LSU Beats Old Miss in Game That Benefits Paralyzed Player

Tommy Hodson passed for three touchdowns and ran for another Saturday as Louisiana State held off Mississippi, 35-30, in a Southeastern Conference game.

Hodson, LSU’s all-time leading passer, passed for 381 yards as the Tigers improved to 2-6. Ole Miss, playing before a record crowd of 42,354 at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, dropped to 6-3.

Tailback Eddie Fuller caught two of Hodson’s touchdown passes, a 46-yard, first-quarter bomb to open the scoring and a 13-yarder in the second quarter.

Meanwhile, fans at Saturday’s game donated more than the expected $50,000 for a health-care plan for Ole Miss player Roy Lee (Chuckie) Mullins, who was paralyzed during a game last week. Final figures were not immediately available.

“We will go well beyond our minimum goal,” Ole Miss Chancellor Gerald Turner said.

The reserve defensive back was injured on Oct. 28 when he tackled a Vanderbilt receiver while breaking up a pass play. Mullins fractured the third, fourth, fifth and sixth vertebrae in his neck when he took a blow on the top of his head.

Ole Miss has set up a trust fund to help provide lifetime care for Mullins, and one student collected at least $17,000 on her trip through the record 42,354 fans, and $19,000 was collected in a sky box.

“The best thing about this is the united effort of people from all backgrounds,” said Turner, who also predicted the fund-raiser would exceed the $150,000 needed to set up a “significant endowment fund” for Mullins.

LSU officials donated money and other universities said they would send money for what he called a long-term recovery effort for the injured athlete.

Mullins reportedly had been able to sit up and listen to part of the game on radio.