One of the most famous alumni of Logan County High School wants to stay in football. Playing is still a possibility, but coaching is more likely.
Jolting Joe Jefferson played four years in the NFL for the Indianapolis Colts for four seasons, sometimes as a starter.
He was Indy's number three pick in the 2002 draft, the highest draft choice in Western Kentucky University history. He was injured much of the time,
partly with leg problems he brought with him from Bowling Green.
Although this is his fourth season out of uniform, Joe said recently there's a new gel that's been created which is making old knees like new. Just 29
years old, returning to the field is not out of the question, but even he knows it's a stretch.
During the interim, Joseph Jefferson has been busy improving his resume for other work. He completed his degree at an Indianapolis area college. And
he's been doing some high school and youth league coaching.
During a two-week span in August, Jefferson did an internship with the Colts, helping coach the secondary. He says it was a worthwhile experience and
could help him land an NFL job outside the lines instead of between the hashmarks.
He also is considering coming back to this area to teach and coach. He is leaving his options open, much as he did as a hard-running back for Coach Les
May's Cougars at LCHS.
Joseph was also keenly interested in the Logan County Little League All-Stars. He made contact by email in Williamsport with the Stars'
pitcher/catcher, Ian Woodall, who is also a talented football player.
Jefferson is one of five former pro athletes from here who are scheduled to appear at an honors program for the All-Stars Saturday at 7 p.m. at
deGraffenried Auditorium. Joining him at the Concerned Citizens-sponsored event will be Mark Thompson, who pitched in the majors for the Rockies
and the Cardinals; Bubba Wells, who played for the Dallas Mavericks and Harlem Globetrotters and was also on the Suns’ and Bulls’ rosters; Otis Key, an eight-year Globetrotter who also played in the Canary Islands and coached the Kentucky Bisons to the ABA championship last year;
and P.J. Jones, who was a draft choice of the Baltimore Orioles and played in their minor league system.
The LoJo
Another former Cougar is changing jobs, but not locations. Well, actually he's moving indoors full-time.
Aaron 'A.J.' Johnson
was the number two pitcher on what I believe was the best-ever Cougar baseball team in 2000. He and Zak Danks made a one-two combination similar to
the one Coach David Billingsley employed on the 1989 state quarterfinalist team. From that one, Thompson went on to a great career at UK and was a
solid major league performer for seven seasons. Jeff 'Luther' Taylor pitched for Austin Peay State University for four years. Danks also signed with UK
but leg injuries kept him from continuing his career.
Johnson was one of the top pitchers of the first half of this century at Bethel College in McKenzie, Tenn.
A.J. was also an award-winning student athlete. He earned his degree in accounting, and worked as an accountant for a while. Sports kept calling him
back, though, and he gave up the world of business to coach baseball at Bethel. He also helped out with the basketball team and was doing some
recruiting while his brother, Jon-Matthew Thomason, was having a good career as a Cougar roundballer.
Now Johnson is the full-time assistant basketball coach at the college. "I am full time Men's Basketball Assistant and Head Junior Varsity Coach at
Bethel University. Yeah, it used to be college, but last month was the official name change. Feel free to stay up to date with our sports at http://www.facebook.com/l/;www.bethelathletics.com," he says.
A.J. and his wife Ashley are new parents. He says short nights make for long days.
The LoJo
I jokingly tried to buy an interest in Jane McCarley's first-born the day of her wedding in Glasgow. I'm more convinced than ever if would have
been a good investment.
Jane, who is the daughter of former Auburn basketball star/Russellville basketball coach/Olmstead principal John McCarley and his late wife Pat, has
athletic genes. Her dad and uncles Henry and Steve had excellent sports careers, and her Richardson bloodline is replete with athletes. Her cousin, Daniel McCarley, played college soccer and is now the first girls soccer coach at LCHS.
Jane's a tall woman, and her husband Jeff is at least 6'8".
When I saw daughter McCarley Jane Thomas at the wedding of cousin Billy McCarley this summer, I knew I was right. Going into her freshman year
of high school, she makes most guys like me have to look up to make eye contact. She's obviously built athletically.
The Thomases live in Nashville, as do granddad John and his wife Diane, who is the widow of the late Ken Dugan, the national champion baseball coach at
Lipscomb University. Johnny McCarley played basketball for Lipscomb, but his last administrative job was as director of Goodpasture Christian. His
granddaughter is a student at Goodpasture's biggest rival.
Last spring with David Lipscomb High School Mustangs as an 8th grader, McCarley Thomas was a starting varsity pitcher and recorded 68 strikeouts in 72
innings pitched. She pitched the district championship game to beat Ezell Harding and advance to the regional.
In summer ball she played 14U with the Nashville Slammers. They played six tournaments, finishing first at Cane Ridge, third in Clarksville and second
in the USSSA state tournament in Gallatin. Mac Thomas earned an additional trophy for best pitcher of the state tournament. We’ll keep an eye on her
career.
The LoJo
Two of the best baseball players ever from the Land of Logan have been named All-American softball infielders. RHS graduateJeryn Lee and LCHS
alumnus Kelley Jordan led their team to the championship of the ASA C East National in Columbus, Ohio. They earlier had won the USSSA C Great
Lakes National in Detroit. Later they finished fourth in the WSL C World Series in Panama City Beach.
Also scheduled have been trips to Indianapolis, Orlando and Oklahoma City. Lee and Jordan live and work in Owensboro where Kelley had an outstanding
career playing for Brescia University.
Meanwhile catcher Kevin Saunders, who originally signed to play baseball at Brescia, is now on the team at Shawnee Community College in
Illinois. He joins another former Brescia baseball signee, pitcher John Kenner, in the Shawnee baseball battery. John is a sophomore in
eligibility and Kevin a freshman, after both redshirted at Brescia.
The LoJo
The sons of Russellville High School graduates have been succeeding in sports.
Matt Kuivinen
is the quarterback for Franklin (Tennessee) High School, which has one of the better big-school football programs in Middle Tennessee. At 6'3", 190
pounds, he has the ideal build for a quarterback and is apparently quite talented, as shown by his starting as a sophomore. He led Franklin to a win at
Christian County earlier this season. That game was scheduled in part because Franklin is coached by former Hopkinsville coach Craig Clayton, whose dad
Fred is a former Christian County coach.
Matt is the son of Terri and Darrell Kuivinen. She is the former Terri Stephenson, an RHS graduate. He is the grandson of Julie Hall of
Auburn and her husband J.B. He is the great-nephew of Russellvillians Bob, Mike and George Wilson.
Jordan Blann
, a senior golfer at the University of Kentucky, won the Kentucky Amateur championship this summer and placed in the top 10 of the Kentucky Open. He is
the son of Donna Lewis Blann and has a number of cousins in Logan County, including former Lady Cougar golfer Meagan Peters. Jordan is probably
best remembered here for leading Bowling Green High to an upset of the Russellville Panthers in the Fourth Region Basketball Tournament during Dennis
Pardue's first season at the RHS helm.
Also qualifying for the Kentucky Open were Russellvillians Rusty Clark and Paul Neal Sansom. Clark is a bank executive and Sansom is the
senior leader of Pardue's RHS golf team. Both of them not only made the cut at the prestigious event at Olde Stone in Warren County, but they were in
the upper 60 percent of the golfers still alive after two rounds. Both struggled in the final round, but still represented us well.
The LoJo
During the Little League World Series, I wrote about the bloodlines of the All-Stars, demonstrating how deep those roots run in Logan County genealogy.
I've had no complaints, but I know of at least one error and one omission.
I had the wrong Baldwin as All-Star Tucker Baldwin's dad. I should have said Tim Baldwin is the proud papa.
In the bloodline of All-Star Jacob Wood, I spent a lot of time on mom Rhonda's Garrett Wood's family but slighted dad Jason Wood's side of the
family. Jason is the son of Vera Wood and the brother of Maria Lawson and Tracie Shifflett. That makes Jacob the cousin of Corey Lawson, who had a
solid athletic career at LCHS, and of RHS soccer player Dean Johnson.