October 28, 1989.

Darryl Stingley. Mike Utley. Marc Buoniconti. Eric LeGrand. Devon Walker.

If you watch football, eventually you see the video replays of these former players when they were dramatically injured while giving their all on the gridiron. It's one thing to see it on television where  you can turn the station when you do not want to see the image any longer. It's another when you see it up close and personal. 

A little more than 23 years ago, I witnessed the worst sports event of my life in person. On October 28, 1989, in Oxford, Mississippi, I was a member of the Vanderbilt University football team. We were in Oxford for the Ole Miss Homecoming game. It was a spectacular fall day. Perfect day for SEC football. I was a senior backup quarterback and held for kicks.

After the opening kickoff, our QB, John Gromos, deftly moved the offense down field to the Ole Miss 12.  With 6:57 left in the first quarter, the Commodores had a third-and-goal situation, which is where we’ll let Ole Miss radio play-by-play announcer David Kellum give the call:
   
"Back to throw in the pocket, plenty of time. Wide open is Gaines! HE'S HIT, FUMBLES! Gaines is going to recover. NO! They say incomplete. Oh, I don't know about that one! Brad Gaines caught it at the 2, and he was plastered in the back. In fact, there's a Rebel down that hit him and shook him up. The ball popped loose. I think it was Chucky Mullins that made the hit."

At the beginning of the play I was standing near Head Coach Watson Brown and Mike Healey, another backup QB. Our job for that game was to call in the offensive play signals to Gromos. We were standing near the 30 yard line when the ball was snapped. Grom's pass to Gaines was a bit high, but Brad being an exceptional athlete had no trouble jumping up to grab it. However, at the same time the ball arrived so did #38 with a crushing hit.  Initially when Brad caught the ball Coach Brown immediately started to tell us the next play because it would have given us a fourth down inside the 3 yard line. We had momentum and did not want to slow down.

When the ball popped out after the hit, Coach Brown then called for the field goal team since it was now fourth down from the twelve yard line. We hustled onto the field to get into position. It was only after getting to the huddle did we realize that the Ole Miss player who caused the dropped pass was not getting up. It took another minute or so to realize that he was not moving at all. By then the Ole Miss training staff was on the field.

Standing in the huddle around the 15 yard line for several seconds was a weird experience because we really did not know what we should do. Stay in the huddle. Ask the refs for an explanation. Talk with the concerned Ole Miss players. Head back to the sidelines.  Standing in the huddle we could hear the urgency in the players yelling for the training staff and talking with with Mullins. We could not hear Mullins, but once the crowd had quieted the training staff's discussions could be overheard.

The longer Mullins was on the field the quieter it became in the stadium.  Soon it was dead silence. He never moved as he was being attended to by the Ole Miss training staff. Within another few minutes the stretcher board was brought onto the field and then the ambulance arrived. Eventually Mullins was taken off the field. As he was leaving, the field the stadium crowd applauded respectively, but there was no acknowledgment by Mullins. This was not a good sign.

After that awful play, we did line up for the field goal. While I do not recall if the kick was good,  I do recall being unconcerned with the rest of the game with my mind preoccupied about Mullins. We eventually lost 24-16, but it really did not matter that day. Sometime later we learned that the hit left Chucky with four shattered vertebrae and eventually paralyzed from the neck down.

Tragedies such as this rarely have silver linings, but Mullins' injury galvanized the Ole Miss community and brought together all kinds of people, black, white, rich and poor. A fund was started to help take care of Chucky and to buy him a house that was equipped with the facilities that he would need. In fact the caring didn't just stop in Oxford, it stretched throughout the entire SEC. At each of the conference's stadiums volunteers collected money for Chucky's fund. Ultimately more than $1 mil. was raised.

Two months after his injury Chucky was wheeled into Memphis' Liberty Bowl where the Rebs were meeting Air Force in the '89 Liberty Bowl game. The emotionally charged moment inspired Ole Miss, and they went on to crush the Falcons 42-29. Mullins later returned to Ole Miss on June 20, 1990 to complete his undergraduate studies.

Chucky unfortunately died as result of his injury in May of 1991. But his memory will always remain. Each Spring the "Chucky Mullins Courage Award" is given to the top Rebel defensive back,who then has the honor of wearing Chucky's number 38 the following season. Several of the players honored to wear #38 have gone on to play in the NFL, including Patrick Willis of the 49ers who might be the best defensive player playing right now. 

Although I have lost touch with Brad since graduating, it has been reported often about his friendship with Chucky and the struggles Brad has dealt with since the play. Every year since Mullins' death, Gaines, alone, visits and maintains his friend's gravesite three times a year: May 6 (the anniversary of Mullins' death), October 28 (the anniversary of the injury) and December 25. Brad  continues this personal tradition to this day. A few years ago ESPN did a feature on that play and the two men involved. The friendship, Brad's guilt and his devout dedication to Chucky ever since. Check it out here: Chucky Mullins and Brad Gains Story From ESPN

While plays like this a very rare, when they do happen it certainly gets your attention. It gives you good reason to pause, reflect and to remember. It is certainly something I will never forgot.

The Sports Guy

Why it is so hard to be a Vanderbilt football fan.*

So you know ... I grew up in south Alabama rootin’ for the Tide. RTR! However, as a high school junior in 1984, I watched Vanderbilt defeat Alabama at it’s homecoming game in Tuscaloosa. Little did I know that two years later those Commodores would become my teammates. 

Now I root for the Dores, in all sports and against all schools. I am proud of my school, my years on campus, my teammates, my degree, and the opportunities I have been afforded from my education. 

Vanderbilt gridiron teams before WWII were traditionally very strong. A powerhouse program for many years, Vanderbilt regularly whipped bigger schools and had many successful seasons. In fact, the 1920 and 1921 teams, led by legendary coach Dan McGugin, were undefeated and recognized as National Champs. (1) 

However, the post-war era has not been as kind to the Commodores or to its fans. In almost 130 years of Vanderbilt football, only nine teams have played in bowl games. Only three of those bowls came between 1890-2007.

I played during the Watson Brown era, 1986-1989. Our teams were historically typical as we won only nine games during those four seasons. Our biggest win was a 24-9 victory over Emmitt Smith and the Florida Gators. This game was a pre-SEC network match-up in 1988 on regional TV, and we wore the most unfortunate pee-yellow jerseys. In 1989, we played in perhaps one of the most tragic college football games when Chuckie Mullins, an Ole Miss defensive back, was paralyzed. (2)

Since 2008, Vanderbilt has been to six bowl games, and this past decade has certainly been the most productive in a century. No longer do teams just expect to roll over Vanderbilt. In fact, the Dores have beaten almost every SEC team during these last ten years. (Have you noticed that the Dores have beaten that orange team from Knoxville four of the past six years?) There has also been much individual success. For several years lately Commodores have been making NFL rosters (Cutler, Bennett, Stacy, Cunningham, Hal, Matthews, Butler, etc.). Some have had notable careers, including All-Pro selections and Super Bowls. Perhaps these are some of the reasons why Vanderbilt fans have developed heightened expectations. (3)

By mid-August each year optimism abounds at the McGugin Center on Jess Neely Drive. The upcoming football season certainly will be a success. Returning starters are lauded. The incoming talented new players look sharp and hope to contribute. The schedule is closely analyzed and debated while looking for enough wins for bowl eligibility. The current head coach is the best one yet. Emotions run high inside the program and for most followers of the team.

However, reality sets in once the ball kicks off in the scorching August weather. By late September, freshmen students who arrived before kickoff at the home opener most likely arrive closer to halftime (if at all) at remaining home games. Even before midterms, all is not well on Dudley Field at Vanderbilt Stadium. 

Home field advantage is virtually nonexistent. Home game stands against SEC schools are usually 70-80% red (Bama, Georgia), orange (Tennessee, Auburn, Florida) or blue (Ole Miss, Kentucky). Black and Gold sits behind the home sidelines, student section, and sprinkled around the stadium. It’s almost always been this way. We just do not have a very large fan base who attend the games. Did you see the stands this past weekend when Georgia invaded the stadium? Looked like 90% Dawgs in the stands. Nothing is more frustrating and disheartening for the players--past or present--and the fans.

Roster depth has always been an issue with the team. Most of the first team can compete against just about anyone on any given Saturday. It’s the second and third team depth, or actually, lack of, is what leads to problems. Competing in the best conference in the country leads to very little room for error. SEC rosters are full of 3⭐, 4⭐and 5⭐studs. With its rigorous academic requirements, Vanderbilt University does not have the luxury of recruiting many such players. As such, being the conference doormat was just assumed for many decades. 

Historically Vanderbilt football has been housed in an outdated facility that lacks the modern amenities of top programs. While Vanderbilt does boast being an elite academic institution, playing in the best conference, and located in an outstanding city, most recruits will be turned off from enrolling at Vanderbilt due to substandard facilities and probably the worst stadium in the country. 

Gridiron success has never been a priority on the institutional level. As a founding member of the Southeastern Conference, Vanderbilt enjoys the financial rewards of its annual payouts. ($43+ mil in 2018). Where does this money go? I am highly encouraged by our new athletics director‘s approach to modernizing the sports facilities on campus, including the stadium. He recognizes that all three of the major sports, basketball, baseball and football, must upgrade in order to compete. I have read several positive articles in the past few months. 

I do not want this article to sound like I am down on the athletics department or the football program--far from it. I am highly encouraged at the direction they have been going this decade. Maybe heightened expectations are a good thing. I just want us to keep winning the games that we should and occasionally surprise some teams along the way. Going to a bowl game each season is not such a bad thing! 

Anchor Down!      

Bernard 

*Since I played for Vanderbilt in the late 1980s and have followed the football program for more than 30 years, I feel somewhat of a sense of obligation to write this blog. I do not speak for any other fans. These are my words, observations, and experiences. Please do not allow my comments to appear otherwise. 

(1) Berryman QPRS, also known as the Berryman Quality Point Rating System is a mathematical rating system developed by Clyde P. Berryman to rate sports teams and competitors. The Berryman QPRS system considers strength of schedule, win-loss record, points scored, and points allowed. The Berryman QPRS is one of the rating systems used to select historic national champions that is recognized by the NCAA in its Football Bowl Subdivision record book.

(2) I have previously written about my experience from that game here: October 28, 1989.

(3) Don’t even get me started talking about Jimmy Frank: A letter to Coach James Franklin. However, with NCAA National Championships in bowling (2007, 2018) tennis (2015) and VandyBoys in 2014 and 2019, Vanderbilt fans are getting used to the success!

Tide thumps Vols. New Member Weekend. Avondale Tutoring Club.

Hey sportsfans!

Another fun week of sports and sports-like activities to report.  

Sid's tours of college campuses continued this past weekend when she invaded Tuscaloosa to root the Tide on to victory over the Tennessee Volunteers. The Tide cruised to a 45-10 victory.

While Sid was in T-Town, Em was with her 9th grade buds at the BBYO New Members Weekend. Held at picturesque Camp Cosby in Talladega on Lake Logan Martin, kids from several southern cities were together for the weekend.

Each Monday for the past three years, Sid and friends have meet at our neighborhood library to help tutor the students from the nearby Avondale Elementary School. The Altamont students in the Avondale Tutoring Club do homework, play games, make projects and eat snacks with the younger students. It has been a rewarding experience for Sid, so much so that she brought Em into the tutoring club this year. Very proud of both girls for this work.  

Anyone hotter or more clutch than Big Papi? David Ortiz is an awesome post-season hitter. He's loaded the Bosox on his back in the World Series. Fun to watch. They could clinch the title tomorrow night in Fenway. It would be the first time the Red Sox will have celebrated a World Championship in Fenway since 1918 with Babe Ruth. I'm sure Michael Wacha and the Cardinals will not just rollover to let that happen. Would love the see Game 7 in Fenway on Halloween. Imagine the costumes in the stands!

Sid is competing this weekend in the Walter Trumbauer Festival. "Trumbauer", as it’s affectionately known, is an annual Alabama secondary theatre festival, one of the largest such events in the southeast region. Now in its 71st year, the festival is named after Walter Trumbauer, a former theatre professor at The University of Montevallo who taught theatre for many years. "Trumbauer" celebrates the high school theatre experience. Students from 9th through 12th grades compete in 28 individual performance and/or technical theatre events. Scholarships are awarded to the winners. Break a leg, Sid!

Gotta love Mike & Mike.: Cookies!

A very nice article on this year's Chucky Mullins award winner: Mike Marry.

Hoops games begin in two weeks for Em and the Altamont girls. Looking for big things from #3.
Butterfingers are my fav. I'm taking donations beginning tonight.
Still pondering my Halloween costume. Suggestions?
Ready for the fall weather to stay here. Rollercoaster weather is for the birds.
Lots of family birthdays coming up. Cake!

Have a great week everyone!
The Sports Guy