Rabbit Hunting

Scott Portis Sun, Jan 13, 2008 at 12:53 AM

Welcome to two new "yet old" Mustangs-Jimmy Lumpkin a member of the notorious "Jackson Highway Gang" and David Thompson a very good Mustang fullback. I'll send you guys the other blogs as soon as I get this one typed.

As Gary Hall said in the very first email of this series of blogs "the old memory bucket just keeps on filling up". I want to "toot the horn" of two of the sparkplug players on my team (we played all four years together). Joe Fortner alluded to the prowess of Coach Jerry Robinson in an earlier email. Coach Ward's teams of 1957 and 1958 (the two years after Larry Stewart) went 10-0 and 10-1 losing to Jackson High in the Exchange Bowl 28-12 (we lead this game 6-0 at one point and were in the game til the end. Two interceptions allowed Jackson to score two late touchdowns). In 1958 we played in two bowl games-beating Lexington 35-0 then losing to Jackson.

Marshall "Moose" Smith was our 245 lb. fullback, but do not let this deceive you. The guy could move. Not only was he quick but could "chug" it down the field once in the clear. He led the team in scoring our senior year with about 140 points. When we needed 5 yards for sure, Moose got the ball. He bowled defensive players over. On the other side of the ball, he played middle guard and at times tackle depending on the defensive call. He was almost as good as Blankenship at making tackles all over the field. Coach Ward took Moose and me rabbit hunting one cold Nov. morning after a basketball game (we both played BB also). Both Coach and Moose had killed about two rabbits a piece and were chiding me for missing several shots. We walked a bit further and I sat down on a hollow log and darned if a rabbit didn't run out of the end of that log. I fired from the hip with the blast from the 16 gauge knocking me off the log. The two of them got down on the ground laughing but I had the last laugh when Coach Ward's faithful dog brought the rabbit up (Little Paul I remembered that dog's name for years). Coach Ward was the person who helped Moose and me get our scholarships to UT.

Wallace "Wade" Pinkley was our tailback those two years-all 145 lbs. Wade was slow as molasses (I could beat him 10 yds in the 100) but he never took a direct hit. If he had had the speed to match his quickness and ability to fake (give you a hip then take it away), he would have been everybody's All-American. But his ability to run the ball was not even his strong point. He was the best field general (calling plays in the huddle) I ever saw. He had an uncanny nack for calling the right play (right 48 sweep then come back with a fake sweep and pull up and throw a bullet down field). If things were not going well, then he made up plays in the huddle that actually worked. In the Jackson bowl game he moved Climan Smith from fullback (Moose had been hurt) to quarterback and me to fullback for a screen pass that worked for a TD. Wallace went on to the University of the South where he was a very successful tailback-starting all four years at that position. In his very first game as a freshman Sewanee was behind Rhodes College (Memphis) and Coach Shirley Majors inserted Wade in the second half and he pulled the game out with his running and passing. Coach Ward was instrumental in getting Wallace to Sewanee where he not only excelled in football but played baseball and was a gownsman (honor society).

Anyone with a good story about Coach, a fellow player, or a specific team lets hear it. Benny Roberts (1975, #58) emailed me and said that these blogs were better than any Rx he ever got from a doctor. Those of you who have not read Ned Priest's blog on Johnny Compton (Comptonian Physics) let me know. You have got to read it.

Scott Portis (1955-1958)