"Smelling Sauce"

From: tom portis
Sent: Saturday, December 15, 2007 12:30 AM
To:
Subject: FW: Coach Ward

There have been some great stories of Coach Ward that I have truly enjoyed reading. The ones from some of the older guys about his early coaching days are notable because there were things that I had not known about him. It brings back memories of a great time growing up in Huntingdon and the lessons learned living in a small town and playing football for Paul Ward.

Someone mentioned that he and Johnny Compton are together again probably reminiscing about those days, when I am sure, Coach Ward was challenged having to deal with Johnny.

Ned Priest and others remind me of two stories relating to Compton and the influence on his life by Coach Ward. If you will indulge my limited writing skills……………

For those of you who did not know him or play with him, Johnny Compton was a rough around the edges kind of guy, a tough, mean football player and sometimes just a callous and unkind person. I had not seen Johnny Compton probably since high school but learned that he was living in Southaven, MS just across the Mississippi line from Memphis and was going to church with a UT alumni I worked with at the Bank. I also learned Johnny had changed his life and had become a Christian. This was wonderful to hear and I had to remind myself that yes, God does move in mysterious ways. And yes it was true.

Tim Priest had just been selected to be the color analyst for the Vol Football network and was going to be in Memphis to speak to the Shelby County Big Orange Club. The guy I worked with and I had plans to attend the meeting and he asked if I cared if Johnny Compton joined us. Johnny wanted to see and hear Tim speak since they played together on that great 1966 Mustang team. I was delighted and yet apprehensive at the same time remembering Johnny’s past.

The day arrived and we all met at the Bank to ride over to the Big Orange Club meeting. Johnny Compton was truly a changed man. He was humble, polite and almost apologetic for his past. He expressed to me what an influence Coach Ward was on his life and the lessons in discipline he learned from football and Paul Ward. I thought that was a real tribute not only to Compton’s changed life but to Coach Ward as well. It was somewhat the same way Charles Rhodes related how Coach had influenced Ray Chandler’s life. I think he taught a lot of life lessons to us. Probably more than we really knew at the time.

A funny side to this story was when we arrived at the restaurant where the meeting was being held, I spotted Tim’s Mom who lived in Memphis at the time and went over to speak with her. As I finished, Johnny Compton stepped in front of Mrs. Priest and said, “Mrs. Priest, you probably don’t remember me but I am Johnny Compton”. The expression on Mrs. Priest’s face, as they say, was priceless. Probably not having seen Johnny since he and Tim graduated, she looked up at Compton almost in a state of disbelief and slowly extended her hand to shake his and I heard her utter these words, “My God, JOHNNY COMPTON? How could I ever forget you?”

One day in practice running the scout team offense, which I got to do a lot playing behind Tim, we huddled up and Coach Ward showed us a diagram of the next play we were to run. It was a slant pass to the split end on the right side and as I got under center, I took a look to see where Compton was and who was lined up opposite him - just for kicks I guess hoping someone might actually get a good block on him. I took the snap and dropped back. The next think I remember (or didn’t remember, someone related to me later) was Coach Ward laughing almost uncontrollably and trying to bring me around by putting smelling sauce under my nose after Compton had turned out my lights with a blind side hit. I am sure both Compton and Coach Ward enjoyed it. At least I was informed they did.

In spring practice of 1964 I tore an ACL and had to have surgery a few days later. Coach Ward could not be there the day of the surgery due to school responsibilities and football practice. My parents went home that night after the surgery and I remember waking up the next morning very early to find Coach Ward sitting in my hospital room. He had driven down very early on a Saturday morning just to check on me. We had a conversation which I am sure was limited on my part as I was a sophomore and still in awe of him. I think he cared for and respected his players for their efforts no matter what your job on the team was and he did it in his own quite un-expressive way. He was one of our Senior Class sponsors for the graduating class of 1966. It was an honor to have known him and played for him.

Tom Portis

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From: Tim Priest

To: 'tom portis'

Sent: Monday, December 17, 2007 7:49 AM

Subject: RE: Coach Ward

Tommy:

Thanks for the story. You are so right in describing the influence Coach Ward had on the life of Johnnie Compton and all of us. I certainly remember seeing you Johnnie, Johnny Carter and others the night I spoke in Memphis. We very much missed seeing Johnnie at our 40 year class reunion this summer.

Tim

"Comptonian Physics"

Ned, great story (and with a moral) for us all. I'll bet old Johnny and Coach are up there now looking down on us and discussing one of their great games. You and I have talked many times about your desire to have been a Mustang. Well you were. Junior high, senior high who cares, you wore the Blue and Gold and undefeated and with a paltry lone touchdown-what a season. I too wish you could have been here during your high school days. You would have been a great center and defensive end. If you played football like you catch fish, Huntingdon would have been better off.

Coach Ward loved his "hitters". I think we were so successful because we were first taught the fundamentals-blocking and tackling. At defense he was great but he shinned on the offensive side of the ball also. He was the best at taking the talent he had each year and molding the right offensive scheme around it-sometimes changing the offense mid season when the current plan was not working.

Also, least we forget Coach Welch. Coach Ward and Coach Welch were great alone but the two of them together were awesome. During pass defense practice one day when I thought I had been on the field and excessive amount of time (running down one fresh back or end after another), I asked Coach Welch, " What do you think I am, a race horse?". Well, when the combined practice was over at the end of the day and sprints had been run, Coach Welch called 5 or 6 backs over and he said "Race Horse Portis" line up out there at defensive halfback and we preceded to run pass defense for another 15 to 20 minutes. On the way to the dressing room he padded me on the butt and said "If I had a saddle, I'd ride you up the hill 'Race Horse'". I intercepted two pass the next game. He has never let me forget it either.

Ned, thanks again. Very strong story from a former Mustang who was almost coached by Coach Ward.

Scotty

PS: Ned if you can get me Coach McAdams email or phone #, I will be sure that we get him in on these "blogs". We here are all well aware of Glen's accomplishments. I'm sure he would appreciate hearing from us. Also, if anyone out there has Larry Stewart and Warren Blankenship's emails send them to me and I will include them. Blankenship was probably one of the best all round blockers and tacklers that Huntingdon ever produced. Also, does anyone know where Bendell "Freight Train" Wilkes is now. He graduated with Warren and was a heck of a defensive end.

From: Ned Priest

To: Scotty Portis
Subject: Re: Coach Ward
Date: Thu, 13 Dec 2007 21:42:43 -0600

I never played for Paul Ward. But I did play with Johnny Compton for three years on the Huntingdon Junior High School Mustang football team. For one glorious week, Big John, myself and several other invited junior high players (Joe Hall Morris, Jimmy Smith, Will Crellin, Thomas Ray Townsend, Tommy Portis and several others) practiced with the varsity, and therefore for Coach Ward, before the start of junior high practice. That's where I learned about "Comptonian Physics".

We were doing the two-man lineman tackling drill. You know - two linemen, lying on their backs, heads pointing toward each other about ten yards apart on either side of a hole defined by two blocking dummies, with the coach standing by the dummies with a ball. The coach calls "Hike" as he tosses the ball to one of the linemen. They have to roll over, charge toward the hole and one carries the ball while the other tackles.

As freshmen, we had been the recipients of some serious disrespect from the upperclassmen during the first part of the week. By about Wednesday, I had had enough, so I resolved to "sell out" every chance. Johnny and I were up, so here was my chance. Coach Ward (holding that clipboard!) tossed the ball to me. I got low and drove hard into the hole, meeting JC's shoulder pad level with mine. There was a terrific "Whack!" and Johnny stumbled backwards with me falling on him. Success!!! - and immediately a whoop went up from the upperclass linemen surrounding us.

Now it was Johnny's turn. I resolved not to be a "one hit wonder" and tigered up as I lay on the ground. Coach Ward tossed the ball to Big 'Un and Professor Compton began his lessons in "Comptonian Physics":

1. Leverage - That means when Johnny's pads were below yours, you ain't got a chance!!! He stood me straight up!

2. Force - Einstein discovered that Force=(Mass x Velocity)Squared. He forgot the "CMF" - that's "Compton Meanness Factor". The REAL formula, solved for F, is F=(MxV)2xCMF= me suddenly flying backwards through the air!

3. Gravity - That's where I crash down to earth on Pudor Field.

4. Astronomy - That's where I see stars for about 5 minutes!!

But the pain of those few seconds was quickly washed away by the roar of yelling upperclassmen - including the backs and Coach Euell Bolden, who had come over to check out all the noise. Coach Ward was clapping one hand against that clipboard and telling to the team that "These freshmen are showing you guys how to hit!" And two of my idols - Jackie Brown and Dale Strickland - were hollering, laughing and slapping me and Johnny on the helmet!

JC and I were transfixed by being noticed by Coach Ward and resolved to hit each other as hard as possible for the rest of the week. We were never paired again, but that event was the start of a wonderful year. The Junior High Mustangs were undefeated, untied and un-scored-on except for a meaningless TD by Paris at the end of a 28-7 should-have-been-worse rout.

My family moved to Memphis at Christmas of that year and I never saw Johnny Compton again. I considered attending a Mustang game but even thinking about it was so painful that I never went. It's one of the greatest and most enduring disappointments of my life that I never played high school football with my cousin Tim and for Paul Ward, but my shining memory of that day still brings a smile to my face.

By the way, Coach Ward's legacy lives on in Mustang alum Glen McAdams. Glen has coached the (Nashville) David Lipscomb High School football team for 26 years, winning several state championships in their class, the last about 2 weeks ago. His program has produced a number of Div IA players in the process. He also teaches his kids how to act right and insists that they do so. He's a good coach and a good man. Coach Ward would be proud.

Respectfully, Ned Priest, #54.