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The University of Mississippi Athletics
FRIDAY FLASHBACK: Ole Miss - Vanderbilt 1989
9/5/2014 | Football
FRIDAY FLASHBACK rewinds to some of the memorable Ole Miss games from this week's all-time series. This week features the Rebels' 24-16 win over Vanderbilt in 1989 that is remembered more for what the Rebels lost than what they won.
Ole Miss 24, Vanderbilt 16: Mullins' injury turns Reb smiles to tears
By Billy Watkins, The Clarion-Ledger
October 29, 1989
OXFORD - Chris Mitchell didn't see the play.
"I heard it," he said. Rebel defensive back Roy Lee "Chuckie" Mullins had dislodged Vanderbilt receiver Brad Gaines from a John Gromos pass at the Ole Miss 2-yard line with a devastating hit.
"I knew it was a good lick from the way it sounded," said Mitchell, who was in "man" coverage across the field. "I went running over to congratulate him. When I got there, he was just laying there moaning. He wasn't moving, just moaning.
"I've had pinched nerves in my shoulder before, and I was hoping that's what it was."
Rebel trainer Leroy Mullins (no relation) was one of the first to reach Chuckie.
"He never lost consciousness," Leroy said. "He just said, 'I don't feel nothing. I can't feel my arms, nothing.'"
Leroy Mullins went through the appropriate medical checklist. He pinched Chuckie's arms and legs. No response.
"He did have some sensation in the chest area," Leroy said.
Chuckie's facemask was removed "in case he went into respiratory arrest," Leroy said. Then Chuckie Mullins was loaded onto a stretcher and later flown by helicopter to Baptist Central Hospital in Memphis. The official diagnosis: A fractured dislocation of the cervical spine. In non-medical terms, that means Chuckie Mullins' neck was broken.
What could've been one of the happiest days in recent Ole Miss football history - the Rebels' 24-16 victory over Vanderbilt moved them to 6-2 overall and 3-1 in the SEC - turned into a sickening dose of reality.
Chuckie Mullins, No. 38, is a redshirt freshman from Russellville, Ala. He stands 6 feet, 170 pounds. He turned 20 years old last July 8.
He had become an integral part of the Rebel defense, the extra defensive back added in passing situations.
According to the chart in the Ole Miss dressing room, Mullins had earned seven "Rebel Awards" for outstanding plays. He had learned the roller-coaster world of the secondary the past two weeks. He knocked down a pass in the end zone to save a touchdown in the Rebels' victory over Georgia; he was burned for what could've been the decisive touchdown last week against Tulane.
"He got really upset with himself about that touchdown at Tulane," said Chuck Driesbach, Mullins' position coach. "He had practiced extremely hard this week, trying to improve."
Driesbach's face was expressionless. His eyes were red.
"Chuckie was - is - a guy who really loves football," Driesbach said. "Football was important to him. No matter what drill we were doing, whether it was raining, whether it was cold, Chuckie was having fun.
"He played the game the way it was meant to be played. He would get after your ass in a minute. He didn't know the difference between a practice play and a game play. That lick he made today, he would've done the same thing in practice."
In the Vanderbilt dressing room, Gaines limped slowly from the trainer's room back to his locker. He shook hands with a reporter. "What you got?" he asked, easing himself down on a stool.
When informed that Mullins had suffered a broken neck, Gaines grimaced. Several Vandy players at nearby lockers froze in concern.
"Oh, no," Gaines mumbled. "Man, he really tattooed me … oh, no … I've got to get in touch with him somehow."
Inside the red-carpeted Rebel locker room, there was silence. Running showers, an occasional whisper, a muffled sob were the only sounds.
"Chuckie's an All-American kind of guy," Chris Mitchell said quietly. "Anybody would love him. He's a fun-loving guy who doesn't have an enemy on the team.
"He hustles every day in practice. He never complains. He smiles and makes others smile."
The concern was genuine.
"Usually, when players come off the field, they're asking me, 'Coach, what do we do if they're in this set?'" Driesbach said. "But more than one would always ask, 'Have you heard anything about Chuckie? How's Chuckie?'"
Rebel coach Billy Brewer informed the team of Mullins' condition immediately after the game. A special prayer was said. Tears were shed.
"It could've been me," Mitchell said. "But we've got to go on. We've got to play football, that's the bottom line."
Nobody mentioned next week's game with LSU, one of the most important Ole Miss has faced in a long, long time.
Their minds and hearts were elsewhere late Saturday afternoon.