Wingate, N.C.----One of 15 college graduates on the 2021 Wingate University football team, long snapper Tucker Mullis ('21) has the shortest drive home for weekends, holidays and breaks. The Marshville native lives 17 miles from the Wingate campus. A 2021 CoSIDA Academic All-America, Mullis does not regret his decision to stay home for college.
 
"Wingate was one of the few schools that would allow me to play football and participate in track and field," Mullis says. "I was fortunate to receive much recruiting attention for football, but I wanted to try my hand at both sports."
 
Opportunities
 
Mullis saw potential in the academic and athletic opportunities his now-alma mater could provide him. "I thought Wingate was a top-notch choice," the Piedmont High School product says. "Folks in my community would say 'everyone from Piedmont ends up at Wingate.'"
 
"I believe there were people who thought Wingate was not special enough for me," Mullis says. "I never felt this way. When I came for my recruiting visit, Wingate felt like home. Once I came to campus…and met the coaches, the professors and my future teammates…I knew Wingate was the place for me. I couldn't imagine being anywhere else."
 
"Unfinished business"
 
The global pandemic rearranged Mullis' senior year. The 2020 football season was cancelled, as Wingate would eventually play an abbreviated spring schedule. The Bulldogs played four games without several key players. "I wanted to play one more full season and try to end my career on a high note," Mullis says.
 
"My teammates and I believe we didn't play to our full potential last spring," Mullis says. By his own admission, Mullis believes Wingate has unfinished business. The NCAA granted all fall 2020 student-athletes an additional year of eligibility, giving the four-year starter one more chance to play under the lights at Irwin Belk Stadium and John R. Martin Field.
 
Double duty
 
A two-sport standout for the Navy Blue and Vegas Gold-clad Bulldogs, Mullis is an All-South Atlantic Conference and All-Southeast Region thrower for the track and field team. He made the CoSIDA Academic All-District III track and field squad this past spring.
 
Mullis will participate in outdoor track and field only in 2022. With his football career behind him, Mullis will concentrate on track and field (both indoor and outdoor) during the 2022-23 school year. He has an opportunity to break the school's shot put record.
 
Mullis would love to add a SAC track and field championship ring to his jewelry collection, as he was a freshman on the 2017 Wingate football team that won the SAC title and made the first of three consecutive NCAA playoff appearances.
 
'Wingate Tough'
 
His teammates believe Mullis has the grit and determination to make his dreams come true. "Tucker Mullis is the definition of Wingate Tough," redshirt sophomore kicker/punter Hayden Kilgore says. "He constantly strives to be the best student-athlete he possibly can, whether that be on the football field, on the track or in the classroom."

Kilgore and his WU teammates notice the countless hours of hard work Mullis puts in to achieve his goals. The Jefferson, Georgia native thinks Mullis has the intangibles as well. "Tucker is one of the nicest people you will ever meet," Kilgore says. "His leadership makes him an outstanding teammate. When I was a freshman, Tucker was an outstanding person to emulate…and he continues to be a great role model to this day."
 
Competitive nature
 
Kilgore has witnessed first-hand Mullis' competitive nature. "Tucker constantly challenges the punters to competitions," Kilgore says. "He wants to see who can punt the ball the farthest. On a good day, Tucker will hit some of the most impressive punts I have ever seen. Sometimes, he will win these competitions with little or no practice. Personally, I believe there are no limits to what Tucker can do."
 
Passion for his sport and his teammates
 
Graduate student Billy Edwards (Marshville, N.C.) has had a unique perspective, as he has been Mullis' track and field teammate for four years. During the spring of 2021, Edwards served a dual role of player and coach, as he assisted the track and field staff as a student assistant coach.
 
"As a teammate, I have heard Tucker's voice echo across the track as he screams for his teammates," Edwards says. "As his track & field (throws) coach, I have watched him finish a conditioning workout and then go back with his teammates and push them to finish."
 
"Most notably, as Tucker's friend, I have witnessed him go out of his way to care for those in need," Edwards says. "He may have the reputation (among friends) as the toughest dude in the room, but Tucker doesn't hold his head above everyone else or act like he is the toughest guy around. Tucker meets people where they are and helps them become what they can be."
 
'Character guy'
 
In an earlier interview, Wingate head football coach Joe Reich said Mullis was one of the smartest and most reliable student-athletes he has ever coached. The veteran Bulldog mentor says Mullis is one of his "top five all-time character guys."
 
Mullis knows it is important to help others, as he serves as a member of the New Salem Volunteer Fire Department. He wants to do everything he can to make the Bulldogs successful this football season, but he doesn't take for granted the chance he is getting to complete an MBA in the process.
 
"The chance to come back and get a master's degree was very appealing to me," Mullis says. He knows this opportunity will set him up for a brighter future. Down the road, Mullis sees himself finding a steady job in the business/management industry. "Wherever I go, I want to fill a leadership role…and make the business more successful. Wingate has given me all the tools I need."
 
The Tucker Mullis file
 
- Mullis has started every game he has played at long snapper (37-of-37)
- In 2019, he helped placekicker McLean Robertson earn All-SAC and All-Region honors
- Robertson made a SAC-best 16 field goals during the 2019 season
- In 2018, Mullis saw Robertson and punter Chris Birozes make All-SAC
- Wingate won a NCAA playoff game at West Georgia in 2018
- Mullis started as a true freshman in 2017
- He is an All-SAC and All-SER thrower on Wingate's track and field team
- He has earned Academic All-District® III in track and field twice
- Mullis graduated this past May with a degree in management (3.82 GPA)
 
Wingate University
 
Founded in 1896, Wingate University is a laboratory of difference-making that serves more than 3,600 students in North Carolina. Wingate offers 37 undergraduate majors as well as eight master's and five doctoral degrees. The University is home to the Cannon College of Arts and Sciences; the Levine College of Health Sciences; the Byrum School of Business; and the College of Professional Studies, which includes the Thayer School of Education and the School of Sport Sciences.
 
Wingate is a leader in healthcare education, and nearly one in five Wingate undergraduate students is preparing to be a pharmacist, physician assistant, physical therapist, occupational therapist or nurse. Student-athletes on Wingate's 23 teams compete in NCAA Division II and have brought home the SAC Echols Athletic Excellence Award for 13 years straight. The University's motto is "Faith, Knowledge, Service." View current news and videos at www.wingate.edu.