Rich Brooks

Blue Ribbon College Yearbook editor Chris Dortch follows both Southeastern Conference football and basketball. He was one of the first to embrace the coaching job Rich Brooks was doing at Kentucky, and his publication was one of the first to predict UK would reach a bowl game in 2006. Here are some observations Dortch offered on Brooks' Cats. Question: Does it surprise you that Kentucky is bowl-eligible for a fourth straight year? Dortch: No it doesn't.

While Kentucky coach Joker Phillips walked away with a smile on his face after his last game at UK, defensive coordinator Rick Minter didn't exactly do the same and even offered some advice for the next coach - which is now Mark Stoops after the Florida State defensive coordinator was named head coach Tuesday. Minter - who has been at 13 schools during his 35-year coaching career and was fired as the head coach at Cincinnati - noted that UK showed little loyalty to Phillips. “I've been through what he's been through, and I know how tough this is, and how challenging this is, particularly being an alumnus,” Minter said after Saturday's loss at Tennessee.

Mary Jo Smith: I know you have missed hearing from me! Tee Hee Tee Hee. I have a question, "Do you think Bobby Petrino could tutor Rich Brooks???? How about those Cards????? What a game! Now I'm worried about next Thursday as they'll probably let Rutgers beat them! I hope they can stay up for that game too! Larry: I think Bobby Petrino could tutor a lot of coaches, not just Rich Brooks. The Cardinals deserve to have a chance to play for the national title if they win out. Would expect a letdown against Rutgers but would still expect a Louisville win. They are GOOD and have been from day one.

UK schedule Affiliations: NCAA Division I-A, Southeastern Conference Coach: Rich Brooks 2004 record: 2-9 Sept. 4LOUISVILLE3:30 Sept. 10IDAHO STATE6:00 Sept. 17at Indiana6:45 Sept. 24FLORIDATBA Oct. 8at South CarolinaTBA Oct. 22at MississippiTBA Oct. 29MISSISSIPPI STATETBA Nov. 5AUBURNTBA Nov. 12at Vanderbilt2:00 Nov. 19at GeorgiaTBA Nov. 26TENNESSEETBA|8/14/05|.

LEXINGTON - Kentucky linebackers coach Ron McBride is scheduled to be officially introduced as the new head football coach at Weber State today. McBride, 63, was the head coach at Utah before coming to Kentucky to join Rich Brooks' staff. He told UK players after their season-ending game at Tennessee that he was leaving. He said then that a heart problem that forced him to have surgery and miss two games this year would not prevent him from being a head coach. He's the second UK assistant to leave.

For years, Kentucky has been considered a basketball state. Of course, the big reason behind the logic was the influence that Kentucky basketball has had across this state. Kentucky basketball is big, but it can now share the spotlight with Kentucky football. In case you haven't noticed, the football team is undefeated four games into the season and ranked No. 14 in the latest Associated Press poll. The Wildcats are just one of three teams undefeated in the SEC and the third highest ranked team in the conference.

Kentucky's football team continues to prepare for its season opener on Aug. 31 at Louisville. The Wildcats enjoyed another practice session Monday, which was productive according to coach Rich Brooks. "I think we had a pretty good practice," the Kentucky coach said. "They were flying around. There was some good, physical contact. I liked their attitude. We're still not where we need to be on either side of the ball, but the offense is kind of hit and miss right now. We need to pick up the tempo and block a little better, get a little more consistency in what we're doing on offense.

The Kentucky Chapter of the ALS Association will stage its 8th annual Lewis Owens "Walk to Defeat ALS" and silent auction on Saturday, Sept. 20 at Applebee's Park, 207 Legends Lane. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. and the walk begins at 10 a.m. The auction begins at 8:30 a.m. and will run until 11:30 a.m. This year, Kentucky head football coach Rich Brooks will be the honorary walk chairperson. The walk and auction are open to the public with all funds raised going to the ALS Association Kentucky Chapter, a non-profit organization dedicated to finding the cause and cure of Amyotrophic Later Sclerosis.

LEXINGTON - Kentucky football coach Rich Brooks had something other than football on his mind after his Wildcats finished practice Wednesday. Instead of starting his comments with practice updates, he turned his attention to the death of UK basketball equipment manager Bill Keightley. "The first thing I'd like to say is that I'm really sorry about Bill Keightley," Brooks said. "Whenever I saw him the last two years, he was so happy and proud of what we were doing on the football field.

LEXINGTON ? Kentucky freshman linebacker Ridge Wilson has been suspended from practice and all team activities for at least a week by coach Rich Brooks after being charged with fourth-degree assault over an altercation in a university housing complex Monday night. The female complainant said Wilson struck her in the face during an argument. Wilson, an all-state player at Louisville Central last year, played on special teams in UK's opening 42-0 win over Miami and had one tackle.

Hope and starry-eyed optimism are often the last resort of the sports loser. I should know. I've been a University of Kentucky football fan since I was old enough to burry my tiny head in my tiny hands with disappointment. Something unexpected has happened, though, during this part of the sports calendar usually reserved for obsessing over basketball and forgetting about football. I'm paying almost as much attention to what happens at the Nutter Training Center as I do to what happens at Rupp Arena.

While Kentucky coach Joker Phillips walked away with a smile on his face after his last game at UK, defensive coordinator Rick Minter didn't exactly do the same and even offered some advice for the next coach - which is now Mark Stoops after the Florida State defensive coordinator was named head coach Tuesday. Minter - who has been at 13 schools during his 35-year coaching career and was fired as the head coach at Cincinnati - noted that UK showed little loyalty to Phillips. “I've been through what he's been through, and I know how tough this is, and how challenging this is, particularly being an alumnus,” Minter said after Saturday's loss at Tennessee.

Ron Caragher spent four seasons at Kentucky as running backs coach under Rich Brooks from 2003-2006 before becoming the University of San Diego head where he has a 43-22 mark in almost six seasons. He was at UK¿in 2006 when the Cats finished 8-5 and were 4-4 in Southeastern Conference play. He spent nine seasons (1994-2002) on UCLA's staff under Terry Donahue and then Bob Toledo - he played there from 1986-89. He coached receivers, punters and kickers during his time there. During the 1997-98 seasons, UCLA won a school-record 20 straight games and averaged over 40 points per game.

HOOVER, Ala. - Harold Graeter is the associate executive director of the AutoZone Liberty Bowl in Memphis, a game Kentucky played in and won three years ago. He's excited the Liberty Bowl will have its more traditional New Year's Eve date at 3:30 p.m. EST - the same day UK's basketball team hosts Louisville. “We have been on ESPN so many years, but they have slid us over to ABC this year and we will be one of only four bowl games that will be on network television versus cable.

LEXINGTON — Kentucky cornerback Randall Burden thinks Steve Pardue’s coaching style will fit nicely at UK. “You see a lot of coaches on the field being loud and hollering at players. He will do that because he is a coach, but he will bring you more to the side and just talk to you and get your  mind back in the game,” said Burden, who played for Pardue at LaGrange (Ga.) High School. “He is really not the type that will be loud. He tries to keep everything cool and calm so you can play better.

LEXINGTON — Rockcastle County coach Scott Parkey was still an assistant coach when the Rockets’ star player, lineman Brad Durham, committed to play at Louisville. Durham was not a Kentucky native — his family moved to Rockcastle County from Indiana — but he seriously considered Kentucky before making his decision to play for then-coach Bobby Petrino’s Cardinals. “Brad and his whole family were wearing red everywhere. They loved it, loved the town, loved the staff, everything,” said Parkey.

Harold Graeter is the associate executive director of the AutoZone Liberty Bowl in Memphis. His bowl has courted Kentucky the last four years and the Wildcats beat East Carolina in Memphis to end the 2008 season in the 50th Liberty Bowl. Graeter recently took time to share his thoughts on new Kentucky coach Joker Phillips and the Kentucky program. Question: What do you think of Phillips and can he continue what Rich Brooks had going at Kentucky? Graeter: “We have not had a lot of interaction with Joker.

Linebacker Lamar Dawson plays at Boyle County and has a former teammate, tight end, Jordan Aumiller already playing at the University of Kentucky who was here this week to speak at the same Boyle County Youth Football Camp, where Dawson was working as a coach. One of Boyle’s all-time best players, Jacob Tamme, went to Kentucky and had a brilliant athletic and academic career and is now in the National Football League playing for the Indianapolis Colts. Another former Boyle standout, Taylor Begley, set numerous place-kicking records at Kentucky.

HARRODSBURG ? Kentucky women's basketball coach Matthew Mitchell didn't let a long, disappointing Monday night ruin his enthusiasm Tuesday morning when he had a chance to speak to 16 teams participating in the Kentucky National Guard Titan Christmas Clash at Mercer County. Mitchell's team lost its first game at Middle Tennessee Monday night and he didn't get back to Lexington until 3:30 a.m. Tuesday. However, he was at Eddie Montgomery's Steakhouse in Harrodsburg at 8:30 a.m. to speak at a breakfast for the players, coaches and others associated with the tournament.

They battled over his weight, academics and practice habits. At times, Christian Johnson even thought Kentucky coach Rich Brooks actually disliked him and had given up on him. Yet when the Kentucky coach told his team after Sunday's Music City Bowl that he was "80 percent sure" he was retiring, one of the players who took the news the hardest was Johnson, a senior offensive guard. "It hurts. I ain't going to be right for a little while," Johnson said with tears in his eyes after Kentucky's 21-13 loss to Clemson.