A great article by Mason County Coach David Buchanan. A legend and class act himself.

 

 

 

I am not real proud of how I acted when it all got started, but I had my reasons.

It was 1996 and my first trip to Flatwoods to face the Russell Red Devils. It was past 7:30, time for kickoff. And I walked to the hash marks, saying loudly, “I guess since this is Russell and that is Ivan McGlone, we don’t have to start the game on time.”

I was trying to establish with our kids that we were not going to back down from anyone. The referees begrudgingly threw the flag and penalized the Red Devils, but they were mad at me the rest of the night.

I still think it was good for me to set the tone with our kids, but little did I know that night that our series with the Red Devils, and more importantly my friendship with Ivan McGlone, would have a monumental impact on me as a person and a coach.

Since the first butt-kicking we took in 1996, the trip to Flatwoods and the challenge of playing the Red Devils has become my favorite game and destination. It is a challenge because of what Ivan, his staff, the players and the community have built at Russell.

Our games with Russell have been major turning points in our program. In 1997, we finally beat them. In 2001, our first game after 9/11 was against them at home on a Saturday night, move.

 

The Flatwoods Legend

Really nice work by Coach Buchanan. Will Coach McGlone be back this year? I know when Garrard went up there for the playoffs last season there was some speculation from a few that it might be his last year.

Dave writes a guest column for the Maysville paper every month or so. Almost worth the price of a subscription for those insights alone.

Great article. Thanks Coach Buchanan, your love of the game is obvious.

I loved reading that. Nicely written by Coach Buchanan. :thumb:

Great story. Love when coaches show a human side and not just the persona they portray on the sidelines. Very well done!!!

I've never met Coach B, but by all accounts he's a big-time class act. :thumb:

I appreciate the kind words. Coach McGlone is a legend and great guy. It is easy to write about him!

Coach McGlone and Coach Buchanan are two of the classiest coaches in the state. Russell and Mason have been extremely lucky to have those guys leading their boys on Friday nights.

Now that guy writing that is one well-rounded dude. Renaissance Man if I may say.

 

Thought them thar foozbaw coaches were just a bunch a dummies?

Excellent article. More to Friday nights than winning or losing.

Coach McGlone is an absolute Legend. He and the staff at Russell lead the consummate Program. It is very impressive to witness the true respect and loyalty of those in the program to Coach McGlone. To me, in this day, that says a lot about the individuals in the Russell Program. Well written Coach Buchanan and you have an excellent reputation and Program at Mason County in your own right.

So much respect for Coach Maglone+Buchanan. I also think Coach Gary Morris has flown under the reader for years except with the coaches that have to prepare for his defenses. Great staff and program!

I appreciate the kind words. Coach McGlone is a legend and great guy. It is easy to write about him!

 

Great piece, coach. In my line of work, I see the gamut of coaches, good, bad and otherwise, and very few can look at the big picture the way you did. It's always refreshing to see that ability displayed, especially in such an eloquent manner.

Great article about a great coach. I agree with the above, it is nice to read about the more personal perspective in coaching, especially when the subject is someone as honorable and interesting as Ivan McGlone. The last few years it seems like Coach McGlone has gone downhill physically, and I know he has been through a lot personally. Watching him on the sidelines, or in the stands at the finals, you can see his has a lot of mobility issues, which has to be really tough on a football coach. I hope he continues to coach as long as he wants to and whenever he decides it is time to quit, I hope he gets to do it on his own terms. He deserves it.

 

I have a ton of respect for Coach McGlone and his football teams. I played against his teams for 4 years way back in the early 80s and they were always a nightmare to prepare for on both sides of the ball. I've watched his Red Devils teams over the years playing against Belfry and others and except for the quality of the film you can't tell much difference in a 1983 or a 2003 version. And that is a compliment. Coaches like him are rare in that they last as long as they do, and are successful at it without changing much about their overall philosophy. I still sometimes have bad dreams about turning my head and seeing a pulling guard coming at me full speed about 1 step away, lol.