Mullen shares thoughts on passing of Jack Cristil, upcoming showdown with South Alabama

Dan Mullen discussed his team’s next opponent, South Alabama, with the media Monday as he normally does at his weekly press conferences.

But Monday’s press conference was different. Before Mullen began talking about last weekend’s win over UAB or this week’s showdown with the Jaguars, he made sure to pay his respects to the late Jack Cristil, who passed away Sunday night at the age of 88.

Cristil is an immortalized figure in the Mississippi State community, having served as the “Voice of the Bulldogs” for 58 years from 1953-2011. Mullen shared his sorrows regarding Cristil’s passing in his opening statements Monday, speaking rather poignantly on the matter:

“I know that’s a huge loss. For everybody at Mississippi State, with the history and all that he had done as he passed away. He called 636 games. That’s an awful long time. … When that stuff happens people everywhere will have their memories of him and his moments and all the things that he’s done. He’s an institution to the university and I know Bulldogs everywhere have a heavy heart today with his passing. He’ll be remembered by everybody. That’s a Bulldog forever.”

Well said, Coach.

But Mullen didn’t stop there, recanting a few of his own memories of Cristil from when the two overlapped as coach and broadcaster for the 2009-2011 seasons. Here’s one about a weekly television show Mullen used to do with Cristil during the football season:

“The TV show, we were always pretty good at getting it done in one take every time. He was ready to go just as much as I was every once and a while. It’d be amazing. They’d be like ‘We have four minutes to tape here.’ And as soon as we’d be done he’d say ‘How long was that?’ That was 3 minutes, 59 seconds. I don’t know how you can keep track of that in your head.”

Just another example of what made Cristil a legend at Mississippi State and in the broadcasting industry.

Mullen eventually got back to talking about his Bulldogs and this week’s opponent, the South Alabama Jaguars. Here’s a rundown of what he said to the media Monday:

• Safety Justin Cox is questionable this week with a leg injury. He appears to be the only Bulldog who may be in jeopardy of missing Saturday’s game due to an injury as of Monday afternoon. Offensive lineman Jamal Clayborn will also miss Saturday’s game due to a death in the family.
• Mullen said he wants to see more consistency out of his team on offense, although he did note the team is second in the SEC with six different players registering a receiving touchdown in the first two week of the season.
• The head coach said of the Jags: “South Alabama doesn’t just have veterans. They have playmakers.” He was sure to note the Jaguars return their entire secondary from last season, which should make for a fun battle with the Bulldogs’ receivers.
• He also admitted he expects to see plenty of Maroon and White at his team’s first road game of the season, stating “we like to schedule road games where the families of our players can come watch them play.”
• Mullen also spoke highly of quarterback Dak Prescott and his eight touchdown passes through two games, as well as defensive end Preston Smith, who has two interceptions, a blocked field goal and a return touchdown in 2014. The head coach complimented Prescott on his preparation and in-game demeanor, and noted Smith has the ability to be “a really good every-down player” for MSU. “Smith is seeing the reward of hard work,” Mullen said.

Ethan Levine

A former newspaper reporter who has roamed the southeastern United States for years covering football and eating way too many barbecue ribs, if there is such a thing.