Scout Team QB Part 2- Andre Turner, Chris Hull, Sparky, and the Tooth

Andre Turner- #64, 2003 Recreation Bowl
Photo by Terry Prather of the Maysville Ledger Independent
It was a tradition/ honor at Mason County for really good players to wear #64

Andre Turner is in the conversation of the very best football players I've coached, ever, as an assistant or head coach.  He played defensive end and offensive guard at an extremely high level. He could run well, very strong, coachable, and tremendous motor..... a very physical football player. 

In 2003, we had an outstanding football team. Exceptional. Once again, I was the scout team quarterback.  One day in practice, we are running the reverse and I am about to hand the ball to Chris Hull (also a good football player) as a scout team wide receiver. I didn't know it, but Chris sees that Andre is about to drill him. Andre is doing exactly what he was coached to do..."trail as deep as the deepest back" when flow goes away from you. One reason we played it that way was to stop the reverse. 

Chris decides, and I don't blame him, "I would rather run into Coach Buchanan than Andre." I agree completely. Andre once cracked a teammate's sternum in practice, with his bare forearm. I wouldn't want to run into Andre either. The only problem was that Chris hit me square in the mouth with his helmet and knocked out one of my front teeth. 

Well... no one is bigger than the team and that certainly applies to a tooth.  We move practice down 20 + yards and continue to practice. I ask some of the guys in the back to look for my tooth while I continue as the scout team QB.  They find my tooth. I ask one of them to go in the football office, call Stephanie, and ask her to call our great friend and awesome dentist... Sparky McDowell.  She does and Sparky sends back instructions.... get the tooth in milk and come see me after practice. 

Sparky does his magic and gets the tooth back in. But, unfortunately a few months later, John Combs and I are wrestling at the house and he knocks it out again.  Stephanie put an end to that and Sparky once again made the repair.

Finally, the tooth disappeared for good in a potato skin at DeSha's. We had the blue-white scrimmage the next day so I had to go to practice before I could get it fixed. Josh Harris(also in the conversation of best ever for me to coach) use to get his game face on about Tuesday every week. But, that Friday morning, that may have been the biggest smile I ever got out of him when he saw his coach and that tooth missing in the huddle for the first time.

That afternoon, Sparky BUILT me a new tooth in his office. The man is the Rembrandt of dentistry.  He did such a good job, no one can tell which tooth was fake and which one is real. 

After that, I wore a mouthpiece when I ran the scout team. Next time you see me, try to guess which tooth is fake. Bet you can't tell.