- The Ole Miss Special Olympics College Club made up the team, which included Mississippi Special Olympics athletes, individuals with intellectual disabilities. Ole Miss students without intellectual disabilities served as partners who play and train alongside the athletes.
The Mississippi Special Olympics flag football team brought home gold medals from the recent Special Olympics USA Games in Minneapolis.
Coaching and cheering, including “Hotty Toddy,” throughout the experience and from the sidelines were University of Mississippi students.
The Ole Miss Special Olympics College Club made up the team, which included Mississippi Special Olympics athletes, individuals with intellectual disabilities. Ole Miss students without intellectual disabilities served as partners who play and train alongside the athletes.
Hunter Crabbs, intramural sports and sport clubs coordinator in the Department of Campus Recreation, and Molly Nichols, a senior biological sciences major from Jackson, Tennessee, coached the team.
“This was the first ever gold medal in intercollegiate flag football for the state of Mississippi,” said Crabbs, who completes his master’s degree in sport and recreation management in August. He became involved with unified sports after coaching a unified bocce ball team during his student teaching in Pennsylvania.
The roster was composed of members from the 2024 team that defeated Mississippi State in the Unified Egg Bowl. The athletes on the team are Clayton Dabbs Jr., Madison Dennis, Javontae Henry, Bhanuka Jayaratna and Jon Morgan, and the partners are John Holtz, Ashby McWhorter, Austin Poitevint and Jason Skocy.
“This team is extremely committed and competitive,” Crabbs said. “The team showed up each practice ready to learn more and work a little harder.”
Throughout the spring semester, the team practiced once a week. Once school was out, they practiced twice a week, strengthening relationships.
“By the time we left, everyone knew each other really well,” Nichols said. “Having volunteered with many of our athletes before, I already knew them, but those extra months together helped me get to know each of their personalities even better.”
Competitiveness and determination shined in Minnesota, especially when they lost the first two games to Utah and Iowa.
“It would have been easy for them to hang their heads for the rest of the week, but, rather, they rallied together as a group and moved on to the next game,” Crabbs said.
The team ended up playing Utah and Iowa again in the semifinal and final games of the medal rounds, and this time defeated them 28-6 and 16-14, respectively, winning the gold.
“All the hard work we put in, we wanted to represent Mississippi,” said Jayaratna, of Oxford, the team’s starting quarterback. “I wanted to bring home gold and you know what they say, ‘Don’t let the Rebs get hot.'”
This squad also became family and even teachers.
“Through the entire experience, they were picking each other up and supporting one another,” Crabbs said.
Nichols, who dubbed herself the “team mom,” became involved with the Special Olympics during her freshman year not expecting what she received in return.
“I was looking for a way to get involved on campus and give back to the community,” she said. “What I didn’t expect was to find such an incredible community.
“From my very first practice, the athletes welcomed me with such enthusiasm, and the volunteers and partners immediately made me feel like I belonged.”
The USA Games were fun and rewarding for all involved.
Dennis, of Tupelo, enjoyed playing with the partners and making new friends, whereas Henry, of Oxford, enjoyed the competition and Morgan, of Water Valley, enjoyed throwing a touchdown pass.
“Representing Mississippi on a national stage and bringing home a gold medal is an incredible achievement,” Nichols said.
Winning on a national stage with Ole Miss runs in the family for one athlete, Clayton Dabbs Jr. His grandfather, Woody Dabbs, played on the Ole Miss Rebels’ 1960 and 1962 national championship football teams.
Counting his great-grandfather, who played football at Mississippi State, and his father, who played in high school, Clayton Dabbs is a fourth-generation football player.
“I had a really good time in Minnesota, and I really enjoyed meeting new people,” he said. “Winning gold was good but most importantly, I did it for my lord and savior, Jesus Christ.”
Just as the 1960s football Rebels made memories to last a lifetime, so did the 2026 flag-football team.
“What I hope they remember most are the friendships they made and the memories they created throughout the week,” Nichols said.
One of her favorite parts of serving as a coach was watching the relationships grow between athletes and partners.
“Whether they were dancing to hype up music before a game, celebrating a big play or just spending time together, it was clear how much the athletes looked up to their partners,” she said. “I hope our partners realized the positive impact they had and know they made the week even more special for our athletes.”
Nichols also learned a little about leadership from the team.
“I learned that leadership is about so much more than organizing practices or making sure everything runs smoothly,” she said. “It is about encouraging others, celebrating every accomplishment and creating an environment where everyone feels seen, valued and included.
“Through this experience, I realized that true joy comes from focusing on others. The love the athletes showed me was exactly what I didn’t know I needed.”
Some have likened “Hotty Toddy” to meaning community or common ground. But the term of endearment can take on several meanings depending on circumstances. It did for this club.
“The beauty of ‘Hotty Toddy,’ in my opinion, is that it can mean something different every time you say it,” Crabbs said. “I think that this experience, ‘Hotty Toddy’ meant opportunity, an opportunity to represent the state of Mississippi, an opportunity to compete against competition from across the country, opportunity to experience something entirely new, an opportunity to inspire.
“At some point through the week ‘Hotty Toddy’ meant resiliency, and this team embodied that by not getting down after the first two losses, but rather staying resilient and coming back to win it all.”
This article is republished courtesy of Ole Miss.
Marisa Atkinson
