LOOKING BACK

 I noticed where Mark Story of the Herald-Leader has made his speculation that the 1996 Kentucky National championship team would run over this year’s National Champions.

We will never know, but I do not share Mr. Story’s opinion and as time rolls along, hopefully, there will be other Kentucky National Championship to be thrown into the mix.

I watched a special on CBS sports last week as the paid tribute to Bobby Knight. They were speaking of the 1975 undefeated National champion Indiana squad coached by Knight. The guest panel seemed to feel the 1976 Indiana team was an even better team. The panel never once mentioned who beat the Hoosiers that year.

It was Coach Joe B. Hall and the Kentucky Wildcats who sent Knight home and he has never gotten over it and he never will.

Coach John Calipari continues his march to the top of college basketball. Sure, the vultures circle for any glimpse of impropriety, ready to pounce on Coach Cal, not the least of whom would be the Herald-Leader’s Jerry Tipton and Mark Story. John Clay seems to be more objective.

Three years have past since writers across the country refused to give Calipari a place among the nation’s best coaches.

I have yet to hear anyone who agrees with the one-and-done approach that is in effect currently. Why then does it remain in effect? Coach Cal has certainly been able to make the most of a bad situation, but even he would favor a change to two or maybe even a three-year stay in the college ranks before entering the play for pay.

I was sad to hear of the passing of Kenny Roark, the Clay County football coach last week. Kenny grew up in Middlesboro, where he was an all-state player for the Yellow Jackets before an outstanding career with the University of Kentucky and the Philadelphia Eagles, where he played for a few years in the National Football League.

Kenny coached Middlesboro several years before coaching Clay County last season.

Gary West is an author of a book that will be published within the next year or so about the accomplishments of local athletes. One question I have heard Mr. West ask more than a couple of times was “is there something in the water?” That may have more truth to it than one would realize.

A young man named Jack Day and his beautiful young wife, Katherine put together their resources in 1937 and started the Pepsi-Cola Bottling Company of Corbin. The soft drink company would flourish under Jack, at his passing the company continued to grow as Katharine took control. The soft drink became the number one soft drink in Southeastern Kentucky.

Mrs. Day, at the controls saw Pepsi-Cola dominate the soft drink industry. She also was generous as she gave back to the community. So, maybe Mr. West was on to something when he asked, “was there something in the water,” maybe a little Cola, a little sugar.

Actually there were numerous people who had a hand in the development of many young players who turned out to be extra-ordinary athletes.

Ted Meadors has always been the one individual that it all comes to, as a player, as a coach and as the Director of the YMCA. I am sure his influence touched Frank Selvy, Jerry Bird, Calvin Bird, Edd Selvy, Jerry Smith, Billy Bird, Rodger Bird, Marvin Selvy, Charles “Curly” Selvy and Tommy Adkins.

Although they were here for only short periods of time as young coaches, Bill Tucker and Walt Green, were able to obtain college scholarships for 15 of the kids who played for them. Tucker and Green felt it was part of their responsibility to help the kids who helped them.

In the ‘60s there was a TV show called The Naked City. They began the show by saying “In the Naked City there are 7 million stories and this is just one of them”.