A Redhound team that gave it all deserves praise

Much praise has been given to the Corbin Redhound football team and its coach Tom Greer. I would like to add my congratulations. It was a great year and they were a yellow flag and an extra point away from being state champions. Nevertheless, the team played a great game and they deserve the praise.

Don Estep is publisher of the News Journal.

There is no doubt about it that Corbin fans supported their team better than any in the state championships again this year. It was a sea of red on the home field side of Kroger Field. The fan support also deserves congratulations.

The weather was miserable. When I was young weather didn’t bother me, but Friday night I reached my limit on enduring nasty weather. It was as bad as any I can remember and I have attended several football games.

The worst, or maybe the most miserable I have ever been at a football game came in the early 60s when I first started broadcasting the games on WCTT radio.

For some unknown reason Jack McCoy and I decided to broadcast the Hazard-Highlands playoff game after the Bulldogs had beaten Corbin.

The game was played at Ft. Thomas High School in northern Kentucky. The administration at the school placed us on the roof of the gymnasium overlooking the field for our broadcast. The temperature hovered just above zero and the wind was blowing. I could barely talk without my teeth chattering.

Back in those days if we thought of an interesting game, we would get sponsors and broadcast it. Once we decided that we would go to Furman University where Corbin’s Jerry Smith was a star basketball player.

I broadcast the game but after it was over we asked the athletic director if he knew where we could spend the night. He offered to put us up in one of the dormitories on campus. Not bad except they had cut off the heat and we about froze to death.

The weather did not dampen our spirit for the game Friday night. As a matter of fact the 75 yard run by Carter Stewart had me yelling the loudest I have yelled in years. Darn that yellow flag.

There are a lot of young people on the Redhound football team and the future looks bright for them. No doubt Corbin will be one of the favorites to win it all next year.

And next year will be the 100th anniversary of Corbin football. A lot of work is taking place at the football field and it will be a showplace. What a time it would be for a state championship!