It could be the region tournament in the Fieldhouse, the finals at Rupp Arena, or even Putnam Stadium.... all of those places, Chris Lofton was HOME.
Chris was a 1st Team All State WR at Mason County HS. It was so much fun coaching him. Hard to believe but 100% true... as great of a basketball player he is, he is an even better person. A few good stories or info on Chris:
1- He kept me torn up that he was going to Fleming County. When he was little and we would do summer camps, we would divide up and play touch football at the end. He would always say, "We are the Panthers!" I think even then, his sense of humor and how smart he is, he was just needling me to get me going. It worked. In HS, he would do his conditioning test in June before leaving on his AAU circuit in July. I would give him a ride home. His house was on the Mason-Fleming line. Good grief I was shook. Thank goodness he stayed in blue and white!
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| Photo by theguru, BluegrassPreps |
2- Knowing it was unusual for a high profile shooter to play HS football, I won't lie to you... as discreetly as I could do it, I tried hard to keep him happy. Chris loves to eat. He would say, "Coach, what are we having during three a days?" My response would be, "What do you want?" That's what we got. We sunk some money into those meals.... but it paid off. He was a strong student. His Mom & Dad ran a tight ship. He loved the wings from Greg's Pizza. Occasionally, we would get wings for the guys that had all A's and B's... and I knew that would always include Chris, and he would like that. Whenever he would say to me, "Coach, when are we getting wings again?" My response would be , "Tomorrow!"
3- Usually Chris would miss some late July practices because of basketball. That was fine with me. I was always just glad that he came back and was playing football. His first week back of his senior year, August, we are getting ready to play the defending state champs, Breathitt County, in the Recreation Bowl. Coach Ullery is working some other guys because Chris has not been there. We look awful. I get frustrated. Finally, I say, "Coach, can we put Chris in? He is going to play against Breathitt." Coach Ullery points at him and puts him in at WR. C-Lo says to Coach Ullery, "It's ok coach. I just like to watch him yell at you." :)
4- In the Rec Bowl that season, we played at 5 pm and it was hot. About middle of the 2nd quarter, Chris comes to me and says, "Am I going to rotate?" I said, "Yes. We are taking you out at halftime. When halftime is over, you are going back in."
5- Chris shot basketball... EVERYDAY, including football season. That did not bother me at all. What Chris did, playing both basketball and football at a high level, is tough. It takes a high character guy to pull it off. Chris has ELITE character. I trusted him. He was a GREAT teammate. He was not going to get hurt during football season, shooting basketball, unless it was something crazy. Because he is such a good person, he knew getting hurt would let his teammates down. He loved those guys and wanted to do all he could to help them win championships. Besides, I knew his dream was to play big time college basketball. My role was to HELP him reach that goal. Not interfere, fight him, be territorial, etc. That would be dumb and selfish. It would be wrong.
6- One Christmas Eve, Dustin Grutza shows up at my house to get the key to the weightroom. I don't have it. C-Lo has it and he is lifting weights on Christmas Eve of his senior basketball season. He was addicted to the weightroom. His favorite lift was straight leg deadlift. He was a warrior when it came to bench, clean and squat. People have no idea how hard he worked in the weightroom and how physically strong he was. Many nights, especially in basketball, he was a man among boys. Very few basketball players attacked the weightroom like he did. His HS basketball coach, Kelly Wells, was way ahead of his time. He put all his basketball kids in weightclass and told me to take care of it. I was always so proud to watch our basketball guys. We were a strong, physical team that beat the snot out of many opponents. No one intimidated our guys. Our basketball kids were talented, but they were also hard-nosed and would fight you.
7- FTS... Feed The Stud. Greg Nord was at U of L and was recruiting Chris to play football. When he came by that spring, I was working on our script for the Rec Bowl, and making sure that Chris was getting the ball, early and often in our first game. I had never heard that expression before, but Coach Nord used that phrase and it stuck. From then on, that is what we called the plays that specifically went to Chris each week. If anyone was jealous of Chris, they knew better than to show it. But, I really think that was rare. Everyone knew he was a great person, unselfish and a great player.
8- One night, about 10 minutes before Chris & the Tennessee Volunteers are going to play Florida on TV, Trosper slips running up the steps and busts his chin wide open. Blood gushing everywhere. Stephanie looks at me and says, "Do we need to go to the ER & get stitches?' My response, "Chris will be on in ten minutes. I'll run to the drugstore, buy a butterfly bandage, and do it myself. " Chin looks great today! Trosper being the 3rd child and a male.... the story makes a little more sense.
9- One summer, took JCB to a UT football camp. We are in their new indoor football/athletic complex. I look through a glass window and see portraits of two people... Pat Summitt & Chris!
10- Over the years, several KY HS football coaches have expressed to me their appreciation of Chris and that he played HS football. He proved that you can be a great HS basketball player and play HS football. No one loves basketball more than Chris Lofton. But, he enjoyed football and he loved his teammates in the football lockerroom.
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| Photo by theguru, BluegrassPreps |
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