We Need More Chris Mullins In Sports

I read where Chris Mullin was voted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame today. If there was a Hall of Fame for good guys, Mullin would easily be a first ballot entry. I have never met Chris Mullin before but have two stories to make my case. I am sure if you asked around, you’d find hundreds others like these.

My nephew, Ryan, was once the ball boy for the Golden State Warriors in the early 90’s. It was a great job for any high school basketball junkie and Ryan was certainly one. One night, while I was pointing out to Ryan’s father, Tay, how I thought Ryan could land a scholarship because of his talent, he told me how his son became so good at hoops. Tay was maybe all of five eight while Ryan stood a good eight or nine inches taller. Tay told me how every chance he got, Chris Mullin would work with Ryan during shoot-arounds. We hear endless stories of professional athletes who treat ball boys, buffet line workers, and others associated with the team as lowly servants. It takes a special person who is as busy as a star athlete to take his own time to pass on his knowledge to a kid in high school.

My best man in my wedding, Dennis Brown, was once the head basketball coach at a small private college in the Bay Area, Holy Names University. One day, Mullin dropped by wanting to know if the gym was available for his annual basketball clinic. The school where he usually held it at had a scheduling conflict and Mullin was trying to find another site. The gym was available but after checking it out, Mullin noticed it only had one set of retractable baskets, the kind that can be raised to the ceiling when not in use and lowered when needed. Determined to hold his clinic, Mullin asked if the University would mind if he paid to have two more sets installed. He could have easily gone elsewhere but he probably figured here was an opportunity to not only help kids with his clinic but to also help out a small university with a tiny athletic budget.

In today’s world of self centered and self promoting athletes, we need more stories about guys like Chris Mullin. I am sure there are plenty others like Chris out there but, like Chris, they are too humble to make it public knowledge.