Do Right, Do Your Best, Win: My Coach, Jerry Claiborne

Jerry Claiborne was the head football coach at the University of Kentucky from 1982 to 1989. His record in Lexington was 41-46-3. Claiborne’s head coaching stops prior to taking over at his alma mater were at Virginia Tech and Maryland. He finished his historic career with 179 wins, 122 losses, and 8 ties. At the time of his retirement, his record ranked fourth amongst all active coaches. The Hopkinsville native’s legacy was cemented in history with his induction into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1999. 

Jerry Claiborne was my head coach. I was his last starting quarterback in 1989. I’d like to think we had a special bond, but I’m sure all of his players felt the same.  I was in the room when he announced his retirement. That was a tough night. Seeing and being a part of a hundred grown folks crying was not fun. 

I’m writing this post through my own lens. I loved Coach Claiborne. My head coach was a father figure to most all of his players and was a beloved figure both inside and outside the facility. He was a no-nonsense disciplinarian and treated every player the same. That’s an impossible reality in today’s pay-for-play world of college football. Before Claiborne roamed the sidelines as a coach, he was a standout player at Kentucky for Coach Paul “Bear” Bryant.

Early Days at Kentucky

Claiborne signed with the Cats and played for the Bear in 1946 and 1948-49. The former defensive back still holds the record for the most interceptions in a season with nine. Following graduation, Claiborne was a high school head coach before joining Bryant as an assistant coach at UK. He followed the Bear to Texas A&M and Alabama before taking his first head coaching job at Virginia Tech. It’s safe to say that Claiborne was heavily influenced by Bear Bryant which I find ironic and sensible. Bryant enjoyed a drink and a smoke. Those two vices were not a part of Claiborne’s makeup. Both were tough, hands-on defense-first head coaches. 

Virginia Tech and Maryland

VPI, which would later be known as Virginia Tech, was Claiborne’s first head coaching job after nearly a decade as an assistant on Bear Bryant’s staff. He led the Gobblers from 1961 to 1970 and finished his stay in Blackburg with a 61-39-2 slate. Claiborne coached the program’s future head coach Frank Beamer at Tech and was a tremendous influence on the program for years to come.  He was inducted to the Virginia Tech Hall of Fame. 

Following one season as Colorado’s defensive coordinator in 1971, Claiborne took over the Maryland program. The Terrapins had won just nine games in five years prior to his arrival. He coached there from 1972 to 1981. Claiborne completed the program’s turnaround and led UM to three consecutive ACC titles in 1974, 75, and 76. He was named the National Coach of the Year in 1974. His 1976 team went undefeated in the regular season before losing to Houston in the Cotton Bowl. Claiborne finished his Maryland career with an impressive 77-37-3 record.

His Old Kentucky Home

When “Momma” calls, you listen. Claiborne did just that. He returned to his alma mater to clean up a Kentucky program that had endured four consecutive losing seasons and faced recruiting violations. Landing Claiborne was a huge, huge deal. His 138-76-5 record was Hall of Fame worthy before taking on the tough assignment of coaching at the school where he starred as a player and enjoyed success as an assistant coach. It was ugly at first. 

The 1982 Wildcats went 0-10-1. He inherited a mess that he quickly cleaned up. His next squad finished 6-5-1 and was followed by a 9-3 season. The 1984 team finished the season ranked 17^th in the nation after beating Wisconsin the Hall of Fame Classic. UK didn’t win another bowl game until Rich Brooks’ team defeated Clemson in the 2006 Music City Bowl. He failed to reach another postseason and retired following a 6-5 record in 1989. 

Claiborne’s Last Starting Quarterback and a Long Ride to Partridge

1989 was my first season as UK’s starting quarterback. My sophomore year was Jerry Claiborne’s last season prior to retirement. It bothered me for years that maybe I had something to do with him ending his Hall of Fame career. Maybe he knew the game was evolving and didn’t fit his defense-first, offense-second approach. Maybe I wasn’t good enough? Who knows. His famed Wide Tackle-6 defense was a physical scheme and highly effective to the end. Who knows, but I took his retirement hard. I wanted to quit. I seriously considered giving up football and returning to my baseball roots. I didn’t and played for Bill Curry for a year. 

Before getting into that season, let’s start with how it all started. I was on my official visit to Kentucky in the winter of 1987. Fullback Andy Murray, who you can hear on the Depth Chart Podcast, by the way, was my host. Andy repeatedly told me to not play football and to stick to baseball. At times, I wish I would have listened to Andy.  I got to meet my idol Bill Ransdell on that trip. That was cool. I copied Dollar Bill’s haircut in high school. 

I was the last official visitor to conduct my one-on-one with the head coach in his office on that Sunday. Claiborne asked me to commit. I couldn’t. I didn’t.  I knew the MLB Draft was looming and wanted to see where baseball could take me. That didn’t go over well with the Coach. He wasn’t going to take no for an answer. 

Jerry Claiborne doesn’t get the credit he deserves for his recruiting prowess. He owned the state of Kentucky in those days. His last season’s lineup was constructed of double-digit in-state starters. Anyway, as I was nervously sitting in his office, he had a suggestion that my in-home visit would be rescheduled that night. Jerry Claiborne followed me from the big city of Lexington all the way home to Partridge, Kentucky. If you don’t know, Partridge is a suburb of the greater Cumberland area but it’s in Letcher, not Harlan County. I knew I was toast. That was the longest drive of my life. In some ways, I knew my life would never be the same again. Through the good and bad, it hasn’t been. 

You have to remember, there were no cell phones back then. I couldn’t just text or call my parents to let them know that UK’s head coach would come calling. He apparently found a way to contact them. My mom and dad were waiting on me and had the good dishes out. I then understood the gravity of the situation. UK’s head coach was coming to our house. That same house where I’d listen to Kentucky games with my dad at the supper table. 

I beat Coach to my house by a few minutes. He walked in wearing UK cowboy boots. Ballgame. He sat down with my family and didn’t say a word to me. Matter of fact, he didn’t even acknowledge that I was in the room until the end. Claiborne directed the conversation to my mom and then started talking about church and mandatory classroom attendance. Again, I was toast. My mom and dad committed for me and as you say, that’s the rest of the story. I was a Wildcat.

Beating LSU and a ‘C’ on a Stats Test 

I quickly realized that all that church and school stuff he talked about with my parents was legitimate. The team had to be at “Breakfast Check” by 8 AM every morning. Players were sent back to the dorm to shave if they appeared ungroomed. Study hall hours were non-negotiable. So were tutors for those that struggled. Class attendance was checked on a daily basis. Punishment for offenders was severe. Claiborne knew every player’s class schedule and grades. 

Back to 1989. We beat LSU 27-21 to go to 4-2 on the season. We’d had a tough stretch of games that included a ranked Indiana, North Carolina, Alabama, Auburn, and Rutgers. I played pretty decent against Rutgers in a victory the week before and had arguably my best game so far in the win over the storied LSU Tigers. Back then, there was no twenty-hour rule. Claiborne ran a seven-day-a-week schedule. I got called to Claiborne’s office which could have meant that something very good or very bad happened. I fully expected the head coach to talk about how good I played and get a rare pat on the back. Nope. I walked in, sat down, and then proceeded to get scolded because I got a C on a statistics test. Man, was I ever wrong. I left with my head dropped but never got a C in that class again after that butt chewing. That was Jerry Claiborne. I never heard the man say a curse word, but he could make his point stick. Academics were not just recruiting pitches to parents, his insistence on the matter produced tremendous results. 

Claiborne was the originator of the athletic program’s C.A.T.S. Center. He coached four Academic All-Americans and 87 players that earned academic all-conference honors. Claiborne was presented with the CFA Academic Achievement Award in 1989 after 90% of his team graduated. 90%. Amazing. 

Letter Sweater and Malts

Player celebrations following wins back then are probably close to the same as today. I thought Coach Claiborne was ancient in 1989. Truth is that he was 61 years old. That’s just seven years older than I am now. After wins, the head coach would at times tell us to wear our letter sweaters and take our girlfriends to the malt shop to celebrate. Letter sweater? What the heck is a malt shop? Apparently, it’s a restaurant that makes some form of a milkshake. Who knew? 

The players would laugh, not out loud of course, and we’d go about our business of having fun like all college students do on a Saturday night. Malt shop. We probably had drinks that had the word “Malt” in them, but they sure as heck weren’t milkshakes. That was Coach. His sayings were hilarious to the players. My group of friends that played in those days still talk like Coach in a joking manner. Out of respect of course, but still funny. The man had no vices and had the expectation that none of his players did either. Malt shop, lol.  

I Loved My Coach

Claiborne was a kind, caring soul. I really couldn’t relate to his old-fashioned ways, but I dearly loved and respected the man. It was never the same when he retired. I called him a few times after I joined the Army. Maybe I wanted his approval of my career choice. Maybe I just missed him. His sweet wife Ms. Faye answered on one occasion and told me to write letters instead of calling. I knew something was wrong but I honored her request. I’d always get a response letter. The last time I saw Coach Claiborne was the night he was recognized on Kroger Field for his Hall of Fame induction. Several of his boys were with him. Ransdell walked beside him. He passed away on September 24, 2000, at the age of 74. Bill Ransdell called to tell me the news. 

Coach Claiborne’s funeral was a celebration of his life. I sat by Coach Vince Dooley. I was inconsolably crying. Coach Dooley did his best to comfort me, but I was crushed. I miss my Coach. A part of me died when he passed. There’s a special bond between the quarterback and head coach. They’re jointly responsible for the game’s outcome. Football is a connective happening on a myriad of levels. 

What Does All This Mean?

Jerry Claiborne had a saying that described his expectation for his players and program. It simply read, “Do Right, Do Your Best, Win.” The verbiage is self-explanatory. Do what’s right at all times, do your best in all that you do, and win the situation or beat the challenge. Players had to slap a sign with those words on their way from the locker room onto the field of play. I wish I’d used that term more in my life. 

I’m not sure why I wrote this post. Maybe I’m reflective on a cold Monday morning and needed to apply the “Do Right, Do Your Best, Win” to my life. I simply sat down at the Justice Dental KSR Office and started typing. This is the result. Maybe I needed to feel connected to my coach. Perhaps I just miss him today. Coaches at every level have a tremendous impact on their players’ lives. I experienced this from my days on the Tri-Cities Little League Field all the way to the Southeastern Conference and today. Jerry Claiborne had a tremendous influence on me. 

As I reflect on my life, I can admit that I’ve had it all and lost it all on more than one occasion. In my highs, I would ask if Coach would have approved. In my lows, I’d wonder how badly he’d be disappointed in me. In the end, I think we can all do what’s right, do our best, and win.