UK Football has only had one really successful period of football and that was for less than a decade before 90% of UK's current fans were born. However, I now feel we are on the brink of being one again. My reasoning is from a history angle - not a football angle. Mark Stoops represents everything a school can want in a head football coach who wants his own legacy. He comes from a successful football coaching family, he is at the right age to stay a very long time - 15 plus years - which means at least 10 more and a very good chance he will stay another 15 years. He has stayed thru the hardest times and has over seen the football program being basically rebuilt from the ground up. Under his guidance UK now has very competitive facilities. UK's coaching staff is very solid. He had built thru red shirting, recruiting juco specific needs and building with high character players and coaches. He has taken us to a bowl game in the fourth year - after 5 straight previous losing seasons.
Football history has shown when schools make a comittment to football as a sport, and they stay the course with a coach, they have been rewarded with many, many successful seasons. I am not saying we will be another Alabama - but I am saying we can be another Virginia Tech. I can remember when Virginia Tech was MUCH worse that UK. I can remember Frank Beamer building that program year by year - until it became a very relevant program and was in the discussion for National Championships a few years, went to several major bowls and had a run in the decades of winning seasons.
Coach Stoops and UK have as good, and probably better, situation that Frank and Virginia Tech had. Coach Stoops has brought good coaches and recruiters to Kentucky, he has created a "football family for the players and coaches". He is making his roots here in Lexington. He has built loyalty from his staff and the administration. The fans are loving what they are seeing and Kentucky fans have proven they stand by an average team - every bowl knows how UK supports it's football team. UK football is followed just as strongly by the fans as the basketball program - some will argue that point. Well, before you start the argument, consider this - when have the Kentucky fans not supported the football team when it was good enough to go to a bowl game? Kentucky fans were filling Commonwealth before the Joker fiasco -(I'm not bashing Joker - I wanted him to be given a chance).
The UK administration didn't support the football program or fans in the past. It was a huge miscalculation, but it has since made many changes and is trying to bring the fans back. Kentucky is a hard school to get it's football reputation back - because of the basketball dominance - but not because of the fan support - because it truly exists for everyone who loves and supports UK! UK's football image has been perceived and written about by the media - and we all know how the media can shape everyone's impressions about things! It will take time - maybe up to 8 years before UK will be accepted as a relevant football program. But as the wins mount and as more players go on to be successful in the professional ranks that image will change!
If Rich Brooks had been 10 years younger we wouldn't even be discussing this now - it would have been completed! He had us going in the right direction - now Coach Stoops is heading in the right direction too! Coach Stoops is a loyal guy- he knows who gave him his chance and he knows the fans in general are behind him and the team. When he has UK going the right way - he will not leave for promises of greener pastures in my opinion. I look at the family history - the Stoops don't leave head coaching jobs. They want to build their own legacy. Quality of life and income potential will not be a reason to leave. Plus he will be at the age that why would he want to rebuild, when he can put his stamp on a legacy like his brother did at Oklahoma? Finally, Mark Stoops wants to prove he made the right decision to come to Kentucky - and he will do that!
Go Big Blue!
Football history has shown when schools make a comittment to football as a sport, and they stay the course with a coach, they have been rewarded with many, many successful seasons. I am not saying we will be another Alabama - but I am saying we can be another Virginia Tech. I can remember when Virginia Tech was MUCH worse that UK. I can remember Frank Beamer building that program year by year - until it became a very relevant program and was in the discussion for National Championships a few years, went to several major bowls and had a run in the decades of winning seasons.
Coach Stoops and UK have as good, and probably better, situation that Frank and Virginia Tech had. Coach Stoops has brought good coaches and recruiters to Kentucky, he has created a "football family for the players and coaches". He is making his roots here in Lexington. He has built loyalty from his staff and the administration. The fans are loving what they are seeing and Kentucky fans have proven they stand by an average team - every bowl knows how UK supports it's football team. UK football is followed just as strongly by the fans as the basketball program - some will argue that point. Well, before you start the argument, consider this - when have the Kentucky fans not supported the football team when it was good enough to go to a bowl game? Kentucky fans were filling Commonwealth before the Joker fiasco -(I'm not bashing Joker - I wanted him to be given a chance).
The UK administration didn't support the football program or fans in the past. It was a huge miscalculation, but it has since made many changes and is trying to bring the fans back. Kentucky is a hard school to get it's football reputation back - because of the basketball dominance - but not because of the fan support - because it truly exists for everyone who loves and supports UK! UK's football image has been perceived and written about by the media - and we all know how the media can shape everyone's impressions about things! It will take time - maybe up to 8 years before UK will be accepted as a relevant football program. But as the wins mount and as more players go on to be successful in the professional ranks that image will change!
If Rich Brooks had been 10 years younger we wouldn't even be discussing this now - it would have been completed! He had us going in the right direction - now Coach Stoops is heading in the right direction too! Coach Stoops is a loyal guy- he knows who gave him his chance and he knows the fans in general are behind him and the team. When he has UK going the right way - he will not leave for promises of greener pastures in my opinion. I look at the family history - the Stoops don't leave head coaching jobs. They want to build their own legacy. Quality of life and income potential will not be a reason to leave. Plus he will be at the age that why would he want to rebuild, when he can put his stamp on a legacy like his brother did at Oklahoma? Finally, Mark Stoops wants to prove he made the right decision to come to Kentucky - and he will do that!
Go Big Blue!
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