Mullins’ life and legacy affected many
Chucky Mullins is someone who had a great impact on many people in the Russellville area, but it was quite evident this past Friday that his influence reached much farther than the borders of Franklin County.
Members of the Russellville High School class of 1988 held the 5th Annual Chucky Mullins Memorial Golf Tournament at Twin Pines Country Club on Friday – an event that serves to raise money for the memorial scholarship established by the Class of ’88 and given out in Mullins’ memory each year.
In addition to the many local supporters who show up for the tournament each time it is held, there were a few very special guests in attendance this year.
Trea Southerland, Scott Swatzell, and Jody Hill, who were all members of the freshman class that played football with Mullins at Ole Miss, made it a point to come out to the tournament and show their support for their fallen teammate and friend.
“Chucky was a great friend of ours and was one of the biggest blessings to me and to so many other people,” Swatzell said.
“I’ve never met anyone else quite like Chucky. When we heard about the tournament, we were more than glad to come support it and do anything we could to help.”
Hill, who is currently writing a book about Mullins’ life entitled “38”, said it was amazing to see how much the local community still cares about preserving Mullins’ memory.
“Chucky was loved by so many people, and impacted more people that we will probably ever know,” Hill said.
“I was enamored with his spirit and with trying to understand what made him tick – what made him be able to respond to the adversity in his life the way that he did.
“He had such resilience and such an undying attitude. He didn’t let his circumstances dictate how he handled anything. I was proud to have known him.”
Mullins’ classmate, Rosell Hamilton, said it was touching that Mullins’ college teammates would make an effort to be part of this local tournament.
“Chucky was like a brother, and our class established this tournament as a way to honor his memory by also helping out another child,” she said.
“We appreciate his teammates coming and everyone else who supported the tournament this year and in years’ past.”