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)

Throwing Rocks

joe fortner < > Wed, Dec 26, 2007 at 4:16 PM

To: Scott Portis

SCOTTY, Please forgive me but I am to old and have know you to long to call you Scott. I thought you and everyone else would enjoy this story, it has nothing to do with Paul Ward but it happened to the Jackson Hwy. Gang. Several of us Mclemore, Bubba Crews, Tommy Crews, Charles Chandler, Tommy Portis, (Betty Anne Portis) & others cannot remember everyone involved were out in the front yard of Mike Mclemore playing. A Young boy who lived up close to Ray Ivey's house for a short period of time came by on his bicycle. Most of us if not all starting to throw rocks at this person. He was hit but not hurt, he called the police and they came to Mike's house and found us hiding in the basement. To say the least we were all very scared. Joe Fortner

Welcome Lynn Brandon

Scotty Portis

Wed, Dec 26, 2007 at 3:27 PM

To: Lynn Brandon

Cc:

All, we have a new "blogger" with us. None other than that famous field general, play caller, and belly series master of fakery "whose got the ball" Lynn Brandon. Lynn was with the infamous "head hunting, Jackson Highway Gang during his early years before becoming the famous Mustang QB. Lynn and I had a good time out in his mother-in-laws back yard this afternoon recounting old Mustang victories and retelling old Coach Ward stories. Lynn said," Portis, what was your longest run. I said Lynn you go first (realizing the trap I was entering). Lynn said "I ran a 69 yd TD on Savannah on a right 44 flat pass. We had run the play previously and I had thrown a TD pass to Weldon Bennett. He said this time Savannah was ready for the pass, so I just tucked the ball and ran the 69 yds for the touchdown. I said "Brandon, as slow as you were they probably had time to get the National Guard out to escort you". Anyone who has knowledge of this run please verify it. I told Brandon that I had run the opening kickoff back 85 yds against McKenzie my junior year and "by George" Brandon changed his story about his run first to 79 yrds and then before we left it was 89 yds. What a guy. Anyway, Lynn welcome aboard and please feel free to add a story about Coach Ward. Also, I know there are others of you out there just waiting to "let loose" now that the holidays are drawing to a close. Scott Portis walterlbrown < > Thu, Dec 27, 2007 at 6:11 PM To: joe fortner ; Scott Portis …. All Fortner’s runs are greatly enhanced by a conveintently good/bad memory from the day he moved to McKenzie. Or as my maternal grandfather always told me "You know Walter the older I get the higher I could jump when I was a Boy. Scott Portis < > Sat, Dec 29, 2007 at 4:46 PM Walter is right. The older we get the better athletes we all become. The TD runs longer and tougher, the tackles (always for loses) more viscous, the blocks that opened the holes cleaner with the opponent always on the ground. Time heals all short comings.

Jackson Highway Gang

From: Scott Portis

To

Sent: Friday, December 21, 2007 1:57 PM

Subject: Re: Coach Ward

Joe, thanks for the blog. We all know the prowess of Coach Robinson, not only as a player but a very savy former Coach of the Mustangs. I am proud to be a next door neighbor of his mother-in-law and get to see Coach quite often, along with his brother-in-law and another former famous Mustang QB Lynn Brandon, when they come to visit. We stand in the back yard and talk Mustang football and often relive some of our old games.

Joe, I am reminded of the "Jackson Highway Gang" as we were known, a rough bunch of uncouth "country boys" as our city slicker friends called us. As I remember, the city boys would come calling to our field on Saturday for a little game of tackle football. Jimmy and Joe Fortner, Lynn Brandon, Mike "The Toe" McLemore, the Lumpkin boys, Donald Blankenship, Roy "Geno" Dill, the Chandler boys, Ralph Joyner, Chandler Peeples, Tommy and Bobby Crews, Scott and Tommy Portis, Ray Ivy, John Mitchell Smith, and least we not forget the female persusion- Ms Becky Presson and Ms. Betty Ann Portis made up the team. Geno Dill's mother looked out the window once and called her son over and said "Roy, you boys must take it easy on Betty Ann and Becky". Roy's reply "Mom, Betty Ann and Becky need to take it easy on us. Have you seen them hit?". As I remember, Betty Ann was a vicious tackler and was probably the second fastest runner on the field. Betty Ann was a little "salty" even when she got to high school. She went in the Lexington dressing room after a basketball game one night and "punched out" one of the Lexington players who had been holding her during the game. She probably could have made the high school football team. Anyway, you will remember that we broke Carl Holiday's arm one Saturday and Johnny Pitts fell victim to the brutality of the "Jackson Highway Gang" the very next Saturday-he got the same treatment and wound up in Dr. Douglass office for a cast. There was no third Saturday as word had gotten around and the white "arm bands" these guys were wearing was proof enough.

I am sure that these early days of playing football grew out of our love for the game but the town of Huntingdon has been a "football town" as long as I can remember. People like Coach Pudor, Coach Ward, Coach Bobby Hays, Coach Robinson, Coach Sturdivant, and Coach Mansfield have all been great leaders and motivators and have helped propel this love for the game. Football is such a character builder-it demands much, but the rewards in self esteem, self worth, team work, and respect for others in victory or defeat are worth the price.

Joe, thanks again for a good story and for remembering a great football player, Jerry Robinson, and his coach, Coach Ward.

Scotty Portis