An open apology to Kampus Korner & all the other BABY BOOMERS

[mtn cat1]

In my aborted reply to your wonderful post and journey down memory road, my PC was "hacked" or infected with a virus, thus my portion of a response! I pre-date you and the other "boomers" that responded to your post. I became a fan during the '47/'48 Era of Coach Bear Bryant. Yes and hero's such as George Blanda, Howard Snellenberger, Jerry Claiborne, Ermal Allen, Vito "Babe" Parellie (sp) etc etc.. How I enjoyed those years,but as they say "all good things come to an end" UK's BB Program got caught-up in a "point shaving scandal" and UK is placed on probation! I believe that was following the '51/'52 Basketball Season (?)! Meantime, the Kentucky Legislature enacted a law restricting the recruitment of out-of-state athletes,(limiting the number of said athletes that could be recruited)! This dual hurdle was enough to cause Coach Bryant to bolt UK and go to Texas A&M following the '52/'53 season!!! This ended the "Golden Era of UK Football", my characterization!
Blanton Collier from Paris, Kentucky is selected as the Bear's successor! Coach Collier surrounds himself with "the best staff" to ever grace Old Stoll Field! I make that assessment based upon their own individual success as HC's at the College level as well as the Pro level!
You commented on Coach Collier's success & his termination in "62! Note: Coach Jerry Claiborne made a play to secure the HC Position but was unsuccessful!! (Big Mistake)
Two young "up&comers" follow Collier, I believe you mentioned one of those, Coach Ray!
Suffice it to say, neither enjoyed the success that was desired! Then a handsome young Blonde, (female fans judgement), from the Univ. of Miami, by the name Fran Curci! UK FB would attain success that had not been seen since the Bear Bryant Era. The '76 Season would result in a trip to the Peach bowl (?), and a match-up with NCU, a game that UK won by a score of 21 to 0! UK is placed on probation and the '76 season is followed by the '77 season where UK ends the year ranked 6th. in the nation! The most notable win that season was the defeat of Penn St. in Happy Valley! As a result of probation, there was a stipulation in the punishment phase regarding post season play & since UK had opted to go to a Bowl Game the previous year, they were prevented from Bowl representation. As a result of "food fights" & various other off-field offenses & the resulting probation, Coach Curci is relieved of his position as HC.
If memory serves me correctly, Schnellenberger seeks the position of head coach at this time, recall that he was coming off a Natl. Championship at Miami Univ.. Reportedly, Schnelly sought control of the FB Program but AD Hagan, (BB AA at UK), refused to grant his request. So schnelly takes his FB coaching skills & his organizational skills 90 miles west to UL and you know how that turned out! Another griveous mistake so far as the development of competitive FB!
Coach Jerry Claiborne, finally, returns as UK's FB Coach! Coach claiborne was not to achieve the success at UK that he had at Va Tech or at Maryland.
Claiborne is followed by C.M. Newton's "Folly"(My Connotation), Bill Curry. If memory serves me correctly, Curry was coming-off a 10 & 2 record at Alabama! Following a less than spectacular career (8 yrs, I believe), Curry is terminated and Hal Mummy is employed as HC!
"Basketball on grass" was his monicker, The Air Raid Offense, regardless of your view of him, he certainly put excitement back into the UK lexicon!!! I had the privilage of being in attendance at CWS in '84, and witnessing UK upset Alabama when UK's All American QB, Tim Couch passed to another AA(not using his name because of the recruitment of his decommitment son & commiting to UL), for the winning TD! Mummy's highest honor was taking UK to THE OUTBACK BOWL vs Penn St., a game that UK led at halftime, but the W escaped us when PSU rallied in the 2nd. half to defeat our Cats! Mummy's "puss gut' recruiting coordinator, Claude Bassett, (sending a recruit a MO as a recruitment incentive), this among other violations resulted in UK being placed on probation yet again!!! Papa Brooks followed Mummy and took UK to a series of Bowl appearances over his tenure! Regrettable Coach Brooks did not receive half the credit he should have gotten for his many achievements at UK! (This slight was not universal but was a view held by SOME Malcontents)
Then we are presented the CIW, Joker Phillips! After 4 seasons of failure by Joker, the program is turned over to Coach Mark Stoops & his legacy is still ongoing!!!!! A VERY SIGNIFICANT influence in UK"s demise or lack of sustained prowess has been the over riding influence of BB 1st. AD's! I cited two of these, both AA in BB at UK, Cliff Hagan and C.M. Newton!!! Certainly institutional lack of support has been another influence in UK's failures in FB!

Sorry for the long winded response, but once again, many thanks for the well expressed memories of UK's disappointments in FB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[godisacatsfan]

Don't forget Guy Morris in between Mummy and Brooks. Great post though. Also, I believe it might have been 97 when we beat Alabama.

 

[docholiday51]

A great trip down memory lane OP.People forget or never knew that the legislature killed us in the late 50's and early 60's and we have been trying to recover ever since(a great example of why you keep govt. out of sports) Over the years we have tried about every type of coach possible(young,old,from big programs,small programs,offensive minded,defensive minded and everything in between) This has always been a tough job and in the last few years(with the emergence of the SEC as a dominant football conference) it has gotten tougher.The SEC East is sliding back toward the middle of the pendulum and we have a better chance to compete there(as we have seen this year)

We still don't have enough playmakers (especially on defense) that we can put on the field to win games, we have to depend on the other team to screw up enough to give us a chance to win.We are closer than we have been since the last years of Coach Brooks. I don't know if Stoops can get there or not but he has a shot at getting to that point,next year and the year after that will provide the answer to that question.

We will get to a bowl game this year,I think the importance of winning that game can't be overstated.It doesn't matter if it is a lower tier bowl or who we play(in the words of Al Davis) just win baby. A bowl win is a springboard to next season,we need that on multiple fronts.

 

[UKCatNnc]

Thanks. And don't forget that Charlie Bradshaw followed Blanton Collier and ran off most of the team. Thus the "Thin Thirty". That was a painful era. Go Cats!!

 

[mtn cat1]

Don't forget Guy Morris in between Mummy and Brooks. Great post though. Also, I believe it might have been 97 when we beat Alabama.

I'm 80 now so I'll plead senility Obviously, I was incorrect, Couch would have to have been in his early adolescents at the time line that I referenced!
Yes also to the slight of Guy Morris! There are probably other(in corrections) or slights contained in my long dialogue, if so(?), please forgive!!!!!

Go Big Blue, or as the cheer was in my day, "Rip Um Up Tear Em Up Give Em Hell Wildcats!!!

 

[mtn cat1]

Thanks. And don't forget that Charlie Bradshaw followed Blanton Collier and ran off most of the team. Thus the "Thin Thirty". That was a painful era. Go Cats!!

See my excuse stated above! Yes I should have included Charlie Bradshaw and his infaminious "Thin 30"!

 

[John Henry]

Thanks. And don't forget that Charlie Bradshaw followed Blanton Collier and ran off most of the team. Thus the "Thin Thirty". That was a painful era. Go Cats!!

Agree, how can anyone forget Bradshaw. Remember the piece in Sports Illustrated about how he ran practice like a Marine Corp drill sgt. When I started college Blanton Collier was coach and when I graduated Charlie Bradshaw was coach. Many thought since Bradshaw played for the Bear he would be the Bear on the field. He did produce some outstanding players and we had some of the best victories in UK history but they were few and far between. It is hard to beat anybody with 30 players, especially since most played on defense and offense. Bradshaw was as tough as it gets.

 

[jc2010]

See my excuse stated above! Yes I should have included Charlie Bradshaw and his infaminious "Thin 30"!

Often forgotten is the 66 team, the curse got them. They were rolling along with a 6-2 record and QB Rick Norton breaks his leg and UK fans are left with talking about what might have been. One of the more talented teams in UK history.

 

[SanAntonioCat_rivals376502]

Thanks. And don't forget that Charlie Bradshaw followed Blanton Collier and ran off most of the team. Thus the "Thin Thirty". That was a painful era. Go Cats!!

Charlie tried to emulate Bear Bryant's first football camp at A&M taking 110 Aggie players to a hardscrabble location in Junction, TX. This was during the worst recorded drought in Texas history. Denied water and forced to practice without rest, only 45 players survived and became "Bear's Boys."

The Thin Thirty played in my college years and they could play anyone for three quarters. But, they were a special group in a time outlined well in the book, "Thin Thirty."

 

[UKCatNnc]

Agree, how can anyone forget Bradshaw. Remember the piece in Sports Illustrated about how he ran practice like a Marine Corp drill sgt. When I started college Blanton Collier was coach and when I graduated Charlie Bradshaw was coach. Many thought since Bradshaw played for the Bear he would be the Bear on the field. He did produce some outstanding players and we had some of the best victories in UK history but they were few and far between. It is hard to beat anybody with 30 players, especially since most played on defense and offense. Bradshaw was as tough as it gets.

Remember the cover of Sports Illustrated was one of our players standing in mud lifting weights. I may still have it somewhere. Go Cats!!

 

[UKCatNnc]

Often forgotten is the 66 team, the curse got them. They were rolling along with a 6-2 record and QB Rick Norton breaks his leg and UK fans are left with talking about what might have been. One of the more talented teams in UK history.

I had forgotten about Norton breaking his leg. He was a good QB and we were playing very well. Thanks for the reminder. Go Cats!!

 

[Poetax]

Often forgotten is the 66 team, the curse got them. They were rolling along with a 6-2 record and QB Rick Norton breaks his leg and UK fans are left with talking about what might have been. One of the more talented teams in UK history.

And to top it off, the Cotton Bowl rep offers Kentucky a bid and we turned it down because they thought they could make it to a bigger bowl game, and the next game disaster hits Rick. Crazy.

 

[SanAntonioCat_rivals376502]

And to top it off, the Cotton Bowl rep offers Kentucky a bid and we turned it down because they thought they could make it to a bigger bowl game, and the next game disaster hits Rick. Crazy.

That was unbelievable then and absolutely insane decision now. I was there.

 

[Poetax]

That was unbelievable then and absolutely insane decision now. I was there.

Being in the northern part of the state about 48 miles east of Cincinnati growing up, we never heard anything until the season was over and we were shocked. How do you pass on the Cotton which wasn't a bad bowl at all.