festivities.
Hours before kickoff of the annual spring game, "Path to the Draft: Ole Miss to the NFL" will be held April 17 at 11 a.m. CT on the Grove stage and will be emceed by CBS Sports' Tim Brando.
In the event of bad weather, the ceremony will be moved inside Fulton Chapel.
Joining McCluster for the Q&A and slated to be honored are former Rebels Chris Spencer, Charlie Anderson, Jesse Mitchell and Jason Cook.
Spencer was the 26th overall selection in the first round of the 2005 NFL Draft and has started 54 games over the past four years with the Seattle Seahawks. A 2004 draft pick of the Houston Texans, Anderson is entering his seventh NFL season and third with the Miami Dolphins.
Mitchell signed with the Baltimore Ravens out of college in 2004, but a knee injury quickly ended his playing days. He then pursued a career in law and is currently an attorney with Baker Donelson in Jackson, Miss.
Cook concluded his Ole Miss career in 2008 and entered the pro ranks as a free-agent signee with Baltimore. However, after not making the Ravens roster in preseason, Cook chose a different path and is working in Ole Miss FCA as football chaplain.
"We are always excited about our former student-athletes coming back to campus," said Jamil Northcutt, Ole Miss Assistant Athletics Director. "Our Grove Stage programs over the past couple of years have helped us celebrate the on and off the field accomplishments of our former players. Most importantly, the panel discussions have given our community and fans an opportunity to meet the people who were inside the Ole Miss helmets, hats, and uniforms."
Previous Grove Stage ceremonies have included Eli Manning and Patrick Willis in 2008 and Michael Oher and Peria Jerry in 2009.
"Seeing those guys come back to the Grove Bowl shows that they haven't forgotten where they came from, and that's something I want to do," McCluster said. "It's an honor to be mentioned like that, and I'm ready to come back and show the fans how much I love them and that I bleed Red and Blue."
Head football coach Houston Nutt, who will take part in the event, said this year's ceremony could have the same type impact as the Manning-Willis Day that was held during Nutt's first spring in Oxford.
"There's nothing like former players coming back," Nutt said. "The fans want to see them, and the players are excited to see them. It's going to be an awesome atmosphere."
Other events surrounding Grove Bowl weekend include the Chucky Mullins Courage Award Banquet, which will be held Thursday, April 15 at the Indoor Practice Facility.
Grove Bowl 2010 is the culmination of the team's spring practices, which begin Saturday. The game kicks off April 17 at 1 p.m. at Vaught Hemingway Stadium.
Sponsored by the M-Club Alumni Chapter, the game benefits the J.W. "Wobble" Davidson Scholarship Fund, which aids the children of former Ole Miss letterwinners.
For more information or for assistance related to a disability, call 662-915-7375.
