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Mason Branham: The Everywhere Man who will be missed by everybody

Mason Branham was the constant in the landscape of Greenup County sports.  He was the Everywhere Man, showing up seemingly at several places at the same time with camera and notepad in hand and a pen or pencil behind the ear.

Yet he was also unassuming, wishing to remain far from the spotlight and he blended in like the orange in Raceland uniforms. He reserved the spotlight for Greenup County’s young athletes, the one man they could all rally around and appreciate. It mattered not who won or lost, if you were boy or girl, if your team was good or bad. Mason was there, snapping photos, taking notes, making memories.

Anybody who ever played anything in Greenup County knew Mason, the Everywhere Man. There may have been a game-winning touchdown in Raceland and a game-saving tackle in Russell at the same time yet, somehow, someway, Mason had a photograph of both plays. He was uncanny that way.

Mason Branham, a longtime weekly newspaperman in Greenup County, died last week at 76.

It was with much sadness that I read of his recent passing. It closed another chapter on weekly newspapers. If there was ever a Hall of Fame devoted to weekly newspapermen, Mason would have surely been a charter member. I’m not sure how many years he crafted his trade while working first in Carter County and much of his career in Greenup County at weekly newspapers, but he was around when I started at The Daily Independent and when I left the ADI in 2018 and the area in 2022, doing his thing better than anybody ever did. He is irreplaceable.

We had a great relationship, with a lot in common. Both of us loved what we did (and I still do). But I’m not sure anybody anywhere loved what he did more than Mason Branham. It was never for personal praise though. He did not put bylines on his stories or credit lines on his photographs. He was just there. Reporting at meetings, keeping statistics at games and providing thousands upon thousands of photographs of those events over the years.

Mason marched to his own drumbeat, that’s for sure, but he had a love for Greenup County like few others and the schools in that area should put him in their hall of fames posthumously. He deserves that much.

I had many conversations with Mason and he was always enlightening and extremely smart. I did not realize until reading his obituary that he was the valedictorian at Olive Hill High School in 1966 and knew so much history about Carter County and Greenup County. Mason could have done a lot of things in life but he chose journalism, or maybe it chose him. Either way, it was a love affair for a lifetime.

He did not get rich or famous working for weekly newspapers but that was never a goal for him. Mason was there for the pure joy of it, for the chase of getting that key photograph or for writing about that game-winning play. He was a welcome sight at any gymnasium, football field, baseball field, soccer pitch, Little League game or anything else when he arrived with camera, notepad and a pen behind his ear.

Mason was also a man of strong faith and he regularly delivered meals for Greenup County Meals on Wheels. He did that job without fanfare too because he was not doing it for recognition but to be a servant. His life was full of servant-like activities. Members of Beech Street Christian Church are serving as pallbearers. That says a lot about the man as well.

Mason will be laid to rest this week but his kindness and good deeds throughout an illustrious career will not be forgotten by the lives he touched from behind the lens. Whether it was the photographs from the County Fair or the countless Little League games, or the meals that he carried to households of senior citizens, Mason was there.

He was the Everywhere Man if there ever was one.

A big maroon Hart: Former EKU assistant, Ashland Tomcat head coach going into EKU Hall of Fame

Before leading the Ashland Tomcats’ football program to 78 victories in 10 seasons from 2003-2012, Leon Hart spent a dozen years in propelling the Eastern Kentucky University offense as an assistant coach under legendary Roy Kidd that included the 1979 and 1982 national championship seasons and the 1980 and 1981 national runner-up seasons – an incredible four-year span illustrating EKU’s dominance in Division I-AA.

Hart is one of seven individuals who will be inducted into the EKU Athletics Hall of Fame on Oct. 11 at the EKU Center for the Arts.

Hart coached wide receivers, running backs and quarterbacks, and then served as offensive coordinator from 1981-88.  While he was an EKU assistant, the Colonels won two national titles (1979 and 1982) and finished as the national runner-up twice (1980 and 1981).  Hart also helped EKU make the playoffs in 1983, 1984, 1986, 1987 and 1988. 

In 1985, EKU missed the playoffs, but the team went 8-3 and closed out the season with 45-21 rout of Louisville.  The Colonels compiled an overall record of 120-37-2 in his 13-year stint on the staff, which included eight OVC titles to go along with the two national titles and two national runners-up finishes.

Leon Hart guided Ashland to 78 victories in 10 seasons as head coach.

He came to the Tomcats in 2003 and put high-tech offenses on the field throughout his tenure where he had six seasons of nine victories and made the playoffs in all but one of his 10 seasons.

Hart led Ashland into the state quarterfinals in 2003 and 2004. Three of his last four seasons with the Tomcats resulted in nine victories. He had a 9-9 record in the postseason while often being matched against northern Kentucky powers.

Hart finished his Tomcat coaching career with a 78-40 record, which is the third-most victories in Ashland history behind Vic Marsh (112) and Tony Love (81).

Besides his elite coaching ability on the football field, he was also a tremendous special education teacher in the Ashland school system.

The 2025 EKU HOF class includes: Soufiane Bouchikhi (track/cross country, 2010-14), Billy Burton (men’s basketball, 1968-72), Ernest Dalton (track/cross country, 1959-63), Leon Hart (football, 1976-88), Leanna Pittsenbarger (softball, 2012-15), John Revere (football, 1972-76) and Mark Sandy (administration, 2005-15, 2019-20).  The entire 2004-05 women’s basketball team will be inducted as a team of distinction. 

Leon Hart’s teams at Ashland from 2003-2012 were prolific and wide open on offense. The Tomcats were regular postseason participants.

Sports Day honoree Greg Jackson big part of 1975 Ashland JAWS defense

This fall one of Ashland’s most beloved and feared football teams will celebrate a golden anniversary.

Ashland’s 1975 JAWS team struck fear in opponents throughout the state with a defense that lived up to its nickname.

Elks Sports Day honoree Greg Jackson, who is best known as a community champion and the ramrod behind the rebuild of Putnam Stadium, was an outside linebacker on the famed defense that led to a 14-1 season.

Jackson was a two-sport star for the Tomcats, also serving as a captain and starting third baseman on consecutive regional championship teams.

Even after suffering a broken foot in the first game of the football season, a game where he fought through the pain in the first half and rushed for 95 yards and a touchdown against Johnson Central. His foot swelled up so much at halftime he could not stand. He came back four games later, returning to the outside linebacker position on defense but was used less on offense.

Greg Jackson, left, gets a hug from Steve Conley, who worked beside him during the rebuild of Clark’s Pump-N-Shop Putnam Stadium.

Jackson’s speed and strength made him a natural for outside linebacker in the 4-4 scheme.

Although his carries were limited because of the foot injury, Jackson still rushed for 350 yards and was second on the team in yards per carry at 8.1.

Jackson was replaced in the backfield by Jeff Slone, who went on to have a 1,000-yard rushing season on a team that also had a 1,700-yard rusher in Gary Thomas and a bulldozing fullback in Jay Shippey. The quarterback, Chuck Anderson, doubled as one of the toughest middle linebackers in the state.

Jackson was still used in the backfield and had some valuable runs during the Tomcats’ playoff stretch including a touchdown against Lafayette in a 21-6 victory. He put Ashland ahead 7-0 on a fourth down, four-yard scoring run in an eventual 13-7 victory over Paducah Tilghman in the Class AAAA State At-Large championship game in Paducah.

Thomas broke a 7-7 deadlock with a 74-yard scamper late in the fourth quarter that put Ashland in the Class AAAA Super Bowl against Jefferson County champion St. Xavier.

Rick Sang hauls in a touchdown pass. He was one of the top athletes on the 1975 JAWS team starting both ways and punter on the way to being selected All-State.

“There were a lot of what ifs in that Paducah game,” Jackson said. “As coach (Herb) Conley has said to me, ‘I remember that play because the first three times (assistant) coach (Bill Tom) Ross wanted to run it up the gut and we weren’t getting anything.’ And a great call, Chuck had the fake to Gary and the linebacker would at least be stymied for split second. We were strong to our right and I knew it was going left. I see the end zone. It’s clear halfway between the pitch and the end zone. I feel like something just trips my foot. I got the video about 15 years ago. I always thought, and never knew for sure, until I looked at the video. When I looked at it, the defensive end got sucked in to Chuck, which is why Chuck pitched it to me. That’s the option. The defensive end recovered, and he dove and did swipe the bottom of my foot.” But Jackson made it to the end zone for his third touchdown of the season and second in the postseason.

That was the first year that the Kentucky High School Athletic Association instituted the Super Bowl type setup for the state’s largest class. The State At-Large champion, which included the biggest schools in the state outside of Louisville, played the Jefferson County champion for the overall Class AAAA title. Both Ashland and St. Xavier have trophies that say state champion, but St. Xavier has another one with overall champion in 1975. The KHSAA lists them as the sole champion in 1975. They scrapped that setup after eight years.

Terry Bell was a force on the offensive and defensive lines for the Ashland JAWS team in 1975. He was first-team All-State and named the top lineman in the state.

The Tomcats missed some scoring opportunities in the first half and still played St. Xavier to a near deadlock. The Tigers led 7-0 at the half and their depth – St. Xavier had separate offensive and defensive units – was simply too much to overcome and Ashland fell 20-0 in Louisville. St. Xavier’s strong senior class had not lost since they were freshmen.

Whether state champion or not, the beloved JAWS team remains one of the favorite and best remembered teams in Tomcat history. Coach Conley, who was an assistant on Ashland’s 1967 Class AA state championship team, said this to reporters after the game in 1975. “You can say whatever you want to, but this has just been a great year for us. These kids have given their all. They have done everything we have asked them to do. I think they’re better than the state champions of 1967. We beat everybody in the state but Louisville, and we didn’t have to play Louisville in ’67.”

In baseball, the Tomcats were regional champions in Jackson’s junior and senior seasons. He was inducted into the CP-1 Hall of Fame in 2022.

A born leader who graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1980, Jackson is also a community champion who has served on countless boards and is a leader at his church. Jackson also played on freshmen football and baseball teams at West Point. He served six years in the Army after graduating.

He went there with classmate and teammate, Chuck Anderson, a past Sports Day honoree, who went on to a career in the Army that saw him rise to become a Two-Star General. Anderson will introduce Jackson at the Sports Day banquet on June 14 at the Elks Lodge where tickets are on sale for $30. The event is open to the public, not just Elks members, which is a popular misconception. Mark Maynard, also a former Sports Day honoree, is the featured speaker.

Beyond playing, Jackson served as an assistant coach for Ashland Kittens softball for eight seasons, including six regional champions, and was president of the Tomcat Band Booster Club for one year and active for eight years when his daughters were in band. He also was a youth softball, baseball, football, and basketball coach when his three children were young.

All that while working 34 years in Human Resources with Ashland Oil and Marathon Petroleum Corporation and serving on a dozen community boards.

However, his claim to community fame may be the long hours and dedicated work he did as the chairman of the Putnam Stadium Restoration committee from the beginning in 2008 to the completion last fall.

Dave Sullivan donates $500,000 to launch stadium and community center project in Steelton, Pa.

STEELTON, Pa. – Dave Sullivan hasn’t forgotten his roots.

The successful businessman and former Steelton-Highspire football star has donated $500,000 to kickstart a transformative $9 million project to rebuild War Veterans Memorial Field, the more than century-old stadium of the Steelton-Highspire High School Rollers. The stadium was recently declared unfit for use, forcing all games to be played away from home.

Sullivan, a 1968 graduate and NFL alum, stepped in not just with funds, but also as an ambassador for the initiative.

“Our athletic programs have always been strong, but our community has been overlooked,” Sullivan told a local news station. “It’s time we change that.”

An artist tendering of the proposed stadium and track at Steelton-Highspire High School in Steelton, Penn.

Despite limited resources, the Rollers have built a powerhouse program, winning Pennsylvania state titles in 2007, 2008, 2020, 2022, 2023, and 2024. But their facilities haven’t kept up with their success.

“Our facilities no longer reflect our legacy,” said Head Coach and Athletic Director Andrew Erby. “We’ve produced champions without resources—imagine what we could do with them.”

The project is about more than football. Once a booming steel town with more than 16,000 residents, Steelton has faced economic decline. The local steel mill—once a vital part of the town—will close by the end of June, leaving up to 550 workers without jobs. The population has dwindled to just over 6,300, per the 2020 U.S. Census.

Sullivan and his wife, Sara, recognized the need for a bold step forward. His recent donation follows a previous $100,000 gift to the school’s athletic department.

Former Steelton football star Dave Sullivan during his induction into the Pennsylvania High School Hall of Fame. Sullivan set records in college at Virginia and played two seasons for the Cleveland Browns. He is part of a group trying to raise funds to build a new football stadium and community center in his hometown. He and wife Sara made a $500,000 donation.

“This is personal for me,” Sullivan said. “I’ve been blessed in business, but it all started here. Everything I’ve accomplished stems from the foundation I got in Steelton.”

After earning a scholarship to the University of Virginia, Sullivan played wide receiver in 1973-74 for the Cleveland Browns before a career-ending injury in the mid-1970s. He went on to lead Gibraltar Mausoleum and Saber Management, helping grow both into major players in the funeral services industry. Together, he and Sara have supported other philanthropic efforts, including more than $50,000 donated to Amy For Africa, a Christian education mission in Uganda.

Their support is giving the stadium project the momentum it needs.

“We knew this needed financial support, and we felt called to help,” Sullivan said. “This is a spark for others to join in. Now is the time to get involved—full steam ahead.”

The project is divided into three phases:

  • Phase One: Install turf field, upgrade lighting and stormwater systems, and build a six-lane Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association-compliant track.
  • Phase Two: Replace the 1918 bleachers with ADA-compliant grandstands, construct a new press box, classrooms, kitchen, and restrooms.
  • Phase Three: Create a Career, Education and Wellness Center featuring a fitness studio, nutrition kitchen, and counseling services.

“This is about more than sports,” Erby said. “It’s about saving lives and building futures. What we’re doing here will impact generations.”

There is currently no set timeline for completion, and the school is actively seeking additional donors to help fully fund the $9 million initiative. No taxpayer dollars will be used.

To learn more or support the project, visit the Roller National Foundation at rollernationfoundation.org.