Looking Back

WITH KICK OFF JUST AROUND THE CORNER I WILL TAKE THIS LAST OPPORTUNITY TO LOOK BACK AT UK FB–BACK TO THE FORTY’S –FIFTY’S–AND SIXTY’S–

COACH BRYANT CAME TO UK FROM MARYLAND IN THE SPRING OF 46–COACH BRYANT WAS A “WORKAHOLIC” AND EXPECTED EVERYONE AROUND HIM TO DO THE SAME–

WITH A LOT OF PEOPLE RETURNING OR COMING TO COLLEGE FROM THE SERVICE AFTER WW2, A LOT OF PLAYERS WERE CLOSE TO COACH BRYANT’S AGE[IN FACT HE HAD ONE PLAYER OLDER THAN HIM]

A LOT OF PLAYERS CAME INTO LEXINGTON FOR TRYOUTS[GEORGE BLANDA WAS ALREADY THERE--HE CAME IN 45]GEORGE WAS A BIG TIME PUNTER–QB IN THE OLD T FORMATION FROM WHICH THE QB WAS A BLOCKER–ALSO PLAYED DEFENSE–IN FACT GEORGE PLAYED LB FOR THE BEARS ONE SEASON–

BABE PARILLI CAME TO TOWN WITH A BUDDY WHO WAS RATED A BIG TIME QB[PARILLI WAS A FULLBACK IN HS]ERMAL ALLEN TRIED BOTH OUT–WAVED THE QB AND TOOK “BABE”

IN THE SPRING OF 53 AND 54 A LOT OF PROSPECTS CAME INTO TOWN FOR TRYOUTS[BANNED TODAY] A COUPLE OF COACHES WOULD WATCH FROM SOME 30 YARDS AWAY BUT WAS NOT INVOLVED–THAT WAY IT WAS NOT ILLEGAL–

IN THE FALL OF 53[COACH BRYANT'S LAST SEASON AT KY] OVER 150 PLAYERS GOT ON 4 BUSES IN LEXINGTON HEADING FOR 2 WEEKS AT MILLERSBURG MILITARY INSTITUTE IN MILLERSBURG, KY–

BEDDED DOWN IN MMI HOUSING WITH 6 PLAYERS PER ROOM IT WAS NOT UNUSUAL TO GO TO BED WITH 5 ROOMMATES AND WAKE UP ALONE THINKING IN HORROR THAT YOU HAD OVERSLEPT MORNING PRACTICE, ONLY TO LEARN THAT THE OTHER 5 HAD LEFT IN THE NITE–

OVER THE HILL IN THE MORNING TO “DEATH VALLEY” WHERE PRACTICE WAS HELD TWICE A DAY[CALLED "2 A DAYS"]

IT WAS MORE A SURVIVAL THAN IT WAS FB PRACTICE–

2 WEEKS LATER 73 PLAYERS GOT ON 2 BUSES HEADING BACK TO LEXINGTON FOR SCHOOL REGISTRATION AND THE END OF “2 A DAYS”
2 OF THE 73 PLAYERS QUIT ON THE WAY BACK TO LEXINGTON[WHY I DON'T KNOW] SO WELL OVER HALF THE ORIGINAL NUMBER QUIT–

PLAYERS IN THOSE DAYS USUALLY PLAYED BOTH WAYS[OBVIOUSLY QB'S DIDN'T FOR FEAR OF INJURY]

FRESHMEN[ROOKIES]USUALLY PLAYED ON OFFENSE IN THE BACKFIELD BUT SELDOM ON DEFENSE THERE–FRESHMEN USUALLY PLAYED ON DEFENSE ON THE LINE BUT SELDOM ON THE OFFENSIVE LINE–

REASON–PLAYING IN THE DEFENSIVE SECONDARY AND OFFENSIVE LINE WAS HARDER TO PICK UP THAN THE OPPOSITE–

SO ABOUT 60% OF THE PLAYERS PLAYED BOTH WAYS–

44 MAN SQUADS WAS THE USUAL TRAVELING SQUAD THAT DRESSED FOR AWAY GAMES[THERE WAS USUALLY 47-48 TOTAL TRAVELING SQUAD WITH 3-4 PEOPLE NOT DRESSING[FOR INSTANCE IF A QB WAS INJURED AND QUESTIONABLE HE WOULD TRAVEL BUT NOT DRESS--BUT WOULD COUNCIL WITH THE QB'S PLAYING AS THE GAME PROGRESSED--

IN 54 BOB DAUGHERTY WHO HAD TRANSFERRED FROM UNIV CINN AFTER 2 YEARS IN THE ARMY[IN A TANK IN KOREA]TRAVELED WITH THE TEAM ALL YEAR ON THE ROAD[I ROOMED WITH BOB ON THE ROAD] BOB PLAYED AT UK IN 55 AND 56–THEN PLAYED FOR THE BRONCOS AND THE RAIDERS AS A LB–

COACH BRYANT LEFT UK ON APRIL 3RD OR FOURTH IN 54 AND COACH COLLIER CAME–ADJUSTING WAS HARD SINCE SPRING PRACTICE HAD NOT BEEN HELD AND MUST START IMMEDIATELY[IT DID--WITH ONLY 2-3 COACHES--NO OFFENSE--NO DEFENSE]

BUT COACH COLLIER WAS A GREAT OFFENSIVE COACH[HE BROUGHT THE CLEVELAND BROWNS OFFENSE WITH HIM COMPLETE WITH GREAT PLAY BOOKS WHICH WERE GOLDEN]

COACH COLLIER HAD PROBLEMS ADJUSTING TO THE RECRUITING WORLD OF COLLEGE FB BUT DID SO WITH GOOD ASST. COACHES–

CHARLEY BRADSHAW CAME TO UK WITH THE RIGHT IDEAS BUT WRONG TECHNIQUES–AND SO IT WAS–

HOPEFULLY JOKER RIDES THIS TRAIN DOWN THE TRACK TO GLORY–HE HAS THE RIGHT IDEAS–THE RIGHT TECHNIQUES–HOPEFULLY THE RIGHT RESULTS

JOKER’S BIGGEST PROBLEM IS OVER EXPECTATIONS BY A “SO CALLED FAN BASE” WHO COMPARES THE UK FB PROGRAM TO CAL’S BB PROGRAM–

ON ON UK