While I agree with much of your post, I don't agree with the bolded part. Tom certainly had his supporters and they were real. His players and their parents thought very highly of him. There were many others that while they didn't like him or agree with all of his methods, thought he was one heck of a coach. He still, to me, is the best Xs and Os high school coach that I have ever seen. Tom liked to say there were football players and there were kids that wanted to be on the team. Tom didn't want to deal with the latter group. He never cut kids as some have alleged over the years. He did make his practices very tough, although in hindsight I'd probably say that Mueller's practices aren't too far off from Tom's; heck they may be just as tough particularly Weinrich's defensive practices. I heard a lot of people claim that Tom made his practices so tough to run kids off that he didn't think were football players. But if a kid loved football he could make it through the practices. I had a nephew on Tom's teams. Nephew was and is a great kid but frankly wasn't very talented football wise. Played the entire 4 years but rarely saw the field. He was a big kid. Practices were particularly tough on the big kids because of all the running. In spite of that and in spite of the kid knowing he'd rarely see the field, the kid hung in there. I will always respect him for that. If he could do it, almost any one wanting to be on the team could have done it. Tom clearly had a Charlie Bradshaw mentality. That upset those parents whose kids choose not to deal with Tom's toughness. As we've seen elsewhere, when parents start grumbling and second guessing coaches, it's not long before the coach is doomed. I think Tom understood that he was irritating a lot of people in Ft. Thomas but felt that as long as he kept winning state championships, all would be well. I don't know if Tom left on his own accord; it doesn't really matter. But I'll agree that his departure was for the best of the football program. Dale has a completely different attitude towards those players that "aren't football players". Dale believes with hard work, committment and coaching those kids can become football players. Looking at Dale's record and watching kids as seniors that just didn't look like football players as freshman, sophomores and even juniors, Dale's approach has proven true.

 

You make a valid point. Duffy's players absolutely supported him, and still do. I'm sure most of the parents of those players did as well.

 

Of course, that was a very small percentage of the populus in Ft. Thomas, and maybe not the most influential. Again, I'm not saying that's anyones fault but Duffy's. My read on him is, he was a hard guy to like.

 

I agree Duffy was a great coach. An excellent hire for Highlands at the time. And Mueller was an excellent hire as well. He's great in his position at Highlands. Two very successful football coaches who are as polar opposite as you can get.

I would say this was one of the main reasons he was fired. I would say the 86 team had the best talent to never win a state championship at Highlands. One of the more talented teams they have ever had. And to follow that up with a 7-4 record and not make the playoffs, see ya later.

 

I'm glad you mentioned the 86 team, lest everyone would think Eicher never coached a really, really good team. Highlands was good in 86, but Danville was a little better. Whoever won the Danville v HHS game was likely going to win state that year. Danville barely won.

 

But, even better teams have failed to win state at Highlands. The 97 team tops the list. The 06 team was also very good.

I'm glad you mentioned the 86 team, lest everyone would think Eicher never coached a really, really good team. Highlands was good in 86, but Danville was a little better. Whoever won the Danville v HHS game was likely going to win state that year. Danville barely won.

 

But, even better teams have failed to win state at Highlands. The 97 team tops the list. The 06 team was also very good.

 

That's the way I felt about that game as well until the next week when a good Belfry squad combined with a horrible field & multiple turnovers to oust the Admirals.

Is there another Highlands team that had 4 D-1 players starting at one time on it? (This would be a good question for JBWill).

There may very well be others, but the first team that comes to mind is the 2000 HHS squad. The following seniors had scholarships to play D-IA football: Guidugli (UC), Grover (Purdue), Hamblen (UK) and Scott (UK). Also, Rob Smith was a junior on that team and he went on to sign with Tennessee. I think that Clemmy Fennell may have been a senior on that 2000 squad, and he walked on at UK.

'97 Stegman (Miami), Kuhnhein (OSU), Smith and Lorenzon. They also had Lindeman, who had he grown as tall as his brothers, would have been DI as well.

I don't necessarily blame Duffy for the encounter you describe. He may have thought you were welcoming him into some kind of "good old boy" network he wanted no part of. I'm not saying that was your intent, simply it may be how he perceived it.

 

But, my post was not a knock on HHS supporters at all. Duffy alienated much of the community and his colleagues. It wasn't the other way around.

 

I beginning to think you were pretty tight with Coach Duff to make a comment like that. Thats cool, you have your opinion of him and I have mine. Just glad I wasn't part of his "good old boy" crowd that was invited to join his phone card club. LOL. Go Birds 20n10

That's the way I felt about that game as well until the next week when a good Belfry squad combined with a horrible field & multiple turnovers to oust the Admirals.

 

Totally forgot about that. Thanks for setting me straight. So who won AAA in 1986? Tilghman? Belfry? Other? Darndest thing, I remember the Boone-St. X AAAA final like it was yesterday, but can't remember who was even on the field the game prior.

I beginning to think you were pretty tight with Coach Duff to make a comment like that. Thats cool, you have your opinion of him and I have mine. Just glad I wasn't part of his "good old boy" crowd that was invited to join his phone card club. LOL. Go Birds 20n10

 

That was funny, blast from the past. Excel Communications. I hear he may be peddling acai berry energy drinks these days. I got your back Sweep, if there is one thing I hate it's someone that snubs me when I'm being polite.

Edited July 24, 201016 yr by Ram
Rule 13

Totally forgot about that. Thanks for setting me straight. So who won AAA in 1986? Tilghman? Belfry? Other? Darndest thing, I remember the Boone-St. X AAAA final like it was yesterday, but can't remember who was even on the field the game prior.

 

Owensboro beat Belfry if memory serves.

On occasion, threads morph into something not originally intended.

 

Please feel free to start a "History of Highlands football" thread.:thumb: