Author: Mark Maynard

Managing editor of Kentucky Today, the digital newspaper of the Kentucky Baptist Convention, since July 2017. Worked 42 years for The Daily Independent in Ashland, Kentucky, the last 12 as managing editor and editor and the previous 30 in the sports department, including 17 years as sports editor. President of Amy For Africa, a faith-based Christian ministry serving Uganda. I'm a husband to Beth and father to Stephen and Sally, grandfather to Brooks and Addy.

Jeep Clark, who laid foundation for powerhouse basketball at Boyd County, has died at 92

Eugene “Jeep” Clark, who brought the intoxicating man-to-man defense that became the calling card of Boyd County basketball, died on Wednesday in Hattiesburg, Miss. He was 92.

Clark’s six-year coaching stint from 1976 to 1982 including back-to-back 16th Region championships in his last two seasons, paving the way for Roger Zornes to take the baton and carry the Lions’ tradition for the next 20 years.

Clark was a fierce competitor, and one of the nicest men you would ever meet. He taught more than great basketball to the players he coached.

Brock Walter, who was an exhausting, relentless presence as a point guard that epitomized what Clark wanted from his defense for the two-time regional champions, called him an “elite coach and person.”

“He assembled an unbelievable (coaching) staff allowing them each to have a unique input and impact on so many student athletes,” Walter said. “As a mentor to so many, his knowledge and wisdom became invaluable for both personal and professional growth throughout life. He grew us to be resilient, loving us and pushing us beyond our natural potential. He inspired us to be better individuals, better people. There were none with more class than Coach Jeep Clark.”

Jeep Clark led Boyd County basketball from 1976-1982, winning 16th Region championships his last two seasons. (Photo by Daily Independent)

Clark was 118-51 in six seasons at Boyd County before serving seven years as the school athletic director while watching Zornes continue to build on the foundation that he laid for the program. The Lions became a 16th Region powerhouse and a team that could compete anywhere because of that same relentless defense.

Clark was nothing but class in how he handled winning and losing. He dealt well with the rivalry with Ashland, too. Clark, who grew up on 32nd Street, was a terrific basketball and baseball player for the Tomcats in the late 1940s. He was an All-State basketball player as a senior on Ashland’s 1949 region runners-up. That Tomcat team fell to Clark County 46-33 in Winchester in the regional finals. Clark County was the No. 1 team in the state.

The game ended with coach Letcher Norton’s team clutching the championship trophy, just as it had the previous year when Clark County defeated Ashland 39-38 in Ashland.

Clark was the team captain and led the team with a 12.3 scoring average, but it was adept ballhandling that separated him from the rest.

Clark eventually went to Southern Mississippi after playing for a year at Ashland Junior College where he was the leading scorer in 17 of 27 games. Clark’s teammates included Marvin Meredith, Charlie “Stick” Stewart of Olive Hill and Jim Highley, a high school teammate.

Southern Miss went 76-31 during his playing days there. He also coached at Southern Miss for four years, going 41-61, before coming to Boyd County.

Clark had several high school coaching stopovers out of college, including a couple in Kentucky at Montgomery County (1954-59) and Paris (1954-62).

Clark eventually went to play at Southern Mississippi after playing a year at Ashland Junior College where he was the leading scorer in 17 of 27 games. Clark’s teammates included Marvin Meredith, Charlie “Stick” Stewart of Olive Hill and Jim Highley, a high school teammate.

Southern Miss went 76-31 during his playing days there. He also coached at Southern Miss for four years before coming to Boyd County.

Clark had several high school coaching stopovers, including a couple in Kentucky at Montgomery County (1954-59) and Paris (1954-62).

Former East Carter coach Charles Baker broke into coaching when Clark came to Boyd County. In an interview in 2006, when Clark was being recognized by the Ashland Elks on Sports Day, Baler called him “a mastermind of the game.”

“The way he carried himself with so much confidence but no arrogance. He makes you feel so at ease when talking to him,” he said. “Here I was, up and coming, trying to make it, and this guy has been around the world in the coaching area. He was so humble.”

Baker said Clark’s philosophy of aggressiveness and hard-nosed defense took the program to great levels.

“It was nothing dirty,” Baker said. “He had his players take your space away. They would bang on you and bang on you. They (the referees) would get tired of blowing the whistle. It proved out and it carried over. He had his stamp on it.”

Much like Coach Baker starting in the business, I was just starting in the journalism business when Jeep Clark came to Boyd County. He was always a gentleman – win or lose – and always complimentary of the opponent. I cannot recall him ever questioning a referee’s call, at least in public, or making excuses for losses. He was so kind to this still green-behind-the-ears sportswriter.

Zornes was an assistant under Clark for seven years and carried that same defensive philosophy with him. It served him well with multiple regional crowns and his name on the gymnasium wall at Boyd County.

“The big thing on Jeep was just the way he handled people,” Zornes said in a 2006 interview. “He had a knack of getting things out of kids without the fussing and hollering at them. I really liked the way Jeep did things. I picked up a lot from him.”

Zornes said Clark was also good at giving his assistant coaches responsibility.

“Jeep would listen to his assistant coaches,” he said. “I had a lot of ideas. Of course, he was going to make the final decision. But he allowed me to do a lot of things.”

Clark, a strong Christian man of the Methodist faith, was married for 69 years to wife, Mary, who passed away in 2020 at the age of 88. He also had a son, Gary, who preceded him in death.

Arrangements have not been made.

An open letter to Colin Porter

Dear Colin,

Just a note of congratulations and appreciation for how you handle yourself not only on the basketball court, which is nothing short of sensational, but how your faith and belief in Jesus Christ comes shining through.

You are the most valuable leader of a team that has made it to the NCAA tournament by playing the kind of basketball that should make others envious while offering a blueprint for wild success. Your play at point guard for Liberty University is the model and something that Ashland fans witnessed and will never forget during your three seasons as a Tomcat.

Even though everyone was sad to see you graduate early from Ashland (academics was never a problem either, obviously), we can clearly see it was the right decision. You were ready for college basketball.  

Watching your teammates gather around and celebrate with you during the national television interview after the win over Jacksonville State in the CUSA championship game Saturday night warmed hearts in Ashland. Through the magic of ESPN+, most every Liberty game has been on our televisions. We love the Wildcats but the Flames have a little fire, too.

Colin Porter will lead Liberty into the first round of the NCAA tournament Friday against Oregon. (Liberty photo)

Future Tomcats going through the program and the ones already there have no one better to admire and strive to be like on and off the court than you. “Be Like Colin” should be stamped on headbands and passed out to potential point guards.

Your mother and father certainly should take a bow, too, to raise a son with the characteristics that you possess. In these days and times, that is no simple task.

Basketball is something you do extremely well but you are winning at life, too, and that is far more important. People want whatever it is that is inside of you. Basketball gives you a platform to share that life-changing message of Jesus and you use it well. Your competitive spirit, those (Tom)cat-like reflexes and instincts, your flair for the dramatic play and leadership skills make people and teammates stand up and notice.

Through it all, you have remained a humble, hard-working young man who would rather watch a teammate succeed more than yourself. Liberty has a rare gem.

Ashland will be watching on Friday when the Flames take on fifth-seeded Oregon in the NCAA tournament. Anybody who has watched Liberty play this season (or the last three for that matter) will hesitate before choosing Oregon on their bracket. Those who see only “the 12th seed vs. the 5 seed” without knowing how Liberty plays could well be sorry when the clock strikes midnight.

But whether that happens or not, Porter has joined an exclusive club of former Ashland Tomcats (and Kittens) who have had the opportunity to be in the Big Dance. It is a smaller list than I imagined. This may not be an exhaustive list – and if somebody is left off please let me know –  but it is certainly a who’s who of Ashland Tomcat (and Kitten) basketball.

Colin, put your name beside the great ones: Earl “Brother” Adkins (UK), Larry Castle (WKU), Warner Caines (WKU), Gene Smith (Cincinnati), Larry Conley (UK), Ray Kleykamp (WKU), Clint Wheeler (UK), Jeff Kovach (Tulsa), Jim Harkins (Miami of Ohio), Jeff Tipton (Morehead State), Adam Howard (WKU) and Mykasa Robinson (with Louisville on the women’s side) who were on teams that played in the NCAA tournament.

 Our greats from the 1920s and 1930s like Ellis Johnson and Darrell Darby came before the NCAA tournament started in 1939 although they played in the national tournament of that time .

The humble Porter can take his place among the all-time greats in Ashland history. He is an absolute maestro with the basketball, with passing skills reserved for big stages and bright lights. His clutch playmaking during a pivotal sophomore season when Ashland went 33-0 during the COVID year that is part of a run of seven consecutive 16th Region championships, was the bittersweet season of a lifetime. Undefeated and uncrowned state champions.

Colin, basketball is what you do so well and have done well for most of your life, and this week is a dream come true for you. But God has a bigger purpose and plan. Just wait and see.

RIP Mike Johnson, Tomcat Legend

Mike Johnson was an iconic figure in Ashland sports. He played on state championship teams in Little League (1963) and high school football (1967) and was on Ashland’s state baseball runners-up in 1969. He was the first honoree in the Coaching Legends of the now defunct Ashland Junior/Senior League, named a Distinguished Tomcat in 2013 and a CP-1 Hall of Fame member in 2019.

Johnson was practically an institution in Ashland Babe Ruth, coaching the Reds for 19 seasons. Former players sought him out long after their playing days were over. They often came back and thanked him for inspiring them.

What better testimony can there be for a coach?

Johnson told me once the when the players would come back to see him that he would do a double-take because the boys who were 13 to 15 years old when he coached them were now grown men. But if they told him their name, he remembered them and could recall details they may not even recall.

Mike Johnson during the 2019 CP-1 Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Central Park.

And they sure loved him and the impact he had on their lives.

Johnson has a passion for Ashland youth baseball that carried on for more than 50 years, starting back in his Little League days in the early 1960s. It was a turbulent time for African-Americans and it was during Johnson’s days as a Little League All-Star that he his eyes were first opened to prejudice.

Johnson was a member of the Ashland American 1963 Little League team that would eventually become state champions and came within one victory of making it to the Little League World Series. They played the State Tournament in Lexington and the Ashland team stayed at a motel that would not allow the team’s two Black players – Charlie Jackson and Johnson – to get in the swimming pool.

“On the last day before we left, I dove into that pool with all my clothes on,” Johnson said with a grin in an interview with me.

After the team won its first game in the State Tournament, he remembered the coaches wanted to treat the players to something special. They tossed around ideas like bowling and swimming before settling on a game of miniature golf because there was a course just down from where they were staying.

“I’d never played miniature golf in my life,” Johnson said. “I was looking forward to it. Everybody was excited.”

The team went together to the course and grabbed a club. But the owner stopped Jackson and Johnson from picking one up, telling the coaches that those two boys wouldn’t be allowed to play.

The team decided if their two friends weren’t welcome, they weren’t staying. It was a unanimous decision.

“Growing up in the ‘60s for a black kid was kind of rough,” Johnson said. “Sports was kind of a relief.”

While Johnson learned about prejudice during that trip to Lexington, he also learned about friendship and respect.

“It meant a lot to us that our teammates and coaches stood behind us,” he said. “They wouldn’t do anything or go anywhere that we couldn’t go.”

He said it also may have inspired the Ashland American All-Stars, who went on to win the State Tournament.

“I think it made us play harder, I really do,” Johnson said.

Johnson later played on a Babe Ruth state champion and was a starting cornerback on Ashland’s 1967 state championship football team and was the quarterback on coach Herb Conley’s first Tomcat team in 1968.

His oldest son, Mike Jr., was an all-around athlete and one of the greatest running backs in Tomcat history. He’s now a (track) state champion coach too at Mercer County and an outstanding assistant football coach. A younger son, Charlie, was a member of Ashland’s 1990 state championship team making them the only father-son duos to win state football titles in Tomcat history. His daughter Angie was a tremendous high school and college basketball player and college coach at Georgia and Florida State. He and Anyetta, his wife of 54 years, had reason to be proud.

His speeches to All-Star teams always underscored Ashland’s tradition and how much fun it is to ride the fire truck after winning a state championship. He was a man who knew through life experiences in this Tomcat town that riding the fire truck meant you were something special.

Johnson coached many All-Star teams during his 19 years and, while he never won a state championship, the players left with good memories. Players always liked playing for Johnson because he was fair and he made the game fun. He expected the players to give him their best effort every time and they knew it. I had the honor of coaching with him during my son’s three years on Babe Ruth All-Star teams. I learned so much about coaching and even more about him. He was an inspiration.

His coaching skills were not limited to baseball. He was a constant with the Ashland Junior Football League as well. If you can coach, coach. This man could coach.

And If not for some health issues that were eventually too much to overcome, he might have never stopped coaching.

But Mike Johnson left an imprint on Ashland sports that has few equals. He will always be a Tomcat Legend.

‘Buffalo’ stampede in 1954

Oct. 22, 1954 was a memorable night in Ashland Tomcat football history.

You just may know have known it.

It happened to be the night there was a “Buffalo” stampede in Fort Thomas.

“Buffalo” Bill Hopkins, who will be feted tonight as the Elks Sports Day honoree, ran for 112 yards and a 56-yard touchdown as the Tomcats crushed the Highlands Bluebirds, 38-6. It was one of back-to-back 100-yard games for Hopkins during his senior season, the other coming the following week when Ashland defeated Newport Central Catholic, 32-6.

Here’s the kicker about the win over Highlands: It happens to be the last time the Tomcats defeated the Bluebirds.

Earl “Brother” Adkins, left, “Buffalo” Bill Hopkins, middle and Paul Reliford from the glorious 1950s in Ashland. All three men have passed.

They tied in 1955 and since then Highlands has reeled off 15 consecutive victories, including five in the playoffs.

But on Oct. 22, 1954, the night belonged to Buffalo Bill, who rambled for all his yardage during the first half. Not even one carry after intermission.

It was a dominating performance by the Tomcat defense, too, limiting Highlands to 29 yards rushing in handing the Bluebirds their first loss of the season.

Ashland rushed for a season-high 253 yards, led by Hopkins. The Tomcats lost four fumbles and had 125 yards in penalities but still managed to make it a one-sided affair.

Ashland finished 5-4-1 under coach Denver Ball but ranked ninth in the state Litkenhous Rankings. The schedule was brutal, with losses coming to Stonewall Jackson, Portsmouth, Ironton, Louisville Manual and Greenbriar Military Academy. All of the games were tight.

Highlands and Ashland was expected to be a tossup since both teams had tied Lafayette.

Buffalo and Co. made sure that it went the Tomcats’ way. Paul Reliford hauled in four passes for 72 yards in the win.

An article in the Oct. 23, 1954 Ashland Daily Independent said that about 800 paying fans witnessed the game, including a dozen or so from Ashland.

It is interesting to note that the Tomcat band did make the trip, too.

The following week, in Putnam Stadium, Ashland played Newport Central Catholic for the first time and Hopkins got the Tomcats off to a rousing start with an 85-yard touchdown run on the first play from scrimmage.

The following week, in Putnam Stadium, Ashland played Newport Central Catholic for the first time and Hopkins got the Tomcats off to a rousing start with an 85-yard touchdown run on the first play from scrimmage.

That set the tone for the night as Hopkins ran for 125 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

Hopkins broke free on the first play off a nice block from quarterback Herbie Thompson.

Reliford had a 60-yard TD on an end-around later in the game.

George Rupert, Gilly Layman, Ralph Clere, Charlie Phillps, Larry Highley, Thompson, Reliford, Clarence “Red” Sparks, Ace Bowman and Bill Sutphin were among the players on the 1954 Tomcats.

Hopkins and Phillips were co-captains.

Five players — Highley, Phillips, Reliford, Thompson and Sparks — were honorable mention All-State selections.

Hopkins played quarterback as a sophomore when the Tomcats went 6-2-2 but missed his junior season because of illness.

In his Tomcat career, he accounted for 1,271 yards and 12 touchdowns.

He played the ’54 season and then graduated that December although he went through ceremonies with the ’55 class.

Hopkins also played on the 1953-54 Tomcat basketball team that finished third in the state. He scored in double figures twice that season as one of the first players off the bench, averaging 4.4 points per game.

Of course, Hopkins is best known for his community work with Armco and Ashland Oil and as the longtime mayor of the city of Russell.

He and his wife, Ruth, have made major inroads with community work in the Russell area, including a new senior center

But “Buffalo” has some sports history with the Tomcats, too.

Just ask the good folks of Fort Thomas.