Forgive Greg Jackson if you see him taking victory laps around Putnam Stadium.

When the Ashland school board approved and signed a 10-year partnership with Clark’s Pump-N-Shop on Monday, it was the culmination of a goal that Jackson set for himself when the Putnam Stadium Restoration Foundation was formed in 2007.

Clark’s Pump-N-Shop Putnam Stadium, as it will soon be named, will have its own carpet in time for the 2024 season. It’s only part of the second phase, which Jackson has vowed to finish and includes an LED scoreboard, new lighting, a sound system and a banked end zone on the open end of the stadium. Even if the latter projects don’t materialize by 2024, the playing surface will be laid down making Putnam Stadium an even bigger showplace than it is now, and that’s saying something.

And all that has happened through Jackson’s never-say-no attitude. He has remained positive in the face of many obstacles but never wavered from the objective.

Sixteen years ago, the committee was developed with the idea of giving Putnam Stadium a “facelift.” But it wasn’t long until that “facelift” became a long and expensive project of making the home of the Tomcats a viable and safe place to watch football.

Jackson, who was a co-chairman of the committee with Dan Kelly early on, has been at the helm of the program the entire time. He is former Tomcat football player – starring on the famed 1975 “JAWS” team – and a passion like few others for Putnam Stadium. He has seen it from a lot of views, including being a former Tomcat Band parent when daughters Rebecca and Kathryn were members, including one-time president.

The original restoration committee had 13 members but only three remain – Jackson, Blake Holbrook and Steve Conley.

Jackson, a West Point graduate with the leadership chops it takes to lead, has done just that for the committee and Ashland Tomcat fans should be thankful for his diligence and persistence in making a project this huge happen.

Thirteen people were on the original committee and the school board ordered an engineering study to be done on the stadium that was 74 years old at the time. Kelly retired from the school system and left the area and Jackson said not a lot was happening.

Steve Gilmore became Ashland’s new superintendent and still nothing was happening with the stadium. Jackson then took command, calling Gilmore and setting up a meeting.

“I wanted to take the committee and get his commitment to support us and be part of the committee to get this project going again,” Jackson said. “He said yes so I ran with it and the rest is history.”

Jackson got the committee together again and reenergized, assuring them that it was going to get done. He asked for commitment from each one of them to follow his leadership and they all agreed.

The engineering study revealed bad news, calling for the stadium to be torn down. That heartbreaking decision was made to take it down and a plan put in place to rebuild it in the same shape. The teardown and rebuild came after the 2013 season and prior to 2014. They didn’t miss a game, although the 2014 season opener was delayed because of a torrential rainstorm, and some drainage issues, that caused the field to be flooded.

Jackson developed friendships with Tomcat greats John Koskinen and Dave Alban who have been instrumental. Koskinen was a cornerstone donor of the “new” Putnam Stadium and it was the lift that Jackson needed. A longtime friend and leader in the community, Jackson’s influence was greatly felt during the time he guided the committee. As the human resources manager at Marathon Petroleum in Catlettsburg, Jackson was a friendly face to the community. He has been and still is active on many boards in Ashland. Jackson is a face that people trusted and he has been critical as other smaller steps were made with an eye on bringing artificial turf to Putnam Stadium.

Corporate sponsorship seemed to be the answer and the Ashland area has a great one in Clark’s Pump-N-Shop, owned by brothers Rick and Brent Clark and formed by John Clark. When asked about becoming a partner in the project, there was no hesitation from the Clarks. They understand how much Putnam Stadium means to the community and how artificial turf can make it an even more valuable venue for other community events beyond football.

They have a tradition of serving and giving back to the community where the business was built and remains a powerhouse today.

Jackson called on another great Tomcat and one of the world’s foremost marketing gurus in Jim Host to help put together a contract that was appealing to everyone. Much credit should go to the Clarks for stepping up in such a big way and bringing artificial turf to Ashland to tradition-rich Putnam Stadium. The Clarks do a lot in the community that nobody ever knows about, not wanting any credit for their generosity. They stepped up, no question about it.

But over the past 16 years, nobody spent more time, sweated more blood and been more important to this project than Greg Jackson. He waved the Tomcat flag – by the way it was Greg who got the flags with the years of state championship on them that circle the stadium – better than anyone when it came to restoring Putnam Stadium. He was also instrumental, along with former teammate Rick Sang, at setting up the donor corner with the statue of Herb Conley, the all-time Tomcat, in front of it.

Secretly, I think Jackson wants to run just one more down at Putnam Stadium. A few years ago, he and former teammates Chuck Anderson and Dave Early raced from the 50 to the end zone. Jackson, running like he was 17 again, smoked them.

Mind you, Greg Jackson is not done with what he wants to do with Putnam Stadium improvements, holding a list of items if anyone is willing to help.

But the grass sure looks a lot greener these days.

There were a lot of reasons why Ashland was a football juggernaut from 1925 to 1932.

The Terrible Tomcats, as they were called at the time, went 62-0-4 and laid claim to seven state championships. They “laid claim” because there were no playoffs in Kentucky until 1959. So state champions were mostly mythical, although nobody was arguing with them. The Tomcats pounded all-comers.

Ashland had superior talent (some maybe a little older than the average senior), outstanding coaching and a lucky fedora.

The non-losing streak started in the last two games of the 1925 season and the inception of the old hat became a part of the Ashland High School football equipment in 1926, the beginning of Ashland’s six-year winning streak. It was introduced by Capt. Ernie Chattin, who graduated from the University of Illinois in 1930 following his Tomcat career.

Upon graduating from AHS, Chattin turned the hat over to Capt. Paul “Siki” Wolff (later to play at VPI) in 1927 and coach Paul Jenkins took charge of the hat in 1928, his first season at the helm.

He wore the tattered hat to every game because the players – and maybe Jenkins himself – thought it brought them luck. Not that they needed much luck because the Tomcats pulverized almost anybody in their path.

The old fedora was working its magic but a few days before a Thanksgiving Day game in 1928, Jenkins was in a panic. He could not find the old fedora anywhere and he looked everywhere. Jenkins left for the field without the skypiece, as it was called in an article in The Courier-Journal printed on Christmas Eve, and shared with me by Curt Crye, the researcher supreme. I had never heard the story.

Jenkins and the Tomcats were aghast over the loss of the old hat, taking it as an omen that defeat was imminent. They were wringing their hands and filling their heads with negative thoughts. But Jenkins’ future wife, the then Emma Buckley, found the hat at the last minute and rushed it to the playing field. The players breathed a sigh of relief.

The game went much like losing and finding the hat. For three quarters it was scoreless and then Portsmouth tallied a safety on what the article called without details a bone-headed play. With the game and the winning streak on the line and time running out, Ellis Johnson completed two long passes to Darrell Darby – both future UK players – to give the Tomcats a 7-2 triumph.

Jenkins prized the old hat for the rest of his coaching career at Ashland, never losing sight of it again

Two of the Tomcats greatest teams came in 1930 and 1931, the team that crushed Decatur, Ga., in the Southern Bowl 85-6 at Armco Park. That game came the week after clobbering Owensboro 57-0 on the road in the defacto championship game. The romp over Decatur made Ashland the national high school champions of 1931.

Because all good things come to an end, the winning streak was snapped in heartbreaking style against Erie East, Penn., in 1932. The game was tied at 13 and on the last play of the game, the Tomcats had the ball and attempted a flat pass along the sideline that was intercepted and run back for a touchdown. They could have settled for the tie and extended the non-winning streak but instead went for the win.

As Erie East celebrated, the Tomcats were seen all over the field, pounding the turf in frustration. Many of the Ashland fans, who had not tasted defeat since 1925, were seen crying in the stands as if they had lost someone special. Not even the old hat could keep them from defeat.

Jenkins coached seven seasons with a 62-6-2 record and the Tomcats claimed mythical state titles in six of those seasons. In seven seasons, Ashland had outscored opponents 2,154 to 129. It outscored opponents 596-2 in 1930.

Following the 1932 season, which included a rare two losses, 80 players came out for spring practice in 1933.

Jenkins coached basketball for the Tomcats as well, winning back-to-back state championships in 1933 and 1934. Ashland was the second team in Kentucky history to repeat as state basketball champs.

However, a threepeat wasn’t going to be possible. The athletic association suspended Ashland for the 1934-35 basketball season because the 1934 football team used an ineligible player in the last four games of the season. Jenkins’ tenure at Ashland ended in January 1935 with Ernie Chattin taking over as head basketball coach and Ellis Johnson as an assistant coach. The lucky fedora must have went with him.

Jenkins continued his successful career, coaching at St. Xavier, Portsmouth, Louisville Male (multiple sports) and finished his career in Florida.

David Sullivan was enshrined in the Capital Area Chapter Sports Hall of Fame in Pennsylvania on June 17. It was a well-deserved and long overdue recognition for a tremendous football player who broke receiving records at the University of Virginia before going on to play two seasons in the National Football League with the Cleveland Browns in 1973 and 1974.

His determination and grit gave him the opportunity to succeed at the highest level of football. That same can-do attitude turned him into a dynamic businessman in the death care business, where he worked tirelessly and with integrity and compassion while carving out an incredible career that would be Hall of Fame worthy in that field.

Sullivan was overlooked by colleges when he was a high school senior who put up big numbers at the receiving position despite his inexperience at the position (he played only one year as a receiver in high school) and size. They forgot to measure the heart. And as people later learned in the business world, underestimate this man at your own risk.

He was 6-foot-1 and 186 pounds as a high school senior, but Virginia saw something in him that made his size a non-issue. Sullivan became a superstar for the Cavaliers, making all-conference first team in the ACC and setting receiving records along the way. Sullivan’s drive separated him from the pack. It did then, and it does now.

His generosity was also on display Saturday when he and wife Sara gave a sizable donation to the student scholarship fund of the Capital Area Chapter Hall of Fame. It didn’t surprise any of us who know the Sullivans that they made a donation. They both have huge hearts and understand the burden that students face in paying for college. It’s merely one more example of how this philanthropic couple helps others. Their spirit of giving is often contagious in the companies that he has spearheaded.

To be honest, Sullivan probably should have been in this Hall of Fame years ago. His credentials were impeccable. And maybe it was because nobody nominated him. But when the time did come, there was no bitterness, only thankfulness. Dave Sullivan accepted the invitation to be part of this incredible Hall of Fame with humbleness and class, and they will have no better friend than Dave Sullivan.

He succeeded in football and business through a strong faith, dedication, and a remarkable belief in himself and his teammates that they could accomplish anything.

Sullivan was one of the greatest overachieving athletes in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, high school football history and that was only the start of his story.

In his first season as a prep receiver, Sullivan caught 35 passes for 672 yards and five touchdowns during Steelton’s 1967 season. A star was born and he caught the eye of the University of Virginia, which overlooked his frame and looked into the heart. They signed him to a college scholarship, believing they had found a diamond in the rough.

Indeed, they did. Sullivan’s intellect and determination to succeed would take him all the way to the NFL. He proved himself invaluable on the college level, becoming an AP honorable mention All-American and first-team Atlantic Coast Conference wide receiver his senior year at the University of Virginia. Some have called him one of the greatest players in school history. The first-team All-America wide receiver in Sullivan’s senior year was Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Rodgers and at that time they only named one for the first team. He may have moved further up the All-America ladder had the Cavaliers produced a winning season.

Sullivan led the ACC in catches and receiving yards, becoming the only Virginia all-league player that season. He had 51 catches for 662 yards and seven touchdowns – all top marks for Virginia receivers in a single season – despite a revolving door of quarterbacks. He was often the player that opposing defenses tried to take away but his uncanny route-running and good hands overcame many double-teams.

For his career, Sullivan amassed 120 catches for 1,568 yards and 12 touchdowns, the first two setting Virginia records. He played in the Blue-Gray and Senior All-Star Games and began to draw the attention of professional scouts.

Another characteristic for Sullivan was his leadership abilities. Even though he was one of the best receivers in college football in 1972, teammates saw the same man they knew when he entered college. He was humble and generous – traits that would serve him well later in the business world. Sullivan was a winner who he did it within the team concept. He took that same attitude into his professional life after football was no longer an option.

When Sullivan signed out of high school to Virginia, he was only 16 years old. He worked hard in the classroom too, ranking 22^nd in a class of 152 in 1968.

By the time he was a senior at Virginia, he was 6-foot and 185 pounds – a far cry from the 155-pound receiver that went mostly unwanted by most major colleges. His size and speed – he ran 40 yards in 4.7 seconds – was under the radar by most pro scouts. But few in college ran routes better or had better hands than Sullivan, giving him a chance to become an NFL player.

Sullivan has been defying odds since he was a slender 115-pound sophomore trying to make the varsity at Steel-High. Two years later, college after college passed on him because he was too small. All except for Virginia, which found a playmaking receiver.

Cleveland took Sullivan late in the 1973 NFL Draft, taking him in the 15^th round. That didn’t deter him from believing he could make the team and contribute or even start. He played in seven NFL games, starting three and would have had a much longer career if not for a third knee surgery that proved too much. He caught five passes for 92 yards in his two-year career with the Browns.

In his finest game with the Browns, he caught two passes for 52 yards from Brian Sipe in a 26-16 loss to the Steelers. Sullivan was being defended by Hall of Fame cornerback Mel Blount in that game at Cleveland Stadium in 1974.

His degree from Virginia was in educational psychology, but he quickly learned the business side of the death care business. He liked the competitiveness aspect along with the traits of strong character, integrity and compassion for the customer.

He joined Gibraltar Mausoleum Corp. in Indianapolis in 1977 and rose to become the executive vice president of sales and marketing. He stayed there 18 years. Sullivan has 47 years in the sales and marketing end of the business and formed Saber Management in January 1998.

He was named the 2002 Ernst & Young Heartland, Indiana, Entrepreneur of the Year and led Saber Management to even bigger successes over the next 15 years before selling to Park Lawn Corp. in 2017 for $65 million.

Sullivan is also recognized for his philanthropy. He and his wife have been a consistent and generous donor to the nonprofit Amy For Africa, a Christian organization serving Uganda, since 2014. He has also been involved in many other charities promoting needs for children and others in need through both his business contributions and personal ones.

David Sullivan is an uncommon man who has led a Hall of Fame life from the athletic fields to the business world and beyond.

Jeff Hall, a starting guard on Louisville’s 1986 national champions under the late Denny Crum, said his former coach leaves behind a remarkable legacy.

Crum, who died Monday at the age of 86, was nicknamed “Cool Hand Luke” bt former commentator Al McGuire, won two national titles at Louisville during an incredible 30-year Hall of Fame career from 1971-2001. He is one of only 14 coaches in NCAA history to win two or more titles. Six times he guided the Cardinals into the Final Four, including four times in the 1980s. Only five coaches all-time coached more Final Four teams than Crum, who amassed a 675-295 coaching record, including 42-22 in the NCAA tournament.

Hall was a freshman on the 1983 Louisville team that lost to Houston’s Phi Slamma Jamma team with Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler in the Final Four. That was the same Houston team that N.C. State stunned in the finals. Louisville reached the NIT final four in 1985 and won it all against Duke in 1986.

“I respected him greatly,” Hall said of Crum. “The first thing that comes to mind, from my perspective, he saw me for the second time and said, ‘You could play down here.’ I’m thankful he had the confidence in me, and I played four years (for Louisville).”

Hall said that trust factor between player and coach only grew during his playing days with the Cardinals. While admitting there were some tense conversations between them, Crum never sugar-coated anything and, more importantly, never lied to him about anything.

“There was a very serious side to Coach,” Hall said. “We had conversations at Louisville and a couple I didn’t want to hear. But there are times when coaches and players lad to lay the cards on the table. I still say, to this day, everything he told me prior to committing to Louisville, while at Louisville and once I graduated at Louisville, he never once lied to me. As a young man, it’s what you hope for and as an older man, it’s what I appreciate.”

Hall had a spectacular career with the Cardinals, scoring 1,294 points and averaging 8.9 points per game while playing in 145 games. He averaged 12.1 as a junior and 10.3 as a senior, shot 51 percent from the field and 81 percent from the foul line in his career. The long-range specialist didn’t have the advantage of the 3-point shot or those numbers would have risen dramatically.

“Coach was one of the old school coaches,” Hall said. “It was ‘Yes you can play or no you cannot play.’ Serious talks you had to have. He provided me the opportunity to play at a high level. Coach was serious, but also fun to be around. He was 80 percent serious, (but) he didn’t mind joking around. We never had a conflict. We had some man-to-player discussions: This is how I want you to fit in, this is what you need to work on. He would definitely break your game down and tell me things I was doing well and things I didn’t do well.”

Hall was recruited out of tiny Fairview High School in eastern Kentucky and the Cardinals came after him hard for two years as did Morehead State University with coach Wayne Martin. Others jumped into the recruiting battle much later, including the University of Kentucky who tried to snatch him up at the end of the recruiting cycle.

“I grew up in eastern Kentucky so, of course, UK was important,” he said. “Louisville recruited me hard for two years, Kentucky recruited me hard for one week. My friends and everybody was yelling at me that I need to go to Kentucky. Why would I do that to go down there and sit for four years? They really didn’t want me.”

During Hall’s playing days at Louisville, a local radio station broadcast the Cardinals’ games so everybody could keep up with him. He even turned some once diehard Kentucky fans into Louisville fans – at least during the time he played for the Cardinals.

Hall said the more difficult decision was turning down Morehead State. “To this day, I love Wayne Martin. My mom loved Wayne Martin and Clem Haskins (then the head coach at WKU) second. Coach Crum didn’t make the top two. I had to go where I felt like there was a need and I had the ability to fill that need for them. I think it worked out pretty well for all of us.”