ICYMI: Kentucky Wildcats Football – 40 years of reflection of Commonwealth Stadium

Derek Smith, Tight End (1999-2000)

Being from the Bluegrass State, what did you know, if anything, about Commonwealth Stadium prior to becoming a student at the University of Kentucky?

• I have always known of the stadium from just being a big UK fan from the time I was a boy. I have always paid close attention to all UK sports since I can remember.

Describe the excitement surrounding the fanbase, program, and yourself knowing that Commonwealth Stadium was being expanded and renovated your freshman season and that you were a part of the first team to play in the “new” Commonwealth Stadium in 1999.

• The stadium renovation was definitely part of the recruiting pitch while I was still deciding.  It was nice to know the stadium was going to be bigger and louder but for me I always knew down deep it was blue and white or bust.

What is your favorite play at Commonwealth Stadium as a player?

• As a player my most memorable moment was my touchdown in the Indiana game my sophomore year in 2000. It was right before halftime and we ran a play called 95 where I was supposed to go over the linebackers and under the safety to the left side of the field.  Jared Lorenzen was hurried on the play and he scrambled right and when I looked back he pointed to the corner of the right endzone. Once I turned around and headed that way he just put it up in the air and I was able to run under it. It was a turning point in the game and it’s a memory I’ll hold dear for a very long time.

What is your favorite game at Commonwealth Stadium as a player?

• My favorite game as a player would have to be my first game against Louisville in 1999. Even though we lost the game, running out onto the field in front of all the fans for the first time was amazing. It was the first time I had played a game in front of that many people on a football field and to say I was nervous would be an understatement.

What game at Commonwealth Stadium, as a player, would you most want deleted from your memory bank?

• The one game I would like to have back would be the Tennessee game in my junior year of 2001. We were pretty much ahead the whole game and I had injured my hip on a play in the second half. We had a bad fumble at the end of the game and ended up losing the game which would have been the first win in a long time against the Vols. I’d like to have that game back for sure.

When was it the loudest you ever heard it at Commonwealth Stadium?

• I wouldn’t be able to pick out a specific game to say that it was the loudest because I really only noticed it my freshman year being it was the first year I played in front of big crowds. Maybe the one moment when I really looked up and said wow was once again the opening game in the renovated stadium against Louisville in 1999.

What is your favorite game at Commonwealth Stadium as a spectator (either in attendance or watching on tv)?

• Definitely my fondest memory as a spectator was the win against Alabama in 1997 when I was on a recruiting trip down there to see the game. It was really the icing on the cake for me to see my Cats take down a program like Alabama. I knew then that coach Mumme was really going to turn things around.

What will you remember most about the gameday atmosphere/fans at Commonwealth Stadium?

• What I will remember and miss the most is the entrance to the stadium the day of the games. Just the team staying in the hotel and the fans waiting on us to arrive was so neat to experience and know that many fans were behind us and supported us. It’s the kind of memories you never forget. I will always be grateful to the Big Blue Nation for being the best fans in all of college athletics.

Glenn Pakulak, Punter (2000-2002)

• Growing up in Michigan, I didn't know much at all about Commonwealth Stadium.  As a boy I bled a deeper shade of blue, the "Maize and Blue".  I just remember the success Tim Couch and Craig Yeast and the boys had with the Air Raid.  I remember when I walked on in the fall of 1999. After admissions sign-up, I was walking around the campus with my dad and saw a big guy walking around on campus as well.  My dad said, "I bet he plays football, maybe he can point us in the direction of Commonwealth Stadium". Turns out that the guy ended up being Otis Grigsby, the nicest guy ever. My dad and I eventually found the stadium and it was the first time I had ever stood inside a stadium so big!  I never went to a Michigan or Michigan State game as a kid. I just remember telling my dad that I was going to prove myself to everyone.

• My most memorable play in Commonwealth Stadium was the first punt of my junior year in the first game against Louisville (2001).  I punted it 70 yards and I was roughed!  So the punt ended up not counting but we got the ball back and a first down.  The reason why this was the most memorable was because for my first two years my family was paying out-of-state tuition. I was depressed a lot because I knew how good I was and just wanted to prove that to everyone!  So even though I punted the last three games of my sophomore year, 2000, I still didn't have a scholarship going into my junior year, 2001.  So about two weeks before the first game, Louisville,  I went to coach Morriss’ office and told him that I felt I deserved a scholarship because I was going to be one of the best punters in the SEC that year, strong words for someone who only punted 3 games, and that tuition has been really tough.  He said he was going to watch me close at practice.  A week later they awarded me a full ride scholarship.  So the pressure was on now. Having my first punt of the year go 70 yards put my worries to rest and I was First-Team All-SEC and Third-Team All-American that year.

• Beating UTEP 77-17 in 2002. The reason is because the score was so lopsided that it allowed the chance for a lot of my close friends, who I shed blood, sweat, and tears with for four years of practice, 5 a.m. morning workouts, etc. to get a chance to play.  It was so rewarding seeing those guys, who worked just as hard as I did but didn't have many opportunities to get to, go out there and play in front of 70,000 people! Man, I'll never forget that!

• Obviously the Bluegrass Miracle game against LSU in 2002! Taylor Begley just buried a field goal to put us up with a few seconds remaining in the game.  I carried him off the field!  We finally thought we broke a curse that had been eating at us!  That game just killed me.  My whole family was down from Michigan, my buddies from high school drove down from Michigan and  were already on the field getting ready to tear the goalposts down.  After Devery Henderson caught that ball, I went directly to the locker room.  I was the first one in there.  I took my helmet and started smashing all the chicken and biscuit boxes sitting by each players’ locker.  I don't think anyone ever noticed.  We were all too sick to eat!

• The loudest I ever heard it was right before the Bluegrass Miracle happened. And the quietest I ever heard it was 2 seconds later.

• When we beat #1 ranked LSU in 2007! I came in for the weekend and it was just an absolute heck of a time with all my former teammates and buddies.  I will never forget that weekend.

• I have lived all over the world!  City to city playing in the NFL, NFL Europe, etc. and Lexington is right at the very top of this list, if not #1.  I will cherish the people and fans of Lexington and Kentucky the rest of my life. The kindest people that my family and I have ever met.  I'd like to eventually have a place in Lexington to spend parts of the year living there. Fans on gameday are so very loyal and caring about their Wildcats, it's like nothing I have ever experienced and never will again. Week in and week out  they were there yelling and cheering us on, whether we were 2-9 or 9-2.   I'll hold Commonwealth Stadium and Lexington very close to my heart for as long as I live.

• Two of my close friends were down for a weekend of Keeneland and football.  We went to the game Saturday afternoon and I talked security into letting my two buddies and I go hang out on the sidelines. That was a really great experience for them. Also, after I was done playing, my parents drove down one weekend to catch a game and visit me (I was taking a few fall classes).  They chose a good one. We went to the 7-overtime game against Arkansas in 2003.  

Shane Boyd, Quarterback (2001-2004)

Playing your high school ball in Lexington, what did you know, if anything, about Commonwealth Stadium prior to becoming a student at the University of Kentucky?

• I knew a lot about it. I grew up right across the street from the university and attended many games as a child. Pookie Jones was one of my favorite players, Bill Curry was one of my favorite coaches growing up, and Joker Phillips was a close family friend. Let’s just say that he was recruiting me since I was in elementary school. Lol

What is your favorite play at Commonwealth Stadium as a player?

• Would have to be my senior year in 2004 playing Vanderbilt on senior day. My whole family was in attendance and we beat Vanderbilt on a last second play. I scrambled in the pocket and threw up a pass to my favorite wide receiver, Glenn Holt, and while I was getting face planted into the ground, the crowd went bananas, and I rolled over to see Holt celebrating in the end zone. I left Commonwealth Stadium with a victory and that can never be changed. 

What is your favorite game at Commonwealth Stadium as a player?

• My first game starting as a freshman in 2001. I got the nod against Ball State and we put up 28 points in my first victory as a starter and I went down as one of the youngest players in the SEC to win a game as a starting quarterback.

What game at Commonwealth Stadium, as a player, would you most want deleted from your memory bank?

• “The Bluegrass Miracle” in 2002 when LSU won on a last-minute Hail Mary. They were ranked #16 in the country and we were set to knock them off that spot. What’s also crazy is I wound up rooming with the quarterback, Marcus Randall, who threw the pass, as a rookie when I was with the Tennessee Titans. A lot of trash talking during camp in our room. Lol

When was it the loudest that you heard it at Commonwealth Stadium as a player?

• Every game that we played Steve Spurrier because he didn’t like us and the BBN didn’t like him either. It was always a scrappy game and unfortunately he has won many games against us. That will have to change one day. (Kentucky defeated Steve Spurrier for the first time in 2010)

What is your favorite game at Commonwealth Stadium as a spectator (either in attendance or watching on tv)?

• The Kent State game in 2012. My little brother Aaron Boyd had 11 catches for 100 yards and a touchdown. I was so proud of him and how he performed. It was an amazing feeling to see my own brother playing at a high level on the same field as I did and I was able to get all the plays on film. 

What will you remember most about the gameday atmosphere/fans at Commonwealth Stadium?

• The Cat Walk and the sea of blue that was there supporting us each and every game. Also, the atmosphere after the game in the parking lot was simply amazing. All the love our fans showed us and the great tailgating taking place is unmatched in all of college sports. The Big Blue Nation is unmatched in its support of the athletes at our university. We truly bleed blue when it comes to Kentucky. 

Any interesting stories concerning Commonwealth Stadium that you would like to share?

• Before every game I would speak with my family, a few friends, and high school coach and Kentucky great Bill Ransdell. He played a major role in my success in my high school, college, and pro career. He will forever be in my heart and we remain great friends to this day. He was usually the last person I spoke with on the phone before I entered Commonwealth Stadium. 

Marcus McClinton, Defensive Back (2004, 2006-2008)

Playing your high school ball in Kentucky, what did you know, if anything, about Commonwealth Stadium prior to becoming a student at the University of Kentucky?

• I didn’t know much about Commonwealth Stadium in high school. I saw it for the first time on my official visit and I fell in love.

What is your favorite play at Commonwealth Stadium as a player?

• I got an interception against Vanderbilt in 2006. I jumped up and did a flip to get the interception.

What is your favorite game at Commonwealth Stadium?

• Arkansas and Bobby Petrino in 2008. It was me against Mike Smith the whole night and we won. We finally beat Petrino. When he was at Louisville, he always beat us.

What game at Commonwealth Stadium, as a player, would you most want deleted from your memory bank?

• Florida in 2007. Percy Harvin beat me deep.

What is your favorite game at Commonwealth Stadium as a spectator (either in attendance or watching on tv)?

• Kentucky vs. Florida in 2009 when Tim Tebow got knocked out. It was the best play of the game.

What will you remember most about the gameday atmosphere at Commonwealth Stadium?

The fans, the Cat Walk, and putting my shoulder pads on.