Expectations: Kentucky Wildcats Football

I used to hate Rich Brooks.

Not physical hate, but sports hate. And man was it intense.

I was definitely one of the drivers of the "Run Rich Brooks Out of Town" bandwagon.

I searched and searched for a "Ditch Rich" bumper sticker, so I could show the world my disdain toward the hire of "PaPaw" by fellow ex-Oregonian Mitch Barnhart. I couldn't find one, which was probably a good thing, because now I would have been forced to remove it from my car.

Rich Brooks has done a great job turning this program around and altering expectations in the Bluegrass. And expectations has always been the downfall of the football team.

Not big expectations mind you, but just the prevailing thought that every game was a loss waiting to happen. For me, and for many other Kentucky fans I presume, football season was just something to occupy our time until the hoops season started.

At some point during this cycle I started to really care about the success of the team. I think this change probably occurred during the Hal Mumme/Tim Couch/Air Raid days.

There were just enough sparkles of hope that maybe, just maybe, Kentucky might actually have a chance to be one better programs in the Southeastern conference.

But then time and time again reality would kick the Commonwealth Stadium diehards right in the face.

In 1997, Hal Mumme followed Bill Curry and his stellar 26-52 seven-year Kentucky record and in his first season the team went 5-6. Year two saw Couch lead the 'Cats to a 7-5 record followed by a loss to Penn State in the Outback Bowl.

Tim Couch was then selected first overall by the Cleveland Browns in the 1999 NFL Draft. Hope sparkles and glimmers throughout Big Blue Nation.

Kentucky had finally made a great hire in the pass happy Mumme, who followed up with a record of 6-6 and another postseason loss, this time to Syracuse in the Music City Bowl.

Wildcat fans were optimistic, albeit cautionary, hoping the slight dip was due the early departure of Couch. Things would surely take off now with Dusty Bonner under center and the coming of Jared Lorenzen in the 2000 season.

Shortly thereafter, the big thump heard around the Lexington area was the sound of the hammer wielded by the NCAA smashing sanctions onto the Wildcat program.

Multiple violations landed Kentucky on probation and forced Mumme and his staff out of town.

Guy Morriss then inherited the team, went 2-9 in 2001, then followed with a decent 7-5 season, but alas no bowl because of the NCAA sanctions.  Just when the future was starting to look a little brighter, Morriss accepted an offer to return home to Texas as the head coach of Baylor University.

Enter Rich Brooks, ex-Oregon Ducks and St. Louis Rams head coach whom Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart coaxed out of retirement to lead the Wildcats from the depths of probation and back to respectability.

Fast forward three years, Brooks had an overall record of 9-25, 4-20 in the SEC. Fans were screaming for him to be fired. Every time Brooks or Barnhart were questioned in regards to the future of the program, the response was always for the fans to show patience, his recruits were here now and maturing, and good times were soon coming.

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