I've read posts in other threads about UK fans having expectations for something better as regards the future success for our football program. As someone who became a UK fan in 1959, when I saw my first game at the old Stoll Field, I regretfully have to confess that I no longer harbor expectations that the UK football program will ever become any better than what its history has demonstrated since I attended my first UK game. I suspect many of my fellow "Baby Boomers" feel similarly.
Blanton Collier was the UK football coach when I saw my first game and I'm quite sure he and the ten UK coaches who have succeeded him did their best to help make UK football meet fan expectations. What us burgeoning "Baby Boomer" UK football fans did not know in 1959 was that Blanton Collier would be the last UK coach to win more games than he lost. Ironically, UK's last winning coach was fired after the 1962 season. Two years later, as the head coach of the Cleveland Browns Collier led his team to the NFL Championship, a year before the Super Bowl was created. All ten UK coaches who followed Collier over the next 54 years have lost more games than they won. These facts are not in dispute.
Some previous UK coaches raised fan expectations more than others. John Ray had "We Believe" bumper stickers printed which tens of thousands UK fans, all over the Commonwealth, pasted on their car bumpers. Ray was the former Defensive Coordinator at Notre Dame when that school was annually one of the best three programs in the nation. Ray talked about going to bowl games (when there weren't many bowls), winning the SEC Championship and even the National Championship. Alas, these elevated expectations never matched on the field performance and Ray was fired after only 4 years.
Although Bill Curry was no where near as brash as John Ray when it came to elevating fan expectations, he nevertheless did so if only because he was the previous head coach at Alabama. Curry was 10-2 during his last year at Alabama before the took the UK job. Curry had played in the NFL starting at center for the Baltimore Colts. UK finally had a coach with nationwide name recognition. Many "Boomers" believed at the time, we no longer had any excuses for not being successful. Alas, it was not to be. Curry lasted 7 years. His best season was 6-6. His overall record was 26-52 and was only 14-40 in the SEC.
After Curry, us "Boomers" as well as other UK fans have experienced the predictable but temporary euphoria and related elevated expectations that naturally come with the hiring of any new coach. We somehow believed, despite the evolving history to the contrary, that the next new coach would cause UK to become more successful than his predecessors. It hasn't happened.
For whatever reason, be it the lack of necessary university financial support, the need for a better athletic director or a better coach, the UK football program has never been able to be much more than mediocre. To be sure, about every 10 to 15 years or so, we will have what is a breakout season for us and win 7 or 8 games. However, after such fleeting and momentary success, we quickly fall back to our losing historical legacy.
At 67 years of age and cheering for the University of Kentucky football team for parts of 7 different decades, I have resigned myself to simply appreciating the entertainment and cherishing the victories when they come. No doubt there are some fellow "Boomers" who still "believe" as John Ray urged us in 1969, that the future will become brighter for Kentucky football. I want you to be right. I also would like to see it before the time comes for me to leave this earth. I simply have no expectation it will happen.
Blanton Collier was the UK football coach when I saw my first game and I'm quite sure he and the ten UK coaches who have succeeded him did their best to help make UK football meet fan expectations. What us burgeoning "Baby Boomer" UK football fans did not know in 1959 was that Blanton Collier would be the last UK coach to win more games than he lost. Ironically, UK's last winning coach was fired after the 1962 season. Two years later, as the head coach of the Cleveland Browns Collier led his team to the NFL Championship, a year before the Super Bowl was created. All ten UK coaches who followed Collier over the next 54 years have lost more games than they won. These facts are not in dispute.
Some previous UK coaches raised fan expectations more than others. John Ray had "We Believe" bumper stickers printed which tens of thousands UK fans, all over the Commonwealth, pasted on their car bumpers. Ray was the former Defensive Coordinator at Notre Dame when that school was annually one of the best three programs in the nation. Ray talked about going to bowl games (when there weren't many bowls), winning the SEC Championship and even the National Championship. Alas, these elevated expectations never matched on the field performance and Ray was fired after only 4 years.
Although Bill Curry was no where near as brash as John Ray when it came to elevating fan expectations, he nevertheless did so if only because he was the previous head coach at Alabama. Curry was 10-2 during his last year at Alabama before the took the UK job. Curry had played in the NFL starting at center for the Baltimore Colts. UK finally had a coach with nationwide name recognition. Many "Boomers" believed at the time, we no longer had any excuses for not being successful. Alas, it was not to be. Curry lasted 7 years. His best season was 6-6. His overall record was 26-52 and was only 14-40 in the SEC.
After Curry, us "Boomers" as well as other UK fans have experienced the predictable but temporary euphoria and related elevated expectations that naturally come with the hiring of any new coach. We somehow believed, despite the evolving history to the contrary, that the next new coach would cause UK to become more successful than his predecessors. It hasn't happened.
For whatever reason, be it the lack of necessary university financial support, the need for a better athletic director or a better coach, the UK football program has never been able to be much more than mediocre. To be sure, about every 10 to 15 years or so, we will have what is a breakout season for us and win 7 or 8 games. However, after such fleeting and momentary success, we quickly fall back to our losing historical legacy.
At 67 years of age and cheering for the University of Kentucky football team for parts of 7 different decades, I have resigned myself to simply appreciating the entertainment and cherishing the victories when they come. No doubt there are some fellow "Boomers" who still "believe" as John Ray urged us in 1969, that the future will become brighter for Kentucky football. I want you to be right. I also would like to see it before the time comes for me to leave this earth. I simply have no expectation it will happen.
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