As Corbin football turns 100, we remember the great Roy Kidd

As we get ready to celebrate a new Redhound Complex and the 100-year history of Corbin football our spirits are saddened by the death of former Redhound great and collegiate Hall of Fame Coach Roy Kidd.

I was just a young boy, but I remember Roy Kidd playing football and basketball at Corbin High School. He also was a star baseball player, but I didn’t realize it at my young age. He brought two national championships and two runners-up trophies to Eastern Kentucky University. Kidd was one of the greatest coaches ever.

I owe it to Bob Terrell for getting to know athletes in that era better. When Bob came back to Corbin, he was always organizing events that Kidd, Tommy Adkins, Frank Selvy, and other greats would attend.

The best event I ever attended was the book signing by author Gary West of “The Boys From Corbin.” So many of the greats were there and most all of them signed my copy of the book. That was in 2013, but it seems like yesterday. I do advise you if you have not read that book no matter where you live or what team you root for, you will enjoy it.

West did a marvelous job of writing not only sports stories, but human-interest stories also. We still get requests for the book. I was in contact with the publishing company last week and they have printed another supply of the book. So if you would like to order a copy then contact me at destep@corbinnewsjournal.com and I will take orders. The cost is $25.

Like Roy Kidd and Bob Terrell, so many of the Redhound greats have passed away. We send our condolences to Kidd’s family on his passing and no doubt we will have a moment of silence in his honor at the Corbin and Frederick-Douglass game Friday night.

• It is very awkward to bring this up at this time, but so many people have telephoned and come to our office upset at the change being made on the block of Roy Kidd Avenue between Main and Depot Streets. I don’t mind at all for you to express your feelings to us at this newspaper, but be aware that we can’t do anything about it except express our opinion.

My opinion now is to see if it works and if it does, we will praise the four people responsible for the change as much as we have criticized the change.

I do know that in my 36 years as publisher of this newspaper I have not had as many tell me they were against a project as this one, not even the alcohol vote. To this date I have not met anybody, other than those who voted for the one-way street, that were for it. Even property owners on that block told me they were against it.

But now that the project is underway let’s see if it will be as bad as some have imagined. It may not be and if it is not to your liking then your voice can be heard the next time you vote.

I am more upset with the state highway department than with the official that claimed the change on Roy Kidd Avenue was needed. What has been needed for months, and now running into years, is the resurfacing of Kentucky Street in Corbin. Driving on it is like driving over speed bumps. And I still go back to the way they surfaced Gordon Hill. That is insulting to the everybody after the city had built new sidewalks there. Rather than mill the old blacktop they topped it with new and at that cut it short by about 20 feet. It looks awful.

I get worked up every time I think about how Corbin gets ignored by the state highway department. So, part of the solution would be for those candidates running for governor to tell us what they would do for our towns rather than spending millions on TV debating who let the most out of jail.

This newspaper would be a good place to start. And they could use newspapers all over the state to tell the people what they would do for them. Enough of the TV attack ads. By accentuating the positive, it would be a welcome change.