Tag: football

‘Shorty’ Blanton, Tomcat state championship baseball coach in 1968, dies at 94

Leonard “Shorty” Blanton, who coached the Ashland Tomcats baseball team for only three years but his legacy includes a state championship in 1968 and state runner-up finish in 1969, died in Florida on Aug. 30. He was 94.

Blanton took over the Tomcats’ baseball job in 1968 after Zeke Meyers had led Ashland to back-to-back state titles in 1966 and 1967. Meyers, who took an administration position at Marshall University following his time in Ashland, went 47-4 in two seasons including a perfect 25-0 in 1967.

Even though the cupboard was hardly bare, who wanted to replace that coaching legend?

Blanton told me a few years ago in an interview for the book Tomcat Dynasty he got the job because “no one else wanted it.” During those days the principal selected the coaches for the so-called “minor” sports of track and baseball. He appointed Blanton to be the baseball coach.

A good football coach at several levels in the Ashland system, including the junior varsity coach the year the Tomcats won the state title in 1967 and the head coach at Coles Jr. High in 1971, Blanton admittedly didn’t have a wealth of baseball knowledge and had never coached the sport on any level. And now he was taking over the two-time defending state champions with a wealth of returning players, including Bobby Lynch, John Mullins, Steve Hemlepp, Fred Leibee, Tim Huff, Bo Carter, Dave Staten and Mike Tackett. These days people would be knocking each other over to get that job.

Leonard “Shorty” Blanton celebrates after winning the 1968 state baseball championship as coach for the Ashland Tomcats. It was the third consecutive title for the Tomcats.

Lynch and Hemlepp were like unofficial assistant coaches and knew the team better than anyone. Blanton said he welcomed their suggestions and knew these Tomcats were not just good at baseball, they were good at winning.

It proved to be true as those Tomcats became Kentucky’s first program to win three consecutive state championships. It did not happen again until Pleasure Ridge Park won it from 1994-96.

Blanton said the players taught him a lot about baseball and were “easy to coach.”

The ’68 champions finished 23-3 and surrendered only one run in three games in the state tournament. Lynch won two of those games, including being the winning pitcher in the finals for the second time in three years. If not for a strange scoring decision, he would have been the winning pitcher in all three championship games.

But what Blanton did with the ’69 team was the most surprising. He took them back to the state tournament and reached the finals where they dropped a 1-0 decision to Owensboro in heartbreaking fashion.

In the state championship game against Owensboro, a pair of errors brought home the winning run – and only run of the game – in the bottom of the seventh inning. There may have been three errors since the baserunner was thought to have missed third. Ashland never protested. Leonard talked about that play nearly 50 years later.

“Someone told me the runner didn’t even touch third base,” he said. “I missed it and none of my boys saw it either. Who knows? The umpire may not have noticed either. I guess we’ll never know.”

The Tomcats finished 19-4 including a 1-0 victory over Don Gullett-led McKell in the regional semifinals in Morehead. Ashland had only one hit in the game, a triple from Dave Damron who then scored the game’s only run on Tackett’s sacrifice fly. Gullett struck out 11 and allowed the lone hit but Huff outdueled him.

“Those guys were outstanding, some of the best in the state, and they knew how to win, too,” Blanton said. “It’s a shame it turned out like it did.”

Blanton was not planning on coming back for the 1970 season after that stinging loss and announced in the newspaper that Steve Gilmore would be replacing him. But that didn’t happen until the following year. Blanton coached the Tomcats to a 12-10 season in 1970, losing in the regional finals to Russell.

He finished his high school coaching career with a 54-17 record. Not bad for somebody who admitted having limited baseball coaching knowledge when he took the job.

Blanton was much more than a good coach, though. He was a fine Christian gentleman, husband and father and a friendly and popular man in Ashland. His wife, Ada, who died in 2020, was a beautiful lady and powerful singer who was crowned Mrs. Kentucky in 1968. She represented the state along with the 1968 Miss Kentucky and Col. Harland Sanders of Kentucky Fried Chicken fame on the Kentucky state float during the inauguration parade for President Richard Nixon in Washington, D.C., in 1968.

Shorty and Ada sang together in church at Unity Baptist and in local dramas and musicals. They have a son, Ted Blanton, who played on Ashland’s 1967 state football championship team.

Blanton was born in 1931 and graduated from Ashland High School in 1949. He played on the Tomcats’ 1946-1948 football teams. He rushed for 339 yards and had 152 yards receiving while scoring five touchdowns on a 5-4-1 team in ’48 that was ranked No. 3 in the final AP state poll. The losses and tie came to four out-of-state teams (Charleston, Stonewall Jackson, Huntington High, Ironton and Portsmouth).

Golden anniversary for Ashland’s beloved 1975 JAWS football team

The blockbuster movie “JAWS” came out in the summer of 1975 and frightened viewers who were so traumatized they barely dipped their toes in the ocean.

That summer, Herb Conley took his family to Mrytle Beach, an annual pilgrimage for the family. They would set up at a campground and make daily trips to the beach. The three boys – Greg, Shawn and Jeff – were all under 10 and braver than their mother Janice wanted them to be.

Each day they went a little further into the ocean and Janice told Herb she was not comfortable with how daring the boys were becoming.

Herb had an idea. He remembered there was a movie about sharks that had just come out and he took his young family to the movies to watch “JAWS.” The boys sat wide-eyed through the terrifying movie. Let’s just say Janice did not have to worry about the boys getting too far out into the ocean because they barely got back in the water at all the rest of the trip.

Terry Bell breaks through the hoop leading the 1975 Ashland football team onto the field before a playoff game.

“JAWS” had made an impact on Herb Conley, but it would not be the last one for Ashland’s veteran head football coach.

Living up to the JAWS nickname

He returned to Ashland refreshed and looking forward to the 1975 football season. Conley was anticipating a good season given that it was a strong senior class and some of them would be entering their third year of either starting or playing a lot.

It was a season built for success with a combination of speed, size and power. They were developed very much in the image of their coach – hard-nosed, hard-hitting and determined (afraid?) not to make their coach proud. Herb Conley commanded respect as a player, as an assistant coach and as the head coach. He was in his eighth season as the Tomcats’ head coach and a group that he believed was as good as any since the 1971 and 1972 seasons.

When Conley met with his assistant coaches before the season, he mentioned how his boys were scared to death after watching “JAWS” at the beach. Conley mentioned the possibility of naming the defense “JAWS” mostly as a joke. But coaches Mike Holtzapfel and Bill Tom Ross loved the idea.

Rick Sang waits for the play call from head coach Herb Conley, left, and assistant coach Bill Tom ross during Ashland’s 1975 season.

Conley was less sure it was a good idea because, as he put it, sometimes those things backfire on you. But Holtzapfel and Ross would not let it go, and Conley told them only if the team could prove it. That is also what they told the players, who were excited about naming the defense after the terrifying shark from the movie.

It took one game for Conley to be convinced that this “JAWS” nickname might be a good thing. The Tomcats blasted Johnson Central 41-14 in the opener at Putnam Stadium and hard-hitting Chuck Anderson knocked the Golden Eagles’ quarterback out of the game with a crunching hit that also knocked the breath out of him.

When Coach Conley went out on the field to check on him, Anderson could barely breathe but he practically begged his coach to let the team be “JAWS.” Conley pulled him up by the belt and helped his biggest hitter off the field. He would return to the game, but Johnson Central’s quarterback would not.

It became clear that it was no longer safe to go on the football field if the “JAWS” defense was the opponent.

The Tomcats kept it to themselves until after the second week of the season when they defeated top-ranked Bryan Station, 22-12, with another big hit from Anderson spurring a brilliant defensive effort.

Terry Bell was selected the top offensive lineman in Kentucky in 1975.

He knocked a would-be tackler unconscious with a block that sprung Rick Sang for a touchdown on a punt return that put Ashland ahead 12-0. It also set the tone not only for that game but the season.

Eventually, the media at the time got word about the “JAWS” defense and the Tomcat band even learned the memorable music from the movie when the shark was about to attack. Fans brought plastic sharks to the games and the businesses in town were prompting “JAWS” defense on their signs.

Everybody bought in, especially the team.

Make a wish(bone): A dominating offense

Ashland rattled off win after win during the regular season and went into the playoffs unblemished and ranked No. 1 in Class AAAA – then the biggest classification in the state. They demoralized teams on defense and dominated them on offense, too, with a vaunted wishbone offense.

Gary Thomas, only a junior, rushed for more than 1,700 yards and Jeff Slone surpassed 1,000 yards. Jay Shippey and Jim Johnson shared fullback duties, Anderson was the quarterback and Greg Jackson split time in the backfield, overcoming a broken foot that cost him a few games.

Quarterback Chuck Anderson (12) and tackle Raymond Hicks.

Sang was a top athlete as a tight end, return man and punter and the offensive line was ferocious with Terry Bell leading the way. He was voted as the Best Offensive Lineman in Kentucky. Bell was joined on the line by center Terry Lewis, guard Yancey Ramey and tackles Casey Jones and Raymond Hicks.

Shippey and Johnson were punishing runners and Thomas, Slone and Jackson ran like gazelles. Conley said his halfbacks were some of the best blockers he had during his coaching career. Split end Dougie Paige, all 115 pounds of him, could put players twice his size on the ground in downfield blocking. Keith Hillman, a speedy receiver, also played some at split end.

A trip to the movies just what was needed

Ashland had no losses during the regular season, but the team escaped one Friday night against Huntington High, winning 12-6 despite losing three fumbles to improve to 6-0. The players knew it was not their best effort and dreaded practice the following Monday.

Conley said he sensed something was wrong and that the team was playing tired. He told the coaches that instead of a brutal practice, he was taking the players to the movie on Monday to watch “the Towering Inferno,” starring O.J. Simpson, at Midtown Cinema. The players were stunned when they arrived ready for practice and were told to keep their street clothes on and get on the bus. Conley had instructed Hank Hillman of the Boosters Club to reserve the theater – complete with drinks and popcorn – for the team.

It was just what they needed. They came back fresh the next Friday, hammering a good Belfry team 47-7. The fire was reignited.

Ashland closed the regular season at 11-0 with a 43-0 victory over rival Boyd County that wrapped up the district and put them in the postseason. Back then, only district champions advanced to the playoffs. Boyd County had won the previous two seasons against the Tomcats and wanted to spoil their undefeated season. But the Lions were no match for them in at the time was the most lopsided loss in the series.

The playoffs beckon and a flight to remember

Even though the Tomcats were ranked No. 1 and undefeated, their first playoff game was on the road at Dixie Heights in one of the coldest games anybody can remember. After a sluggish first half, a halftime butt-chewing from their head coach got everybody’s attention and Ashland won 36-6. He had captains Sang, Bell and Anderson stand in front of mirrors in the locker room and told them to look into the mirror and ask themselves if they gave their best effort. The rest of the team was watching, and they got the message.

Doug Paige gets the play from coaches Bill Tom Ross, left, and Herb Conley.

Years later, Sang confessed that he thought he had given his best effort but stared into the mirror anyway. Coach Conley called Sang into his class on the following Monday and told him, “Hey Rick, we watched the film, and you really didn’t play that bad.”

 They followed that with a win over Lafayette, 21-6, at Putnam Stadium to advance to the Class AAAA State At-Large championship in Paducah.

The Tomcats were in for a long trip on the other side of the state. But before the Lafayette game was even finished, plans were made to fly to Paducah and the Tomcats became the first team in Kentucky high school history to charter a flight to a game. Ashland was an eight-hour bus ride from Paducah but only a short flight. The Boosters Club raised the money, and the team flew on the day of the game.

Jim Johnson (41) leads the blocking for Greg Jackson.

Many of the players were making their first plane flight and it was a quiet trip with nobody saying anything. It was only five years since the horrific Marshall University plane crash,

The flight kept their legs fresh for Paducah and Thomas broke a 7-7 deadlock with a 75-yard touchdown run with three minutes to play that gave the Tomcats a 13-7 victory and a spot in the overall state championship game against Jefferson County champion St. Xavier.

St. Xavier was undefeated and loaded with talent. The Tigers had 11 different players on offense and defense and that depth wore down the Tomcats, who lost 20-0 after a tight first half, trailing only 6-0 with Ashland missing at least two good scoring opportunities. It would be the only loss in a 14-1 season, but the 1975 Tomcats have remained one of the most beloved teams in Ashland history.

On Oct. 3, the Tomcats 1975 JAWS team will be recognized at Clark’s Pump-N-Shop Putnam Stadium on their 50th anniversary.

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.