Why Chucky Mullins Award winner JJ Pegues is wearing two different numbers this season
One of the list bits of unknown information to come out of an Ole Miss preseason camp is which defensive player will be the Chuck Mullins Award recipient. The answer was revealed last Thursday when senior defensive lineman JJ Pegues earned the honor and learned of the good news.
An Oxford native, Pegues will be representing his home town and hometown school for one final season before making the jump to the NFL next year. Now, the honors have been added with the Mullins Award distinction.
“It means everything. Just me growing up (in Oxford) and hearing about the award at so young of an age it just means the world,” Pegues said on Monday when talking to local media. “To be able to honor (Mullins), his legacy and to be able to keep it going.”
Part of winning the award is wearing Mullins No. 38 throughout the season. In recent years that has fluctuated between wearing the jersey itself to players wearing a patch with No. 38 on their original jersey number.
Pegues is choosing a hybrid approach and has his own personal reasons for doing so. In home games he will wear No. 38 and for the five Ole Miss away games he will wear No. 89 with the No. 38 patch.
“My dad played college football and he was 89,” Pegues said. “In high school I always wanted to be 89 to represent him and the things he did for me. I just felt like to honor him on the road and I want to wear the 38. So to give the community what they want, what I want and just wear it at home.”
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He is the 34th recipient in the 35-year history of the Chucky Mullins Courage Award. Pegues is heavily active within the Lafayette-Oxford-University community, partaking in numerous community service events during his time at Ole Miss.
With Pegues unique skill set and abilities look for No. 38 to be playing on the offensive side of the ball for Ole Miss, too.
“To have JJ, a local product, win it is really neat,” said Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin. “He embodies a lot of that in his spirit and how he is as a teammate and how he brings others up.”
Pegues will have his first chance to wear No. 38 in front of the Oxford community on Saturday in the season opener against Furman at 6 p.m. CT.
