Best of Bill Crook: ‘Maybe they weren’t great, but they were pretty dog-gone good’

The Corbin Redhounds football program is celebrating its centennial anniversary in 2023. Leading up to the kickoff of their 100th season, and the unveiling of a newly remodeled Campbell Field this fall, the News Journal will publish a series of former columns by Bill Crook.

For years, Crook’s “Looking Back” columns revisited some of the most important events in Redhound history. We hope you’ll enjoy these trips down memory lane, and that they will serve to excite you for the centennial celebration to take place later this year.

From August 21, 2002:

The lazy, hazy days of summer are winding down. The NIBROC was fantastic this year and as memories of the festivities fade, approximately 50 young gladiators from Corbin High School are conditioning themselves for the upcoming football season.

Coach Steve Jewell and his outstanding staff prepare the Redhounds extremely well and I think we can look forward to an exciting season. The Hounds will be tested early, however, as they travel to northern Kentucky to do battle with the veteran Conner High School Cougars.

Drifting into my nostalgic mood, visions of Redhounds of the past do a re-run through my mind.

I have used gallons of ink writing the plaudits of Calvin Bird, Mel Chandler, Jimmy Cummins and the many All-State and high school All-Americans that have graced Campbell Field. My intention in this column is to recognize players who were not necessarily blessed with the outlandish talent of a Calvin Bird or the other high profile players that have lent to Redhound lore.

The players I refer to were team players that filled roles that were critical to their team’s success and to the success also of the talented teammates to whom I referred earlier in my column.

Lanny Myers and Amos Miller come to mind first. These two played side-by-side on the 1958 squad as they manned their center and offensive guard positions. Both Lanny and Amos were very intelligent players. Each player demonstrated great heart for the game and played very aggressively.

The 1958 squad was filled with players I felt were special.

The quarterback, Ronnie “Cruiser” Boone, was one of my favorite players. “Cruiser” was a leader who kept his cool, passed the ball very well and played with great poise.

Keith Hutson and Rodney Barton were the ends on the ‘58 squad and each were signed to grant-in-aids to play football at the University of Kentucky. Hutson may have been blessed with more talent and ability than 90 percent of the players who ever played at Corbin High School, and Rodney was a big, strong player who gave his all.

The late Duane Hart and his buddy, and starting tackle on the 1959 team, D.L. Lynch, were players I had a lot of respect for. D.L. had a great game against Somerset his senior year as he consistently burst through the line to throw Somerset backs for lost yardage.

Bobby Croley was a big, hard-running back, and one of coach Walt Green’s favorites.

Another of Green’s favorites was Lowell Wyatt. Wyatt was a real competitor and was an important contributor in the 1958 Redhounds lineup.

One of the more overlooked players in Redhound history has to be S.T. “Bitsy” Holman. “Bitsy” was a key player on the outstanding 1939 team. According to all of “Bitsy’s” former teammates I spoke with, he was quick, strong, competitive and a leader on an undefeated team that must rank as one of the top three football teams in Redhound history. Certainly, at some point in the near future, “Bitsy” should be given consideration for the Varsity Club Hall of Fame (Editor’s Note: He was later inducted).

The undefeated team of 1960 also had a running back that was forced to play in the shadows of All-Everything Rodger Bird – Barry Brooks.

Barry was a large factor in the undefeated season of 1960.

Another player that was always one of my favorites was C.S. Frederick from that same team.

The list goes on and on.