Living in Kentucky from '92 to '96 allowed me the opportunity to develop an appreciation for life in the Bluegrass State. We lived in Louisville, stayed in a quaint little neighborhood in a Cape Cod style home on Hoock Avenue.
We enjoyed the Derby and Octoberfest annually and became bigger fans of the game of basketball living amongst the brethren when Denny Crum and Rick Pitino were at opposition from west to east.
It's no joke that basketball is king throughout the state. Indiana fans, Louisville, fans and UK fans bicker all year until their teams lace 'em up and duke it out on the hardwood. The basketball rivalries are fun and intense. Louisville is a nice town, gateway to the Midwest.
But when football season came, Ginny and I would trek to Lexington to watch SEC style football. Lexington is a great southern town. There is a sharp contrast between Lexington and Louisville. Louisville is the big city, Lexington one of the best kept secrets in the Southeast.
The charm of the southern town is enhanced by the rolling hills and long white wooden fences on the outskirts of the city, guarding the thoroughbreds on the peaceful grounds. The beautiful college campus and the youthful student body livens the atmosphere of the city square.
During our stay, football was making a comeback in the state. Howard Schnellenberger and Bill Curry were leading the rival instate teams and getting into the postseason with respectable bowl offers, but not quite on a regular basis.
We had the great pleasure of seeing one of the better running backs in SEC history don the Kentucky Blue, the great Moe Williams. Moe was from my home town of Columbus, Georgia.
In 1995, Williams put together a monumental season that placed him in the Wildcat record books, and his efforts will last in UK lore for generations to come. He had a memorable style of running that combined speed, power, and finesse.
In that season, running behind an offensive line with average talent, Moe rushed for 1,600 yards (seven 100 yard games), led the SEC in rushing yards per game (145.5), all purpose yards (1,826 yards), and scoring (102 points).
Williams left for the NFL after his junior year. In three seasons, his flair and career total of 3,333 rushing yards (an average of 5.4 yards per carry on 618 attempts), 38 receptions for 313 yards (8.2 per catch) and 27 touchdowns re-whetted the appetite for football in the state like blood reminds a vampire of his thirst.
Ex-Alabama head coach Bill Curry coached the wildcats from 1990 to 1996. He arrived in Kentucky after rejection by the Alabama fan base, an intolerable scolding by the Athletic Director (Hootie Ingram) and one-sided contract changes wrestling power from the head coach of the Men in Crimson—a trio of circumstances that led to Curry's resignation at the Capstone.
One over-the-top Alabama fan heaved a brick into the head coaches athletic office.
It was not a bright period for the Capstone. Curry had coached the Tide respectfully to a 10-2 record just one season before, but the rub was that the in-state rival had bested his teams repeatedly, and he was loosing the in-state recruiting battle.
The Kentucky athletic program headed by C.M. Newton took the opportunity to hire a man of great character and better than average coaching skills. Over the next few years, Curry breathed life into the dormant Kentucky football program.
At his pinnacle, he reached a season high total of six wins in 1993 resulting in an invitation to play in the Peach Bowl, pitted against Clemson. A loss in the Peach Bowl contest and his lack of winning in subsequent years, despite the production on the field by Moe Williams, set the wheels in motion for change.
In came Hal Mumme. Fresh off a national championship campaign at Valdosta State, Mumme and his unconventional, but highly successful "Air Raid" passing game excited the fan base beyond all expectations by anyone outside of the Commonwealth State.
That particular hire, along with the signing of in state high school QB phenom Tim Couch gave Wildcats fans hope of competing for a title in the Southeastern Conference.
In three seasons, Mumme led the Wildcats to 20 wins against 26 losses but recruiting violations eventually led to his demise as head coach in Lexington.
Mumme resigned as head coach in 2001, leaving the promising program in turmoil and banned from postseason play. The football program lost 19 scholarships over the next three seasons.
Guy Morriss stepped in to keep the ship on course, and, in fact, led them to a 7-5 record in 2002. Despite their on field success, the Wildcats could not participate in postseason play due to imposed sanctions.
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