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<\/p>\nOXFORD, Miss. – With four Olympic gold medals and eight world championships, Michael Johnson was just the man for Dexter McCluster to turn to after the University of Mississippi senior timed a disappointing 4.58 seconds in the 40-yard dash at the National Football League combines.<\/p>\n
\nAnd training with the “world’s fastest man” paid off for McCluster. Wearing bright yellow Nikes, a gift from Johnson, McCluster shaved nearly 0.2 seconds off his 40-yard sprint recently at Ole Miss Pro Day.<\/p>\n
“I knew I didn’t have the time I wanted at the combines, so that’s why I came out here to Ole Miss Pro Day,” said McCluster, who has had individual workouts with several NFL teams. “I’m really pleased with the day that I had out here today, and I had fun doing it.”<\/p>\n
To celebrate McCluster’s Ole Miss accomplishments and his projected second- to third-round NFL selection, UM is honoring the running back-wide receiver at “Path to the Draft: Ole Miss to the NFL” at 11 a.m. April 17 on the Grove stage, just hours before the annual spring football game.<\/p>\n
“It means a lot,” said McCluster, who garnered back-to-back Cotton Bowl MVP awards in 2009 and 2010. “It’s an honor to be mentioned like that, and I’m ready to come back and show the fans how much I love them and that I bleed red and blue.”<\/p>\n
Training in McKinley, Texas, after the combines, Johnson helped McCluster tweak his technique as a sprinter. The result was a 4.4-second 40-yard dash at Ole Miss Pro Day, a workout designed specifically for NFL scouts.<\/p>\n
“We worked on my stance, coming up without being too steep and keeping my balance,” said McCluster, who expects to play slot receiver and special teams in the NFL. “(Johnson) was hands-on.”<\/p>\n
Moderated by CBS broadcaster Tim Brando, the “Path to the Draft” also includes a panel discussion with former Rebel football players Chris Spencer, Charlie Anderson, Jesse Mitchell and Jason Cook.<\/p>\n
Spencer was drafted in 2005 by the Seattle Seahawks and has started 54 games over the past four seasons. Anderson was drafted in 2004 by the Houston Texans and is entering his third year with the Miami Dolphins. Mitchell signed with the Baltimore Ravens in 2004, but a knee injury quickly ended his career. And Cook entered the pro ranks as a free agent in 2008, but serves as football chaplain for UM’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes.<\/p>\n
In case of bad weather, the ceremony will be moved to Fulton Chapel.<\/p>\n
“We are always excited about our former student-athletes coming back to campus,” said Jamil Northcutt, Ole Miss assistant athletics director. “Not only do we celebrate their on- and off-the-field accomplishments, but it also gives our fans an opportunity to meet the people who were inside the Ole Miss helmets, hats and uniforms.”<\/p>\n
Previous Grove Bowl ceremonies have honored Eli Manning and Patrick Willis in 2008 and Michael Oher and Peria Jerry in 2009.<\/p>\n
“There’s nothing like former players coming back,” said head football coach Houston Nutt. “The fans want to see them, and the players are excited to see them. It’s going to be an awesome atmosphere.”<\/p>\n
Other events surrounding Grove Bowl weekend include the Chucky Mullins Courage Award Banquet, set for April 15 in the Indoor Practice Facility.<\/p>\n
Grove Bowl 2010 is the culmination of the team’s spring practices. The game kicks off at 1 p.m. April 17 in Vaught Hemingway Stadium. Sponsored by the M-Club Alumni Chapter, the game benefits the J.W. “Wobble” Davidson Scholarship Fund, which aids the children of former Ole Miss lettermen.<\/p>\n
For more information or for assistance related to a disability, call 662-915-7375.<\/p>\n
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