LOOKING BACK

 You have heard the stories over and over of the accomplishments of the four Bird brothers who starred at Corbin High School and the University of Kentucky, but I never tire of sharing them.

This past weekend at the 50^th reunion of the Corbin High School Class of 1960, the fellow classmates chose to honor Billy Bird. I have many vivid memories of the humble young man with the easy smile and the extraordinaire athletic ability.

As an athlete Billy Morris, as his mother Bonnie used to refer to him, was lightning quick with a sixth sense of knowing when to make a perfect move to avoid a defender. On the basketball court Billy was an excellent defender and could score easily or serve as a playmaker. Billy was totally unselfish. Both as a teammate and as a friend he was simply the best.

Big Fred Rader and Billy were very close friends and along with D.L. Lynch, Bob Croley and Duane Hart helped make up the nucleus of the 1959 football team that certainly has to rank high among the best to ever play at Corbin.

My best memory of Billy on the football field was the night he scored four touchdowns against Dixie Heights. Each touchdown came from over 60 yards out. Billy was a treasure.

The first high school basketball game I ever saw was in the early fifties at Edwards Gym, now known as the middle school gym. Corbin was playing a highly ranked Clark County team led by Linville Puckett, whom I later came to know personally, and Lewis Snowden who stood about 6’8”.

Jerry Bird, Darrell Storm, Zeke Perkins and C.D. Vermillion led the Redhounds. The Redhounds won and I had my first look at Rueben and Bonnie Bird’s oldest boy, Jerry, and he was something else. Jerry went on to play for the University of Kentucky and later in the NBA for the New York Knicks. Jerry played well enough at the University of the Kentucky that they hung his jersey in the rafters of Rupp Arena. My favorite memory of Jerry’s career was when he scored 34 points against seven-footer Bill Uhl and Dayton University in the UKIT.

In 1955, college coaches all over the nation were playing close attention to a sensational young athlete who was racing up and down football fields all over Kentucky in a Corbin Redhound uniform with number 66 on it. I had never seen anything like it, as Calvin Bird became the best combination of football, basketball player that I had ever seen or would ever see.

After a high school career, which could only be described as scentalizing, Calvin went on to the University of Kentucky where he set a one-game scoring record, which still stands with 25 points against Hawaii in his first varsity game. My favorite memory of Calvin was scoring all 20 points in a 20-0 UK win over Tennessee.

I was talking with the youngest of the Bird brothers, Rodger, last Friday at dinner. I asked Rodger if he realized that it had been 47 years since he left me with my fondest memory of his All-American career at UK. Auburn was highly ranked in October of 1963. That Saturday afternoon had been a beautiful fall day. My friend Jack Robinson and I had gone to Keeneland and then on to Stoll Field where the Wildcats were heavy underdogs to the Auburn Tigers.

Auburn was driving toward the Kentucky goal line when the Tigers quarterback, Jimmy Sidle set up a quick to throw to the end zone to Tiger All-American Tucker Fredrickson, but just as Sidle was to release the ball, he was hit by Wildcat defensive end Rick Kestner. The ball fluttered in the air and was picked off by UK All-American Rodger Bird, and the race was on as the fleet-footed Bird headed for the opposite end zone 95 yards away with Fredrickson in hot pursuit. Fredrickson was unable to catch Rodger, however, and was left lying face first at about the 50-yard line. UK 20, Auburn 0.

Thanks Rueben and Bonnie Bird, you have left us with a lifetime of memories.

•This year’s Redhounds are in a prime position to advance far into the playoffs. If the Redhounds win over Leslie County and Middlesboro on the road they will enter the playoffs at home, and should they continue to win, they will advance to the AA finals in Bowling Green without leaving Corbin.