DREAMS, THE KENTUCKY WILDCATS & WILD FANTASIES

I must admit the Kentucky Wildcats would not be in my shortlist of favorite college football teams, but after reading this guest-post from James Copher and the rich tradition of the University of kentucky, I may very well jump on the bandwagon of those dreaming of a "second coming".  

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Courtesy Kentuckyville.us 

My top comeback in sports for 2008 would definitely be the return of the Kentucky Wildcat football team to the National title game.

Most people don’t know that the Kentucky Wildcats were once a force in the football ranks under legendary Coach Paul “Bear” Bryant. With Bryant at the helm, they had a .710 win percentage; had won four bowl games during his tenure: the Great Lakes, Cotton, Orange, and Sugar Bowls; and they were SEC Champions and National Champions in 1950.

Coach Bryant left the University of Kentucky because he saw that the Bluegrass people didn’t care as much about the team’s accomplishments as they did about the other monster on the campus: the Wildcats basketball program headed by legend Adolf Rupp. So he left, taking with him what was considered the best program in the history of college football.

The Wildcats have taken fifty years to recover, but in the past two seasons they are 16-10 and have two bowl wins. Rich Brooks is the new mastermind, and with the help of Joker Phillips, has aligned the Kentucky Wildcat football team to return to greatness. If a recruit is looking to make history, they don’t have to look any farther then Kentucky because Kentucky has returned to a tough, exciting type of high-power football that is high scoring fun!

This moment would top some of the greatest coaching and recruiting jobs that have ever been recorded. Rich Brooks would get the nod for Coach of the Year, and the school would be able to compete for years to come in recruiting and fielding teams that could handle the pressures of being in the SEC. I know this would give Rich Brooks the satisfaction of knowing he did something that many others said couldn’t be done in such a competitive league.

When Rich Brooks visited the campus, before he accepted the job at Kentucky, he said, “I believe that this program is the sleeping giant that the rest of the nation doesn’t want to see awoke.” Well, Coach Brooks, I believe you were right.

The SEC is the toughest division in college football — Florida, LSU, Tennessee, Georgia, and Alabama — and they are the elite. It would give an old UK fan a swollen chest of pride to see the big blue in the national spotlight again and to be mentioned in the same breath as these other programs that have made history in the competitive SEC. So, if there is a genie’s magic lamp, I’ll rub it because to me, this would be as spectacular as Flutie’s Hail Mary pass, and I feel it would further strengthen the SEC’s dominance in modern day football.