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are  ’
Ted Bates, a past president of the Missouri, Claiborne was tapped for the ern Conference team, more than any _
UK Alumni Association, has a head jobs at Virginia Tech where he turned other school in the SEC.
knack fOr Y€‘nnnnng mans- Back ih around their football fortunes and then It is this legacy of h0H€Siy, hard Q
1980 he decided it was time that the l\/[aryland_ Eventually he realized his work, discipline and achievement that `
architect’s notation for "Road D” dream to return to eoaoh at his alma mater_ Bates wants to honor. i
should be replaced with a real street He walked into a program about to "Jerry will always be a role model,"
name. The UK Board of Trustees serve a one- says Bates. “I want the young people i
liked his idea to name the road year proba— and the student-athletes on this cam-  
"Alumni Drive." A few years later, the tion for the r t  i·‘‘ eV  l pus to know about this man and what . 
City Of Lexington was Cleaning UP recruiting V       he stood for. In some small way, I want .
some of the road names in the area violations of  J   i n  e  _ * them to look up and see the street j
and decided to extend the Alumni his predeces—     sign, The Jerry Claiborne Way, and un- -
Drive nomenclature across Tates sor it took       derstand that good people can do the I
Creek Road to Man ’O War Boule— Claiborne S        right thing and win." —
vard. awhile to clean   t    j
With that success behind him, house, change A
Bates took notice of Sports Center attitudes and .
Drive that runs from the Cliff Hagan establish val- E
Baseball Stadium, past the Ervin J. ues_ Q
Nutter Training Center and the foot- But he · 
ball practice field, then across Cooper did just that_ ~  *  
Drive alongside KET and past the K- His first   '._¤   A l
Men`s House to the Nutter Field team went i f      I E
House and Commonwealth Stadium. ()-l()-l, but   , ;
The football facilities made him by the third     I   gr
think of his friend and fellow alumnus year the .V    
Jerry Claiborne who coached the Cats had ' ae
Wildcats from 1982 to 1989. Claiborne been to the _  I
was a highly respected coach both on Hall of Fame   i
and off the field. Players respected Bowl and was 9-3_ f g. a
him: administrators respected him; his The next seasons V Z,    i   " .
peers respected him, even the media hovered around [he  Z .       .' ` 34
rhsticcied him- .500 mark. stiii, “    
Wh€D ClZllbOI`Il€ I`€lZlI`€Cl. SPOITS I]- Claiborne was the only  
lustraretl and local newspaper colum— eoaeh sinoe Bryant to win  ir \
nist   R€€(.l WhO is Ofl€l'l p€I`C€lV€(.l at least five games in Seven   V
as a UK basher by Kentucky fans. straight seasons_ 7% . i
lll`tC(l Ulf) ClZIlbOl'D€ fOI` all to SCC.   players went to Class I
l'l€ pOlHl€(l Olll. il`lZl[ only   Divi- and got their degreeS_ ln   g V    
sion l coaches had won more games Kentucky won the College `   . ._ VV   Yif`fVf°‘.¤§ 1** “ "‘
[hill] the SOOIl·lO-bC   of FHITIC Football ASSoeia[ion’S annual ._ _ I Vi ` ·   ;      ` V
Cnnch Cl?nb0Tn€- national award for academic . . aa., I  
This former UK player who was a achievement. Eighteen ofthe        i l
star defensive back for Coach Bear QQ wildeats in the recruiting , . aff, i ' l
Bryant "loved football   loved the class of lQ83 earned a degree li ` —V  ‘ j i
contact on the field and the challenge 'l"ha[`S a 9() oereent graduation V . I   f, 3. I
of beating the other guy." After work- rate_ No sloueh in the elass- if . ~ I.   _ _V  `  ‘  ii I
ing with Bryant as an assistant coach room himSelt_ math major   V · ‘  ‘   _§  F I
Ht KCDILICKY, TCXZIS   Z`ll`l(.l Ala- Claiborne had   players on    `  T.`;;i:" _} A I l
bama, and under Frank Broylcs at the Aeademie Alhgontheast-    ,i     3 ‘ _ V l
.7V . ` ~ _  if ; I
I
42 KENTUCKY ALuMNus ‘
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