WBN Roundtable: UK Father-Son Moments

My Favorite UK Fan on his 83rd Birthday wearing his lucky hat. The UK logo was also on the cake.

The WBN Roundtable this week is something near and dear to my heart. The man in that photo has been following the Cats his entire life. He still watches every game. He learned to get on the internet to check out Wildcat information, and bought himself a 60″ TV to watch games on. And at this party he pulled his latest trick:

Meet “Uncle” John Wall

So, in honor of Paul Jordan our fearless leader, and the Dad he lost this week, the Roundtable is asking this question:

What is your favorite UK father/son moment?

We have some new Roundtable guests this week, because there are no bad UK Father-Son stories, and I wanted to get as many in this article as possible. And please, if after reading this, you remember one of your own, feel free to post it in the comments.

Up first this week is Glenn Logan from A Sea Of Blue. He is the Managing Editor, and one of the most knowledgeable UK fans I know:

"My favorite memory is actually with my mother and father together, since Ican’t recall ever watching a UK game without both of them. My wife-to-be hadcome home with me from Newport News after leaving her job and home behind, and she was watching her very first Kentucky game with me, my mom and dad. It was 1987 and we were living at my house, and Petra was not at all a basketball fan at the time.It was Auburn @ Kentucky. Both teams were ranked around thetop ten at the time, I believe, and it was a close, nip-and-tuck game. At onepoint, my father, whom my wife had met only recently for the second time,suddenly shouted angrily in a loud and frightening voice, “He fouled him, ref!”My mother reacted similarly, although somewhat less loudly, and my poor fianceeshrank into a tiny corner of the couch, and didn’t say a word.After the game when we were alone, Petra said, “I never realized how seriously you and your family takes Kentucky basketball.” “Oh, yes,” I said. “Very seriouslyindeed.”“I noticed,” she said. “The vein was popping out of the forehead of both dad and mom!”She still laughs about that to this very day. Of course, she is a rabid UK fan now."

Brian Eldridge from Kentucky HS Scout: It’s difficult for me to pick out a singular moment with my dad and UK. He’s a big part of why I became a Wildcat fan as a little kid in the 80s. I think the best moment was in 1992, I was almost 13 years old. UK was in their first SEC Tournament after probation. I just remember sitting back with my dad and watching the Unforgettables and a sophomore Jamal Mashburn light up three teams, including a Shaquille O’Neal-less LSU. In the finals, the Cats pulled off a win against Alabama, in Birmingham, winning the SEC Tournament. It was my first real taste of post-season intensity and the Wildcats executed like few Wildcat teams before them and few since. To that point, I’d never seen my dad more excited about UK basketball. That’s always going to be a special moment for me and my dad.

Alan Smith, Wildcat Blue Nation: I’ve had countless UK memories with my dad, both football and basketball, all the way back to the days since Rick Pitino and Bill Curry had the coaching reigns at Kentucky. He is the reason I am the fan I am today, although I am by far a bigger one than him now. But, the most memorable, and favorite, memory I have ever shared with my dad, was the upset of LSU in football in 2007. I bought the tickets two months in advance and flew from Ft. Lauderdale to Louisville, then drove to Lexington early the next morning to go to my first game in nine
years. I was also able to go with my grandfather and my best friend, who I had not seen in six years. Although we sat on opposite sides of the stadium and I rushed the field without him, to know that he went out of his way to spend that time with his father and with me made me truly cherish that moment as the most memorable with my dad.

Ryan Shooter, Wildcat Blue Nation: My favorite UK moment with my dad had to be the 1994 SEC tournament in Memphis, TN. The tourney was help at the old Pyramid and Arkansas with Nolan
Richardson’s “40 Minutes of Hell” was the favorite coming in. I can remember how much I hated Scotty Thurman and as my dad and I called him “Egg Head Corliss Williamson”. I had no idea I was going to the Tournament that year. I was in 5th grade at the time and my dad picked me up from school. He never picked me up from school so I knew something was up. He never told me where we were going until the plane landed. I don’t think I have ever been excited, even to this day, to when we first walked into the arena versus Mississippi State. We absolutely crushed them, setting up a match-up with Arkansas the next day. I remember my dad buying 2 tickets 10 rows off of mid-court for $300 off a Mississippi State fan leaving the arena. I couldn’t believe how much money that seemed like at the time. I don’t think I slept at all that night. The next day before the game, while waiting in line for the bathroom I got in an argument with a Piggy Sooey fan (still the worst cheer of all time) about who would win the game. I still remember my dad standing there not saying a word as I argued
with the guy. Finally he said “stick to your guns kid”. Glad I did. We beat Arkansas by 12 points. I got a picture with Rick Pitino and signed basketball back at the hotel from the entire team (minus Jared Prickett). By the way if anyone knows how to get in touch with Jared, I love to complete the autographs on that ball. Anyways we went on the next day to beat Florida and Lon Kruger and thus my infatuation with UK basketball grew to probably an unhealthy level that weekend. Every year, if we can’t go to the SEC Tourney, my dad and I watch every single game, scheduling off work to do so. It’s because of him that I am a diehard Cats fan, and I couldn’t be happier about it.

Greg Alan Edwards, Asst. Editor WBN: My very best moment bar none, came from a visit to Rupp Arena in Rick Pitino’s last year at Kentucky, and involves the man you see pictured above. The Cats were playing shorthanded that day, (as they were a lot that year), but they were playing great. The game was tight, and myself, my friend (who had the season tickets), my father, and my uncle, were seated in the upper sections of Rupp, 232 I believe, and we were next to some very sweet, very large, and completely covered in UK paraphernalia, older ladies who leaped up to applaud every basket. As any of you who have been to Rupp know, the upper level seats are fairly small and you are usually seated “cheek to cheek” with the people next to you, even if you are a small individual like my Uncle. Myself, my father, and my friend could all do serious damage at an all-night, all you can eat buffet, and were not small at all, so you can imagine, that when everyone stood, it was much less crowded and when everyone sat, it got kinda tight. We were warned about this by my friend, but my uncle was experiencing hearing loss starting out all those years ago, and Rupp was LOUD that day, and he did not get the “word” to sit down quickly after each standing ovation, so as to get his seat unmolested.

Well, after the first ovation, he luckily sat down quickly, just by accident. And then next time, after a long standing ovation at the first TV timeout, We all sat down really fast and my uncle was left standing when the two ladies sat down as well. So when my uncle, who was not really fast, bent his knees and lowered himself to the bleachers, he found himself firmly in the lap of this lady next to him who was wearing her UK buttons that light up, her big blue hair, her UK sunglasses, jewelry, etc. and was drinking her ice cold Coca-Cola in her Rupp Arena collector cup. As his backside hit her lap, the cup went into the air, the banner she was waving stuck him in the thigh and he almost fell into the rows below. Now this man is as low-key and polite as he can be, and as he was trying to collect himself, he let out an extremely loud, “excuse me, lady” and the entire section erupted in laughter. He did not stand the rest of the game for anything.

Zach Rosen, Asst Football Editor, Wildcat Blue Nation: The one story that stands out between me and my dad was one that my memories are not so clear but the impact was crystal. As a young boy already interested in football and already dedicated to Kentucky sports I was naturally excited to
hear that my family had lined up football tickets for the whole clan and were going down to see a game. It was during the Bill Curry era, it was late in the season because I remember bundling up and watching all manner of tailgate warming rituals. I don’t even remember the result of the game but I didn’t care, everything else is frozen in crystal clear perfection and it was heaven. The pregame chili, the randoms shouts and cheers bouncing around the parking lot, the realization that my uncle started smelling increasingly more like what I later learned was your standard American pilsner.

Commonwealth stadium (pre–expansion) was another awakening for me: the color, the pageantry, the feel of the crowd; everything was electric for me. We sat on the last row of the stadium the only place we could find enough seats to fit a whole family in a row, but I didn’t care. During timeouts I remember looking over the wall and seeing what looked like miles of cars stretching out; it felt like I was miles above everything. Every memory created a new beautiful new piece of the story
that cemented my horribly fated and probably misguided dedication to UK football. Tailgating isn’t what it used to be but if you ever see me at one, I’m enjoying myself as much as possible and cheering at every fan that walks by, reliving my first UK football game with my dad.

These stories are all great, and I know a lot of you have even more of your own. So please, again, feel free to put yours in the comments section, or e-mail me at gakedw@yahoo.com with your stories. If I get enough of them I will try to post another article like this one, only under much happier circumstances.

From all of us here at WBN, our hearts, thoughts, and prayers, go out to Paul and his family. And I know that the Big Blue Nation feels the loss of another member, just as I can also tell you that on Thursday morning, the Big Blue Nation increased by one, as my friend and fellow Big Blue fan Chris Lowe celebrated the arrival of a new baby girl, who was born and bred pure blue. And the story goes on and on…………

Ken Howlett, CoachCal.com and ASeaOfBlue.com:Like many Kentucky fans my age, my father, Coleman, is responsible for indoctrinating me into the UK athletics “family.” He played baseball at UK in the early-to-mid-sixties, and was actually on a road trip to Florida when I was born. So, from a very early age I was cognizant of UK sports, and knew Kentucky athletics held a special place in the hearts and minds of my family.

Over the years, my father and I have watched numerous UK sporting events together; from NCAA Championship games to football bowl games. We’ve complained loudly to the television, blamed officials for losses, and reveled in victories. Simply put, we’ve together covered the gamut of emotions when it comes to UK sports. But probably the memory that stands out the most occurred in the early 1980’s.

Keith Madison, the former UK baseball coach, hosted an Old-timers Game at the Kentucky baseball complex. The game matched the current UK players versus former Wildcats. I was in my late teens, and my father introduced me to Harry Lancaster, who coached my dad at UK. Mr. Lancaster, who would die only a few years later, was mentally alert and very congenial. And even though I was very young, I was acutely aware of who he was, and what he had done at Kentucky, and his connection to Adolph Rupp made the short meeting all the more enjoyable.

Still today, I seek out advice from my dad on many things I write about. As I sit here today, at age 45, my father’s input and point of view are very valuable to me. I feel confident in saying that without his love of UK sports, I would probably not be the follower of the ‘Cats that I am today.

Keep following www.http://wildcatbluenation.com for the best in Kentucky basketball and football news, rumors, and opinions. By Kent
ucky fans for Kentucky fans