The stars aligned that year for Bourbon, but it takes a little luck along the way for anybody.

 

I think Bourbon actually finished 4th in the district that year didn't they? Danville and Boyle both layed the wood to them in the regular season.

 

It was a mud bowl the night they beat Boyle in the 2nd round.

 

Bourbon was third in district behind Boyle and Danville and ahead of Lexington Catholic.

For Coach Beatty:

 

2000 state runner-up

2001 state champ

2002 state champ

2003 state champ

2004 out in 2nd round to Dixie Heights

2005 state champ

2006 state champ

2007 state champ

2008 state champ

2009 state runner-up

2010 state champ

2011 state and national champ

2012 state champ

 

Wow that's impressive. 13 years, 12 trips to the state finals, 10 state championships.

 

Beatty gets my vote.

Dudley Hilton, He did more with less than anyone around. To me that is a sign of a good coach.

 

Some more really good ones: Phillip Haywood, Mike Holcomb and Tom Larkey.

 

He got caught cheating. Enough said

Wow that's impressive. 13 years, 12 trips to the state finals, 10 state championships.

 

Beatty gets my vote.

 

I dont believe coaches should be discounted for being at a good program. Does a coach have to be at a poor football program to be in the running? I don't think so. IMO it comes down to Beatty and Dale.

Homer Rice. Not even close.

I believe that Boyle/Bourbon game was a mud bowl, but I could be wrong. Bourbon won 24-0, the first of three consecutive shutouts. They would shutout Lexington Catholic in the next round 20-0, and then shutout Lawrence County in the state semifinals 14-0. So...they were pretty good.

 

We beat them the final game of the regular season. They were no better than Newport.

How they lost that game is beyond me. Bourbon was not all that good that year.

 

 

Bourbon got on a roll and did it to other state powers as well in that run. One thing that hurt Boyle was they played on their cow pasture field in the slop and Neal Brown's quickness was negated.

I do not think there is such a thing as "Greatest Head Coach" in high school football. Many of the coaches mentioned would struggle at particular schools but would develop boys and advance the program to the best of their ability. That might be a 5-5 team every year. Would not make them any less "great" than winning state titles year after year.

My vote goes to Bob Beatty, what he has done in the 12 years he has been at Trinity is amazing. Maintaining a program at a high level is just as difficult a job as getting one to the desired level. He has not only done this very successfully, but, at a National level the past couple of seasons. Making it to the State Title game 11 of those 12 years, 9 State Titles, and a mythical national Title to boot. If time on the job is a catagory, then no, he is not it. But what he has done with the short time he has been at Trinity. That is pretty much second to none.

Bourbon was third in district behind Boyle and Danville and ahead of Lexington Catholic.

 

Ahhh. Right you are. Hard to imagine that LexCath was actually 4th in a district, at anytime isnt it?

 

LexCath beat Danville on a last second Hail Mary that night, too. Both Bourbon and LexCath avenged regular season losses to both Boyle and Danville, respectively that night.

Rice was 9 time National Coach of the year. 1961 won the WinningestHigh School Coach in America. Was head coach of UC, Rice, and the Cincinnati Bengals. 1976 named Master of the Passing Game.

Also while AD at Georgia Tech he started the NCAA 'CHAMPS' program.

And somewhere along tbe way he had time to invent the Veer option.

 

His books hace been standard reading by coaches for decades. Stop livibg in the moment.

What about Chili Ishmael that won the State title at Mt. Sterling High School and was State Runner Up, Then coached at Woodford and then returned Montgomery Co.??

Rice was 9 time National Coach of the year. 1961 won the WinningestHigh School Coach in America. Was head coach of UC, Rice, and the Cincinnati Bengals. 1976 named Master of the Passing Game.

Also while AD at Georgia Tech he started the NCAA 'CHAMPS' program.

And somewhere along tbe way he had time to invent the Veer option.

 

His books hace been standard reading by coaches for decades. Stop livibg in the moment.

 

Of course, those accomplishments are extremely, extremely impressive. Homer brought innovation and professionalism to Ky high school football when he returned to his alma mater from coaching a little high school in Tenn. The only negative I could think of in the "greatest ever" debate is that Homer didn't coach high school football a real long time in the "modern era" (ie state playoffs), which resulted in him not racking up a large number of state championships like Dale, Beatty, Smith and Yeagle. He became the head coach in 54 and left after the 61 season. Playoffs began in 59. What he did during those 3 seasons was very impressive. State runner up in 59 and state champions in 60 and 61. One can wonder how many more state championships he would have won had he had the long tenure that Dale has at Highlands. Homer did have one of those mythical state championships in 57. He is a class act to this day.

And for the record, I always chuckle when someone posts that it's easier for head coaches to win at successful programs. Yes there are definite advantages. But there are definite disadvantages too. For one: every one is shooting for you and opponents generally give you their best game of the year, year after year after year. It is incredibly difficult to remain King of the hill in any sport or in any activity in life. Two, the pressure to repeat is intense. Players feel it; their parents feel it more; and the coaches feel it the most. If the coaches don't have the "right stuff", the pressure can be debilitating. Third: it's not a piece of cake (pardon the pun) coaching in a community that has a whole lot of former state champions and former very successful high school and college football players living in it. It is no surprise to me that very few former head coaches at Highlands stayed there a long time. Very tough position. Which makes Dale's tenure at Highlands even more impressive to me. Only one other head coach in Highlands illustrious football history was a head coach for more than 10 years (Judge Waddell) which I think sheds some light on how "easy" it is to coach at Highlands.

He got caught cheating. Enough said

 

Who got caught cheating?