By LINDON DODD
newsroom@newsandtribune.com
>>SOUTHERN INDIANA —
Did a dead pig, three fingers of whiskey, a couple of martinis and Gene Coomer’s season tickets located right under the basket at the old Jeff Field house really contribute to former Jeffersonville High School basketball star Mike Flynn eventually signing with the University of Kentucky Wildcats?
According to some local lifelong residents and basketball fans, it certainly didn’t hurt the odds of that happening.
I spent some time with Keith Groth, Gene Coomer and Ted Throckmorton this past week and listened to their recollections of Mike Flynn’s senior season at JHS and all of the hoopla that accompanied the local campaign to have Mike named as Indiana’s Mr. Basketball and sign with UK. Rarely do such small town dignitaries mingle with some of college basketball’s elite coaches and recruiters. But, that JHS season was not like any other before or since.
The main connection between Jeffersonville basketball and Lexington was through Groth, who was friends with former JHS coach Cliff Barker — a member of UK’s legendary “Fab 5.”
Groth remembered occasionally accompanying Barker on a trip to a UK game in Lexington and saw how Wildcats fans still loved one of their legendary players. He told of how every time they shared a meal at some point a member of the restaurant staff would come by the table to inform the two that their dinner tab had been taken care of by an anonymous fan. Groth parlayed that friendship into a fortuitous relationship with head recruiter and then assistant coach, Joe B. Hall.
It was at Groth’s suggestion that to seal the deal and sign Flynn at UK, it would be helpful if The Baron himself, Adolph Rupp, would visit a game to watch Flynn. Although the visit was supposed to be secretive, Throckmorton remembers, “somehow the word got out.”
He noticed that night an unusually large crowd was in attendance for the junior varsity game and as he recalled, “When Rupp walked in, the J-V game stopped and the entire gym erupted in applause.”
Coomer had met Rupp about 10 days earlier in Lexington at another booster function held at Hall’s house and sent his two sons to seats in the upper deck to ensure Rupp had a good seat under the basket. Coomer recalled as he was seated, Rupp reached out his hand and said, “It’s good to see you again.”
It was after that game that Throckmorton had one of his more memorable after-game parties. After wrapping up the radio broadcast, he returned to his house and most all of the guests were in the basement.
Rupp was notably sitting upstairs in a large chair like royalty sitting on his throne surrounded by three youngsters: Davy Throckmorton, Steve Franz and Brian Chinn, who Throckmorton remembers seemed to be totally enthralled.
When Ted offered a drink, Rupp in that famously gruff voice, simply motioned with his fingers and requested, “About this much whiskey in a pimento cheese glass.”
It was a request which he happily obliged.
Simultaneous to the recruiting of Flynn by UK, a committee was formed to do something that probably had never been done before. An idea was spawned at the old Ranch House one morning prior to a Saturday golf outing with Throckmorton and Coomer to form a committee.
Warren Fischer, Bob Lentz, Charlie Jenkins, Jim Flynn, Coomer, Throckmorton and Groth pooled together some private funds and used each of their individual talents in a way to promote Mike Flynn statewide to be named Mr. Basketball.
A brochure was printed up identifying his basketball achievements and was distributed throughout the state to media outlets and to other prominent public figures. The group had bumper stickers printed up and handed them out freely.
Throckmorton always thought that a game JHS played against Muncie South probably sealed the deal for Flynn to get the 1971 Mr. Basketball award. That venue allowed for members of the Northern Indiana media who although were probably aware of Flynn actually saw the player they had heard about from the southern part of the state.
A quote from Muncie South’s John Delk read, “ ... there’s no one in the Muncie area even in his league.”
Another event that involved not only Mike but several other players was the social event of the year, co-hosted by Throckmorton and Chinn — a pig roast. Chinn had recruited, according to Ted, the No. 1 professional pig roaster, Mike Vedok — I have to admit I wasn’t aware of the official pig roaster rankings either — and invited other notable UK recruits: Jerry Hale, Bob Lockmueller, Kevin Grevey, Bob Guyette and Jimmy Dan Connor, along with their families. All three men remembered that most of the parents were fond of Mike Flynn. It was his decision that might have some sway with the decision of a few others.
It was also around this time that an infamous dinner in Louisville took place and one of the more prominent guests in attendance was legendary broadcaster and UK fan, Cawood Ledford.
The three men remembered that Cawood had been fairly quiet at the table until he had three or four martinis in him, at which point he stood up and pounded his fist on the table declaring, “Mike, you must sign with Kentucky!” According to Throckmorton, once Flynn signed, most of the others followed suit in short order.
What followed for Groth was a relationship with UK during Flynn’s entire career where he often had tickets left at will call to see many UK home games. Through friends and acquaintances who had private planes and other transportation, Groth said he eventually got to watch Flynn play in every SEC venue over the four years.
He showed me a handwritten note left in one of the ticket envelopes he keeps to this day that read, “Keith, I am sorry that these are not together, but they are close — Joe B.”
Throckmorton and Coomer were not as rewarded for their efforts. It seems that another recruiter and assistant coach was their main UK contact, T.L. Plain. Although he was equally as important in UK’s recruiting efforts and the three had a personal relationship throughout the process, a twist of fate had Plain accepting a head coaching job at Utah State the very next season.
With a pained smile upon his face, Coomer joked, “Our tickets flow out to Utah with T.L. Plain!”
As history shows, whatever efforts proved to be the deal-makers, Mike Flynn was named Mr. Basketball that year and spent his collegiate career at Kentucky. Ironically, he never played for Rupp, as Flynn’s freshman year was still played under the old NCAA format where freshman teams played separate from varsity programs.
Rupp retired from coaching during Flynn’s freshman team’s undefeated season. Flynn played professionally with the Indiana Pacers for one contract term. He finished his professional career playing overseas in the Scandinavian league before returning to the area and working in the banking and mortgage loan industry.
Most of what you read today is from the memories and stories from Keith, Ted and Gene. I graduated from JHS in 1973, and personally witnessed most of Mike Flynn’s games in high school. It was a great time to be a part of Jeff’s fan base.
I remember Ray Mears from Tennessee coming around at that time. I was in the gym on the night of Adolph Rupp’s visit. I saw Mike score 51 points against Providence. I watched him foul out against Floyd Central and break the heart of every JHS fan in attendance that evening.
The following four years were the only ones in my 54 years when I was a half-hearted UK fan. Since Mike’s graduation I have totally recovered from that lapse of common sense and bad judgment — me being a lifelong UL fan and all.
I hope your own favorite college team does well in the NCAA March Madness draw later this evening.
Lindon Dodd is an Otisco resident who is a freelance writer and can be reached at lindon.dodd@hotmail.com
