An air of sadness was prevalent at the Logan County High School football field Aug. 27, and it wasn't all because the Cougars were taking a pounding at the hands of a strong Greenwood team.

Before the game began, public address announcer Scott MacAllister, who is also the girls basketball coach, read a prepared statement commemorating the life of Thomas Washington, who had been an important part of the Cougar football team the past four years. A period of silence was observed in Thomas' memory.

Before and during the game, students and graduates could be seen crying and mourning for their friend and former teammate. Many of them came up to track/cross country coach Greg Howard, who was especially close to the athlete who had died much too young six days earlier.

Washington was scheduled to begin classes at Western Kentucky University Monday, Aug. 30, attending on a track scholarship. A former state track champion for the Cougars, he was part of a strong recruiting class on The Hill

A fund has been established at First Southern National Bank to help with funeral expenses. Russellville High School thoughtfully set up a collection box in the school office as a fund raiser, too. Some of the parents of Greenwood players graciously asked how they could make contributions

The cross country team canceled a scheduled appearance in a cross country meet in Owensboro Saturday to attend Thomas' funeral at Townsend Grove Baptist Church. His death will not soon be forgotten, nor will his contributions to Cougar sports and student life.

You can read more about happier times for the Washington family in a Speaking of Sports that appeared in The LoJo in March. Go to Articles, click on March 2010 and it’s under Sports.

The LoJo

Many proud moments have come in the life of Otis Key. Inn 1992 he was the senior center on Russellville High School's first regional finalist basketball team in three decades. He played b'ball for Austin Peay State University for three years where he was known as a strong defensive post player and then transferred to Lincoln University for his senior season, allowing him to be the featured offensive player instead of his teammate at RHS and APSU, Bubba Wells. He played professional ball for the Canary Islands in the Spanish League and was so popular that they named a candy bar for him (OKay).

Key then was a member of professional sports' most successful franchise, the Harlem Globetrotters, for eight years, where he was on both the show team and the serious-about-it team. He served as the Showman, wearing the microphone in a Trotters' game at APSU. and he served as the frontman who did public relations worked for the Globetrotters for a couple of years.

Later he became a coach, first serving as an assistant at LCHS. Then he was named coach of the Kentucky Bisons, a semi-pro team which he led to the American Basketball Association championship two seasons ago.

His latest achievement may be the one for which he is most proud, however. He went back to Clarksville and completed his college degree this summer, graduating in August.

Otis wants to coach in a major college program or in the full-time pros and has had some significant interviews. He tells The LoJo: "Just waiting to hear back from several strong prospects. I will be back on the bench for the Bisons if I don't receive any offers, but I will attend grad school regardless and pursue a Masters in Corporate Communication, emphasis in sports broadcasting."
Otis Key has the looks and personality to succeed in this field, too.
The LoJo
Phillip Hatchett’s selection as the first men’s full-time golf coach at WKU is being universally applauded. Phillip is first and foremost a gentleman in addition to being an excellent golfer and even better golf instructor.

Since he has long-time friend and former WKU teammate Kenny Perry supporting him, look for recruiting of outstanding golfers to return to the high level the school had when it was able to sign both Perry and Hatchett.

It would have been much more difficult for 2010 RHS graduate Paul Sansom to turn down Western’s scholarship offer had Hatchett already been hired, since Paul gives abundant credit to Phillip for his development as one of Kentucky’s best golfers. Sansom is a freshman on Middle Tennessee’s nationally ranked golf team, and the Blue Raiders definitely have better practice facilities than WKU, but saying no to Coach Hatchett would have been difficult for player Sansom.

Also in golf news, John Kirby has been dominating Bowling Green area golf this year, winning the BG city championship and the annual tournament at Franklin Country Club. The former Bowling Green High golf star is the son of Logan County Schools Associate Superintendent Janet Hurt.

Other legacies playing well are Jordan and Seth Blann. Jordan has turned pro following his career at the University of Kentucky. Seth is playing for UK now. The BGH are the sons of RHS graduate Donna Lewis Blann.

The LoJo

One person who surely remembers Jordan Blann well is former Russellville basketball star T.C. Thomason, who is going to work for his alma mater as a member of the Panther coaching staff. After putting together a solid four-year career playing for the Centre College Colonels, he's ready to help others learn to play the game. He's on the staff of Dennis Pardue, who was coach at RHS his senior season. His first three years he was coached by the legendary Phil Todd.

The last RHS game for T.C. and fellow standout Orlondo Woodard was against BGH in the regional tournament. Jordan Blann put on a scoring exhibition in leading the Purples past the Panthers.

The new head volleyball coach at RHS is Shell Peters, who assisted Coach Eric Gorham while her daughter Lauren was playing for the Lady Panthers. Gorham has chronic back problems that have made it difficult to work in his upholstry business or in coaching. He is helping Peters whenever he can.

The LoJo
Brett Austin, the son of 1972 RHS graduate Lee Ann Carnall Austin, won the Garden Spot Trot in Franklin recently among some 250 runners. A former Greenwood Gator, he has made the WKU cross country team as a walkon, we’re told.

Former Lewisburg Elementary student Christian Mullins is playing football for Georgetown College. He had a number of choices of colleges wanting his services. His dad, Paul Mullins, was the Lewisburg principal and now is principal at LaRue County High School.

The LoJo
Two successful college athletes have decided not to continue in that role.
John Kenner pitched well for Shawnee Community College during his two years there. He pitched in the final game of his college career. even though he fought elbow problems for over a year. He pitched the last five innings of the last game of the season for the Shawnee Saints. Heartland, which was the third-ranked junior college team in the nation, led 4-1 when he entered in the fourth inning with the bases loaded. He only gave up tw0 earned runs on two bloop hits over the second baseman, and Shawnee left 10 runners stranded on base in the last four innings. The Saints were just a couple of hits away from knocking off a very good team, which had trouble handling-- as one local sports writer always said-- "Kennerish" pitches.
"John was throwing totally 'nasty' stuff, even with a hurting elbow," says his dad, Jerry Kenner. "He was no doubt disappointed with the loss on a day that would be his last on the mound for Shawnee, but was satisfied to have known that he had thrown well enough to have gotten the win, had they just gotten another hit or two! I think Shawnee and their opponents will remember him for a while and his love of the game, and his willingness to pitch against any team, in any situation."
A 2007 graduate of Logan County High School, Kenner had a chance to pitch for some four-year schools but has decided to move on with his life. He was a fierce competitor on the mound whose career many of us have enjoyed since little league.
Another little leaguer we saw play regularly was Brittany Roark, who played with the guys in Auburn Little League. The former LCHS volleyball, softball and basketball standout has played softball for Kentucky Wesleyan the last two seasons, starting 41 of the Lady Panthers' 43 games this spring. She led the team in walks and had a .292 on-base average.
She plans to return to KWC this year but says she won't play softball.
Kentucky Wesleyan is an NCAA Division II school. I had written that Erica Meguiar is the first LCHS alum to play NCAA softball, but instead I should have said NCAA Division I softball.

The LoJo

Greg Pogue , the multi-media sports guy in Nashville with Logan County ties, wae the other day bragging just a little about who listens to his morning sports show on 560-AM. His friend Greg Fath of Lexington said he talked with Darrius Rucker recently at a Reds game after Darrius sang the National Anthem before the Reds played the Dodgers. They got to talking about people they both knew in Nashville.
Greg Fath sent Greg Pogue this note: "I asked him if he knew you and he said, 'The sports guy on the radio?' I said yeah. He said he listens to you quite often. Darius told me his new album comes out this October."
Darrius Rucker is one of the most popular newcomers to country music, but he's been in music for a long time. He may be better known as Hootie of Hootie and the Blowfish.
Greg Fath has a famous daughter. She's Farah Fath, who plays Gigi Morasco on ABC's One Life to Live after having begun her soap opera career as Mimi on NBc's Days of Our Lives. So Greg Pogue has several famous friends.
Pogue has a new gig. After a decade as executive sports editor, he's now the featured columnist for the Daily News Journal of Murfreesboro . He can write about sports, news, features, whatever's on his mind. They're even putting pictures of him on billboards all around Rutherford County. I told him a picture of his daughter Grace might get the paper more readers.
Greg, who still has his daily radio show, is the son of retired Logan County educators Gordon and Nannie Ruth Pogue.

The LoJo

The death of legendary coach Johnny Wooden this year brings back memories. Coach Wooden is one of those people who have become much more beloved since their retirement than they were before, especially around here.

My first awareness of this man came in 1964 when his UCLA Bruins won their first NCAA men's basketball championship. Some of us were talking at church the next day and decided that it was a fluke, that teams from west of the Mississippi just weren't very good. That was during a time that we kept waiting for the Adolph Rupp-coached Kentucky Wildcats to win another NCAA title.

After the Burins won their second straight title, we learned Wooden had signed a seven-footer from Power Memorial Academy in New York named Lew Alcindor. I had read about him as a sophomore in our Weekly Reader in Miss Helen Carpenter's social studies class at Russellville High School.

With Alcindor having to sit out a year because freshmen weren't eligible in those days, UK needed to win the title in 1966. Rupp's Runts almost did it. It was also the year that I first saw Kentucky play in person. I remember the pain when senior Runts Larry Conley and Tommy Kron became sick the day of the championship game as the Cats lost to Texas Western on their way down Glory Road.

UCLA not only won all three national championships with Alcindor/Jabbar in the middle, but they kept on doing it behind Bill Walton. After having been upset by North Carolina State in 1974, they reached the finals in '75 against UK. By then, it was Joe B. Hall coaching, not der Baron of the Bluegrass. On the eve of the championship game, Wooden announced he would retire afterwards. There was no way the officials were going to let Johnny Wooden lose his last one.

My greatest memory of that game has to do with my grandmother, Mary Mayton. 'Dana' was lying in her bed at age 85 watching the game to support me, even though she cared nothing about sports. After seeing the Wizard of Westwood work the sidelines, she proclaimed Wooden to be "the meanest old man I ever saw."

That mean old man lived another 35 years and became a gentle, beloved father figure. I count myself among those who liked and admired him.

Incidentally, a year after coaching in the national championship game, Joe B. Hall was in Russellville for the Logan County Heart Fund Sports Specacular. As Bobby Knight's Indiana Hoosiers went undefeated, he and I watched on a black-and-white television in the Russellville Middle School cafeteria. I don't know where Johnny Wooden was that night, but he lasted a year longer than the RMS cafeteria.