Former Ole Miss coach Billy Brewer dies

OXFORD — Billy Brewer, who played at Ole Miss in the late 1950s and coached the Rebels for 11 seasons, died at the age of 83 Saturday following a brief illness.

Brewer, a Columbus native, coached Ole Miss from 1983 to 1993 and went 67-56-3 in those 11 seasons, which included three bowl victories and two top-25 finishes. He was the second-winningest coach in program history. Brewer will be inducted into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame later this year.

Health became a concern when Brewer suffered a stroke and was checked into Baptist Memorial Hospital in Oxford in February.

"It was a shocker today when I heard (the news) when I was out here in Florida," said Brewer's former teammate Jake Gibbs. "Billy was a great football player, very knowledgeable. He understood the game, he was a great quarterback, great defensive player, a great team man. Just great to be around."

“As a coach and player, Billy Brewer shared a love for Ole Miss that was unparalleled,” said Ole Miss head coach Matt Luke in a statement. “He was greatly admired by his players and his teammates and will forever be engrained in the history of Rebel Football. Our prayers go out to the Brewer family and all of Rebel Nation during this time.”

STORY CONTINUES AFTER GALLERY

Brewer, a standout defensive back at Ole Miss, was drafted by the Washington Redskins in the 20th round of the 1959 NFL draft.

He returned to his alma mater as the head coach in 1983 after stints at Southeastern Louisiana and Louisiana Tech. The Ole Miss Spirit's Chuck Rounsaville began covering the Rebels in 1982 and was there every step of the way for Brewer's 11-season tenure.

"First, I'm going to remember him as a great Rebel," Rounsaville said. "He was all about Ole Miss in everything he did. That was our connection as well. Through the years we maintained a strong friendship because of our affection and caring for Ole Miss."

Brewer won eight games in '86, and was named SEC Coach of the Year that season, and again in '89.

It was against Vanderbilt in '89 when late defensive back Chucky Mullins suffered an injury which left him paralyzed. Mullins passed away on May 6, 1991 and Brewer delivered the eulogy at Mullins' funeral service.

Brewer decided to honor Mullins by having a deserving player wear his jersey number. Today, Ole Miss honors him every year by giving the Chucky Mullins Courage Award to a defensive player who most embodies Mullins' spirit.

“Billy Brewer’s life was about much more than football. He truly cared for the young men he brought into the Ole Miss football program and wanted them to graduate and succeed in life," said longtime former Ole Miss sports information director Langston Rogers. "He touched so many lives and his players loved him. He started the walk through the Grove and was admired by the way he responded following the injury and later death of Chucky Mullins, including making sure Chucky’s legacy remained by having a deserving player wear his uniform number 38, a tradition which continues today.”

Brewer went 9-3 in '90 and '92 and with wins in the Gator Bowl and Liberty Bowl, respectively, to go along with a top-25 finish in each of those seasons.

"He dearly loved Ole Miss and he thought it was his job to win. To do whatever he could do to win and that's what he did," longtime Mississippi sports columnist Rick Cleveland said. "He faced tremendous odds when he got there. The facilities weren't up to grade with everybody else he was trying to beat. He was fighting against all odds trying to win."

There were NCAA issues in Brewer's tenure. In '86, a two-year NCAA investigation found that Ole Miss committed recruiting violations, which led to a postseason ban and a live television ban for the '87 season.

The university was placed on probation, received a two-year postseason ban and a one-year television ban in '94 for additional violations under Brewer, who was fired before the sanctions were handed down that year.

"I hate the way that it ended for him at Ole Miss," Cleveland said. "But he always trying to do what he thought his job was to do at Ole Miss."

"There were ups and downs but he was always very good when his back was against the wall," Rounsaville said. "He was a fighter. He was a survivor and his love of Ole Miss is what separated him and carried him through."

Brewer passed away at Trezevant Manor in Memphis. He was retired and living in Oxford. Brewer had two sons – Brett and Gunter – and five grandchildren.

A memorial service has been scheduled for Brewer at The Pavilion for Saturday at 1 p.m. and a private family service will be held at Gunter-Peel Funeral Home in Columbus on Sunday.

In a release, the university wrote that in lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Palmer Home in Columbus, Oxford-University United Methodist Church or the M-Club Scholarship Fund at the University of Mississippi.