The People's Coach
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October 4, 2007
He was eviscerated in the press. He was destroyed on talk shows
and message boards. He was all but run out of town by a legion of
critics who dismissed his forty-plus years of experience as a
football coach. Everybody, it seemed, wanted Rich Brooks gone.
Fortunately for the University of Kentucky and its Big Blue Nation,
Rich Brooks is made of stern stuff. And so is the man who hired
him.
In a turn of events not a soul could have predicted, the Kentucky
FOOTBALL Wildcats take on South Carolina in a nationally televised
showdown tonight ranked number eight in the country . Next
Saturday, the crew from ESPN's College GameDay will be on site at
Commonwealth Stadium for Kentucky's throwdown with the Bayou
Bengals of Louisiana State. All this less than two years from a
disastrous campaign that had fans begging Mitch Barnhart to sack
Rich Brooks.
As Brooks' Wildcats occupy an unblemished 5-0 mark as they
embark upon one of the toughest three-game stretches in college
football, it is the perfect time for me to have a little I-told-you-so
moment. In August of 2005, I built The Case for Rich Brooks, using
his diligent work in building the program at the University of Oregon
as proof positive that he was the man to take Kentucky football from
the depths of probation to the upper-half of SEC football. By the end
of October that year, UK had only one win on its ledger, a narrow
escape against I-AA Idaho State, and I returned to defend Brooks
despite the unceasing vitriol leveled against him by fans of the
program. Even readers who had emailed me with their support of
Brooks in August were hard-pressed to find a single reason to keep
the veteran coach in Lexington. I pushed on, advocating an
extension for Brooks from Barnhart, still resolute in the belief that
Brooks and his loyal players would find a way take the program to
new heights.
Character, it is said, is revealed turning times of adversity. In 2005,
the UK football program had adversity in spades. Thankfully, they
also had the character to match. Barnhart stood by his hire, and no
one was more supportive of Brooks than his players. The abundant
leadership you see now from key figures like Andre' Woodson,
Keenan Burton, Rafael Little, Jacob Tamme, Braxton Kelly, Marcus
McClinton, and Wesley Woodyard was present even in those
darkest days, as these young men helped hold together the fabric of
Kentucky football. And the program's rock was always Rich Brooks,
a man who stood absolutely unflappable as he was ripped apart
from Paintsville to Paducah.
One thing that is easy for folks to miss is the fact that even in those
most difficult times, Rich Brooks never looked for cover. He never
took the easy way out. Never ducked the media. Never hid from the
criticism or the doubts. Never stopped being a professional.
Brooks showed up for every talk show and made every stop on the
athletic department's Big Blue Caravan's each spring. The fans that
got to spend time around Brooks at those events came to know a
man of wit and charm, but mostly they came to know a man that they
could easily relate to. He's one of us. Rich Brooks comes from a
simpler time on collegiate campuses, when high-profile,
high-stakes football was only played in a handful of spots around
the country. At Oregon, Brooks may not have been as recognizable
as the school's legendary track coach, Bill Bowerman. I think it's
fairly safe to guess that Nick Saban never has to take second-billing
to a track coach, and neither would Mike Belloti, Brooks' able
successor at Oregon.
Speaking of that Oregon program, last week GameDay was at
Autzen Stadium in Eugene for the Ducks' loss to Cal. It seems
appropriate that the national television scene is coming full circle
with Rich Brooks as enjoys this moment in the sun, from his former
university last Saturday to his road clash with Steve Spurrier tonight,
and then forward to his meeting with the number one-ranked LSU
Tigers on October 13. Brooks has been asked to do one national
interview after another in wake of his club's success, and Yahoo!
Sports' Jason King has an outstanding article on the resurgent
Kentucky program this week as well. But the veteran coach remains
unchanged in the spotlight, deflecting the credit to his players and
his staff, and he never gives in to the temptation to throw his
victories in the face of his now-dispersed critics.
Brooks faces off with an old friend, the Ol' Ballcoach, tonight, and the
winner has a legitimate chance to win the SEC East. At his lowest
point, Brooks was simply written off as an old ballcoach. I
compared Brooks to Spurrier back in 2005, as Spurrier returned
from an unsuccessful stint with the Washington Redskins to guide
the Gamecock program. Many snickered at the comparison, given
Spurrier's national championship credentials and his reign of
dominance at Florida. But for all of his success, Spurrier was never
a beloved figure outside of the Sunshine State, thanks in large part
to his altar ego, Steve Superior, the grating figure who liked to rub
his opponents' noses in their defeats. Brooks, on the other hand, is
a man that everyone can root for. His career has seen many highs,
and it has seen many lows. But he remains a man of unwavering
character, a man of humility, and a man of the people. Oregon's run
to the Rose Bowl in 1994 captivated college football fans in Brooks'
final season, and his Wildcats stand poised to replicate that feat in
2007. Brooks was the people's coach then, and he should be once
again.
Miracles do happen, you know. Three victories from now, Kentucky
could sit 8-0 and somewhere in the top three in the country, right in
the mix for a national title. And they could be 5-3, staggering from
the effects of a three-game losing streak. But whatever the record is
when the 'Cats get through the gauntlet, they'll be in good hands.
For better or worse, Kentucky football has a bright future. All thanks
to a coach that wouldn't go away.
He was eviscerated in the press. He was destroyed on talk shows
and message boards. He was all but run out of town by a legion of
critics who dismissed his forty-plus years of experience as a
football coach. Everybody, it seemed, wanted Rich Brooks gone.
Fortunately for the University of Kentucky and its Big Blue Nation,
Rich Brooks is made of stern stuff. And so is the man who hired
him.
In a turn of events not a soul could have predicted, the Kentucky
FOOTBALL Wildcats take on South Carolina in a nationally televised
showdown tonight ranked number eight in the country . Next
Saturday, the crew from ESPN's College GameDay will be on site at
Commonwealth Stadium for Kentucky's throwdown with the Bayou
Bengals of Louisiana State. All this less than two years from a
disastrous campaign that had fans begging Mitch Barnhart to sack
Rich Brooks.
As Brooks' Wildcats occupy an unblemished 5-0 mark as they
embark upon one of the toughest three-game stretches in college
football, it is the perfect time for me to have a little I-told-you-so
moment. In August of 2005, I built The Case for Rich Brooks, using
his diligent work in building the program at the University of Oregon
as proof positive that he was the man to take Kentucky football from
the depths of probation to the upper-half of SEC football. By the end
of October that year, UK had only one win on its ledger, a narrow
escape against I-AA Idaho State, and I returned to defend Brooks
despite the unceasing vitriol leveled against him by fans of the
program. Even readers who had emailed me with their support of
Brooks in August were hard-pressed to find a single reason to keep
the veteran coach in Lexington. I pushed on, advocating an
extension for Brooks from Barnhart, still resolute in the belief that
Brooks and his loyal players would find a way take the program to
new heights.
Character, it is said, is revealed turning times of adversity. In 2005,
the UK football program had adversity in spades. Thankfully, they
also had the character to match. Barnhart stood by his hire, and no
one was more supportive of Brooks than his players. The abundant
leadership you see now from key figures like Andre' Woodson,
Keenan Burton, Rafael Little, Jacob Tamme, Braxton Kelly, Marcus
McClinton, and Wesley Woodyard was present even in those
darkest days, as these young men helped hold together the fabric of
Kentucky football. And the program's rock was always Rich Brooks,
a man who stood absolutely unflappable as he was ripped apart
from Paintsville to Paducah.
One thing that is easy for folks to miss is the fact that even in those
most difficult times, Rich Brooks never looked for cover. He never
took the easy way out. Never ducked the media. Never hid from the
criticism or the doubts. Never stopped being a professional.
Brooks showed up for every talk show and made every stop on the
athletic department's Big Blue Caravan's each spring. The fans that
got to spend time around Brooks at those events came to know a
man of wit and charm, but mostly they came to know a man that they
could easily relate to. He's one of us. Rich Brooks comes from a
simpler time on collegiate campuses, when high-profile,
high-stakes football was only played in a handful of spots around
the country. At Oregon, Brooks may not have been as recognizable
as the school's legendary track coach, Bill Bowerman. I think it's
fairly safe to guess that Nick Saban never has to take second-billing
to a track coach, and neither would Mike Belloti, Brooks' able
successor at Oregon.
Speaking of that Oregon program, last week GameDay was at
Autzen Stadium in Eugene for the Ducks' loss to Cal. It seems
appropriate that the national television scene is coming full circle
with Rich Brooks as enjoys this moment in the sun, from his former
university last Saturday to his road clash with Steve Spurrier tonight,
and then forward to his meeting with the number one-ranked LSU
Tigers on October 13. Brooks has been asked to do one national
interview after another in wake of his club's success, and Yahoo!
Sports' Jason King has an outstanding article on the resurgent
Kentucky program this week as well. But the veteran coach remains
unchanged in the spotlight, deflecting the credit to his players and
his staff, and he never gives in to the temptation to throw his
victories in the face of his now-dispersed critics.
Brooks faces off with an old friend, the Ol' Ballcoach, tonight, and the
winner has a legitimate chance to win the SEC East. At his lowest
point, Brooks was simply written off as an old ballcoach. I
compared Brooks to Spurrier back in 2005, as Spurrier returned
from an unsuccessful stint with the Washington Redskins to guide
the Gamecock program. Many snickered at the comparison, given
Spurrier's national championship credentials and his reign of
dominance at Florida. But for all of his success, Spurrier was never
a beloved figure outside of the Sunshine State, thanks in large part
to his altar ego, Steve Superior, the grating figure who liked to rub
his opponents' noses in their defeats. Brooks, on the other hand, is
a man that everyone can root for. His career has seen many highs,
and it has seen many lows. But he remains a man of unwavering
character, a man of humility, and a man of the people. Oregon's run
to the Rose Bowl in 1994 captivated college football fans in Brooks'
final season, and his Wildcats stand poised to replicate that feat in
2007. Brooks was the people's coach then, and he should be once
again.
Miracles do happen, you know. Three victories from now, Kentucky
could sit 8-0 and somewhere in the top three in the country, right in
the mix for a national title. And they could be 5-3, staggering from
the effects of a three-game losing streak. But whatever the record is
when the 'Cats get through the gauntlet, they'll be in good hands.
For better or worse, Kentucky football has a bright future. All thanks
to a coach that wouldn't go away.