Guy Morriss

Guy Morriss knows it is time for him to make a decision about whether he wants to be the football coach at Boyle County High School. "We had what I guess you could call our final round of talks today. Now it is time for Jackie (his wife) and I to decide what we are going to do," Morriss said by telephone Sunday night. "We will know something tomorrow in fairness to everybody involved. We need to make a decision. " Morriss, a former National Football League player and assistant coach, was head coach at Kentucky from 2001-2002 and head coach at Baylor from 2003-2007.

Former University of Kentucky coach Guy Morriss was in Mobile, Ala., last week to watch Senior Bowl practice and see friends he knew from his playing and coaching days in the National Football League. Morriss recently turned down a chance to become the head coach at Boyle County after spending the five previous seasons as head coach at Baylor. He answered questions about his Boyle experience and future while watching a Senior Bowl practice: Question: What did you learn about yourself, if anything, through the Boyle County process you went through before you turned the job down?

Guy Morriss has turned down a chance to coach the Boyle County High School football team. "Timing is everything and the timing is just not right," said Boyle superintendent Steve Burkich tonight after Morriss informed him that he was not taking the job. "We had serious discussions that may not have happened anywhere else except a place with the strong tradition and athletics excellence of this area. "A lot of places would not have even been considered by a Guy Morriss. It has truly been an unbelievable experience and the significance of him just considering even coming here became a statewide story.

If all goes as Boyle County officials hope Thursday, then Guy Morriss will be the new Boyle football coach. As preposterous as that notion might have seemed a few weeks ago when coach Chris Pardue resigned, it now looks like it could become a reality. Morris, who was the head coach at Kentucky for two years and at Baylor for five years, is scheduled to fly here Thursday to meet Boyle officials and possibly finalize a contract. If it happens, what a coup this is going to be for the Rebels.

STANFORD - Boyle County's players are following the continuing saga surrounding who will be their next football coach with keen interest. Tight end-linebacker Jordan Aumiller said he has had a few conversations about former college and NFL coach Guy Morriss, who turned down the job on Monday, and Larry French, the Lincoln County coach who is scheduled to have a second meeting with Boyle officials on Tuesday. "We're just kind of wondering, anxious to see what's going to happen," Aumiller said Friday following the Boyle-Lincoln boys basketball game.

The timing was not right for Guy Morriss to become Boyle County's football coach. That's what the former Kentucky and Baylor head coach told Boyle superintendent Steve Burkich Monday when he finally said no to Boyle's offer. "Timing is everything and the timing is just not right," said Burkich after Morriss informed him that he was not taking the job. "We had serious discussions that may not have happened anywhere else except a place with the strong tradition and athletics excellence of this area.

Boyle County athletics director Jim Spears said Saturday nothing had changed in the negotiations with Guy Morriss to become Boyle's new football coach. "We are still in conversation with the coach. We still have reason to believe there will a conclusion that is good for Boyle County football. We just don't have our guy yet," Spears said. Spears watched Kentucky beat Vanderbilt in double overtime in Rupp Arena on Saturday and was immediately reminded just how big a story Morriss' possible hiring at Boyle was. "I sat in Section 231, Row N. There are some people that regularly sat in front of me that I don't know who they are or where they are from," Spears said.

The first week of January is supposed to be a slow month, while gearing up for another year. Around these parts, it just didn't happen. First, former University of Kentucky football coach Guy Morriss interviews for the head coaching vavancy at Boyle County High School, sending the state into a frenzy mode. Of course my good friend and collegue Larry Vaught in Danville was all over this story, which became a hot topic in Central Kentucky. If that wasn't enough, Eastern Kentucky University finds itself searching for a coach after Danny Hope left for Purdue, where he will serve next season as an associate head coach, before taking over the reigns in 2009.

Boyle County superintendent Steve Burkich has no doubts that Boyle will still be able to attract a high-profile coach to fill the vacancy created when Chris Pardue resigned last month to become the offensive coordinator at Campbellsville University even though Guy Morriss turned down a chance to coach the Rebels. Boyle had been in serious discussions with Morriss for about a week before the former Kentucky and Baylor coach decided tonight not to take the job. "I still think our position will be looked at by a lot of coaches, and maybe by even more coaches now," Burkich said.

LEXINGTON- Harrodsburg's Dan Hopewell believes he is well prepared to make the transition from the football field to the financial world. Hopewell, a double major in marketing and management, received his bachelor's degree at the University of Kentucky's 137th Commencement Saturday in Lexington's Rupp Arena. A quarterback, wide receiver, and defensive back at Harrodsburg High School, Hopewell earned second team all-state honors from the Associated Press and was an honor roll student.

For area high school sports, 2008 was a year of the unexpected as a former college head coach almost became a prep coach, a high-profile area coach switched teams, runners continued their title dominance, and sports like soccer and tennis reached levels never before attained in this area. Here's a look at the top 10 high school stories from 2008 as voted on by sports editor Larry Vaught, assistant sports editor Hal Morris, staff writers Mike Marsee and Marty Warren, columnist Haley Ralston and webmaster Gary Moyers.

Every day I get the opportunity to do something different. That's what makes this job so special year after year. That's why I thought today I would share the top 10 stories I covered in 2008. Most are on the list because they are unique and different from anything I had done before in my 35 years at The Advocate-Messenger. 1. Ryder Cup This was the one event I covered in 2008 that made the biggest impression. Maybe it was because I was overwhelmed with the patriotism.

Former University of Kentucky coach Guy Morriss was in Mobile, Ala., last week to watch Senior Bowl practice and see friends he knew from his playing and coaching days in the National Football League. Morriss recently turned down a chance to become the head coach at Boyle County after spending the five previous seasons as head coach at Baylor. He answered questions about his Boyle experience and future while watching a Senior Bowl practice: Question: What did you learn about yourself, if anything, through the Boyle County process you went through before you turned the job down?

MOBILE -- Wesley McGriff was one of the most enthusiastic coaches ever at Kentucky when he was on Guy Morriss' staff and coached the UK running backs. He was in the Mobile, Ala., area recruiting when he decided to stop by the Senior Bowl to see one of his players at Miami (Fla.), linebacker Tavares Gooden, who is playing in Saturday's all-star game. McGriff says he enjoys coaching now as much as he did when he was at UK and left with Morriss to join his staff at Baylor before going to Miami.

Boyle County principal Elmer Thomas said Boyle officials never stopped their search for a head coach, even when former Kentucky and Baylor head coach Guy Morriss had expressed interest in the job. "We had our coaching search ongoing, but that was a whirlwind week," Thomas said Wednesday. "We had two different things happening. We had the head coaching search going on, and we had that week of the whirlwind (with Morriss). " But the search is now over after Larry French accepted the position Wednesday morning.

Steve Burkich said he didn't expect the deal to bring Larry French to Boyle County to move as fast as it did. But the Boyle County superintendent said the Rebels got as good a person as they did a football coach, and that was one thing Boyle was looking for in its next head coach. "He had impressed me more than just being a football coach. He's a gentleman and we're very pleased to have him," Burkich said Wednesday morning. "We got a good one. His experience and him working with very good programs, the time he spent at building the program at Mercer County, and competition played at Meade (County)

STANFORD - Boyle County's players are following the continuing saga surrounding who will be their next football coach with keen interest. Tight end-linebacker Jordan Aumiller said he has had a few conversations about former college and NFL coach Guy Morriss, who turned down the job on Monday, and Larry French, the Lincoln County coach who is scheduled to have a second meeting with Boyle officials on Tuesday. "We're just kind of wondering, anxious to see what's going to happen," Aumiller said Friday following the Boyle-Lincoln boys basketball game.

STANFORD - Lincoln County coach Larry French has met with Boyle County officials about their head football coaching vacancy. French will meet with Boyle officials again Tuesday morning. "I am sure I will have an answer then if they offer it to me and it comes down to that," said French Friday morning. "Money is not everything. You have to be happy. That is something I have to consider. I will just see how the talks go on Tuesday. If it is all positive and the job is offered to me, then I may take the challenge.

It made perfect sense for Boyle County officials to see if former coach Chuck Smith, who won five straight state titles from 1999-2003, would be interested in coming back here to coach. It also was worth the effort to try to persuade former Kentucky head coach Guy Morriss to take the job. But now that Smith has said no thanks and remains at Kentucky and Morriss has said the timing is not right for him, Boyle has to make sure it now pursues a coach to replace Chris Pardue that will say yes when offered the job. There's no rush to fill the coaching vacancy, but Boyle officials need to make sure they find a coach now who will want to be here and is willing to accept the job. Before Morriss became interested, Boyle officials were already looking at several coaches.

The timing was not right for Guy Morriss to become Boyle County's football coach. That's what the former Kentucky and Baylor head coach told Boyle superintendent Steve Burkich Monday when he finally said no to Boyle's offer. "Timing is everything and the timing is just not right," said Burkich after Morriss informed him that he was not taking the job. "We had serious discussions that may not have happened anywhere else except a place with the strong tradition and athletics excellence of this area.