Kentucky Sports Radio
[Moderated by Matt Jones, Drew Franklin and Tyler Thompson]
[Moderated by Matt Jones, Drew Franklin and Tyler Thompson]
Occasionally, you’ll find that circumstances, for whatever serendipitous reasons, allow you to hear a great story when you least expect it. Last Thursday was one of those days for me. As I was in class for motorcycle safety training, of all things, I was talking to another student/practitioner about Kentucky basketball when he mentioned a story about his friend that he thought I would like. Sure enough, I thought it was great, and asked him to pass my email address on to the friend so I could hear more.
Just a few days later I got an email from Jeremiah Cummings, who told me all the details and even provided some pictures. You’ll notice the one above of Major Cummings and his family. As it turns out, in 1998 he made a solemn covenant regarding then-coach Tubby Smith that has impacted that family even today. I’ll let Jeremiah explain it.
When Christian Laettner made the shot to beat Kentucky in the Elite Eight in 1992, I was fourteen years old. I was up alone watching the game that night as my parents were already in bed. Like everyone else, I believed I had just witnessed the greatest Kentucky basketball win ever when Sean Woods banked that shot of the glass to take the lead with 1.7 seconds left. What happened next affected everyone who witnessed it differently, but it definitely had a lasting impact.
Fast forward six years (1998), and Kentucky was about to get their shot at redemption, facing Duke once again in the Elite Eight. The significance of the game was not lost on me and two of my closest friends. I’m not going to be naïve and claim that we were more prepared for that game than any other Kentucky fans, but we would have made any Kentucky fan proud. It began at noon with a trip to buy the ingredients for a pregame steak dinner and beverages that we were not yet old enough to buy. We had a house to ourselves but we restricted the attendance on this day to only the three of us so as to not be distracted by those not as focused as we. The day was going as scripted right up until tip-off…
As anyone reading this is surely well aware, 1998 was Coach Tubby Smith’s first season as head coach of the Wildcats. Tubby’s team appeared overmatched for most of the game. With less than 10 minutes left in the game, the Wildcats were down 17 points. It was at this point, that I made the following, desperate declaration, “If Tubby can pull this off, and we come back and win this game, I will name my first borne son Tubby!” Just as I said this, Scott Padgett hit a three…
[Kentucky beats Duke, Fast Forward Two Years]
In the fall of 2000, I met my future wife at NKU. After dating for only two weeks, I informed her that I had made a commitment to name my first son Tubby that I intended to honor. After only two weeks of knowing me, she dismissed the pledge as most people did.
In 2004, the story got much more interesting. At the time, I was a First Lieutenant in the Kentucky Army National Guard and a Blackhawk pilot. On one particular day, I was tasked with flying several high-ranking officers from Frankfort to Lexington to catch a flight out of LEX. We dropped our passengers off at the FBO (private aircraft terminal) and I walked in to use the restroom. While I was washing my hands, I looked up at the gentleman next to me and it was Coach Smith! As awkward as I knew it to be, especially to him, I proceeded to introduce myself and briefly explain why I intended to name my first son after him. Tubby chuckled as he dried his hands explaining that he enjoyed the story. I exited the restroom shortly after him to find him standing there waiting for me. He shook my hand as he referenced my name tag on my uniform and said, “That’s a great story and I’m going to hold you to it! But do me a favor. Don’t name him Tubby, name him Orlando.”
In 2009, I had a beautiful little girl. When we found out that we were pregnant again in 2011, I would have gladly taken another one just like her. But it wasn’t to be. On February 12, 2012, my wife and I were greeted by our first son: Hayden Orlando Cummings. I wanted to go with Orlando James, James being a popular middle name in my family, but my wife wasn’t crazy about having another little OJ running around. Hayden was my grandfather’s middle name so we decided on Hayden Orlando.
When the brackets came out for the 2012 tournament, I thought we might actually get the next Duke/UK rematch which would have been awesome, but it was just as pleasing seeing Duke get knocked out in the first round. When the cats won their first National Championship since 1998 just one month after my son was born, I thought that this was an amazing conclusion to a very good story. However, I felt it appropriate to attempt to send Coach Smith a birth announcement. If he even remembered our encounter nearly 10 years earlier, I wanted him to know that I followed through with my pledge and his request.
I included with the announcement a letter reminding Coach Smith of our encounter and the story that I had relayed to him. I knew that if the announcement made it to him, he would likely respond, but I had real doubts that it would get through all of his staff/assistants, or even if I had found the correct address online to send it to. However, just a few weeks after mailing it, we received a large envelope from Minnesota Basketball addressed to Hayden Orlando Cummings.
Inside was a letter from the Minnesota Basketball Staff stating that they would like to place Hayden Orlando on their 2029 recruiting list, stating that any future correspondence would have to be initiated by Hayden as NCAA rules prevent future communications until his junior year of high school. The letter reminded Hayden to be a good little boy for his Mommy, Daddy and Big Sister and that all his dreams could be realities! It was hand-signed by Coach Smith!
The package also included a Minnesota Basketball Questionnaire as well as a hand-written postcard from Coach Smith addressed to me! He told me how cute Hayden Orlando is and thanked me for naming him Orlando and NOT Tubby!
I was overwhelmed by the response to my letter by Coach Smith and his staff! I’m sure they receive a ton of mail from their fans and the fact that he took time out of his busy schedule to hand-write a post card to me and sign a letter addressed to Hayden, speaks volumes of his character!
And for that, I am proud to have my son carry his name!
Sincerely,
Jeremiah J. Cummings
BBN
If you have any great stories about being a UK fan, I’d love to hear them. Maybe this could become a weekly thing: BBN Story Time. I don’t know. But email them to me at coreynichols86@gmail.com, and we’ll see what sort of response we get.
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Bill Keightley Report : Never to be forgotten.
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May 25th, 2012 at 9:05 am
Very cool story.
May 25th, 2012 at 9:05 am
Awesome story….Tubby was always a great guy.
May 25th, 2012 at 9:08 am
1st
May 25th, 2012 at 9:08 am
3 – dumbass
May 25th, 2012 at 9:11 am
That’s the best. Hope your children have a long and healthy life.
May 25th, 2012 at 9:12 am
That made my day. Tubby may have struggled sometimes as UK coach, but he was and is a top-notch human being.
May 25th, 2012 at 9:16 am
It is a great story, and not a bad idea for a weekly post.
May 25th, 2012 at 9:18 am
Tubby is the man. He “gets it” when it comes to being a role model and great person. Congrats to the Cummings family.
May 25th, 2012 at 9:19 am
That is so sweet. Tubby is a class act.
May 25th, 2012 at 9:19 am
Great story….loved it from start to finish! Go, Big Blue!
May 25th, 2012 at 9:20 am
The first Corey post that I have read in full. I think you may have found your KSR niche. Good work.
May 25th, 2012 at 9:24 am
Awesome story! Tubby Smith was such a good person. I think OJ sounds pretty good though, and he should have named his daughter Tubby.
May 25th, 2012 at 9:25 am
Wow. Cool story. I am impressed with Tubby. The story would be better if Corey found a segway to the reasons we should root for the Miami Heat… Congratulations to the Cummings fam.
May 25th, 2012 at 9:26 am
Freaking awesome!
May 25th, 2012 at 9:30 am
Corey, that was a pleasant surprise. Well done. Did I just type that.
May 25th, 2012 at 9:34 am
I see you Coach Smith!
May 25th, 2012 at 9:35 am
I love Coach Cal, but Tubby is still my all-time favorite coach for many reasons.
May 25th, 2012 at 9:36 am
I’m naming my first son John Adolph-Clyde
May 25th, 2012 at 9:37 am
POOOOOOOR KID!
May 25th, 2012 at 9:40 am
LMAO i’m just joking cuz I don’t care for Tubby as a coach. It was a good story.
May 25th, 2012 at 9:40 am
I named one of my dogs after Patrick Patterson ……..not quite the same but still……
May 25th, 2012 at 9:40 am
I’ve heard many stories about what a class act Tubby was. I couldn’t agree more. Great story.
May 25th, 2012 at 9:43 am
19. Way to crap on a nice story. C’mon lighten up. Tubby never embarassed UK
May 25th, 2012 at 9:44 am
19 & 20 Glad you were joking. Sorry I jumped to conclusions.
May 25th, 2012 at 9:45 am
Great story! Tubby was, and will always remain, a class guy who enhanced our program.
May 25th, 2012 at 9:46 am
Always liked Tubby. He is a good man. He was so nice when I got his autograph on my 98 championship hat.
May 25th, 2012 at 9:47 am
As an aside, this is the second Corey Nichols piece in a row that didn’t suck. Although, to be fair, he did a lot of copy and paste…
May 25th, 2012 at 9:50 am
This brought tears to my eyes. I hope I get to meet Hayden Orlando sometime
May 25th, 2012 at 9:56 am
Drats!!! Tubby got to him first!!!
May 25th, 2012 at 9:57 am
Great story! Very classy thing for Tubby to do. He’s a great guy.
May 25th, 2012 at 9:59 am
It’s time to hang your banner up here.
May 25th, 2012 at 10:00 am
Coach Smith is a very caring individual and a great role model. We are all better people for knowing him. Thanks Cummings family for sharing the story.
May 25th, 2012 at 10:04 am
I named my dog billy clyde. He drinks a lot and humps all the other dogs in the nieghborhood.
May 25th, 2012 at 10:04 am
Tubby always has been and well be a first class person. I had the privilege of working with him and UKAA while I was in school and he was nothing but a courteous, respectful, and just a plain nice guy.
While his time at UK didn’t end well, he was (and is) a great ambassador for UK basketball. I hope I am in attendance when his jersey is hoisted to the Rupp rafters.
May 25th, 2012 at 10:12 am
Do you all know what Corey’s mom should’ve named him?,,,,,,nothing,,,,,she should have gotten an abortion!!!
May 25th, 2012 at 10:13 am
Great Story. Compelling, and rich.
May 25th, 2012 at 10:15 am
Tubby was always a great ambassador for UK. No one has every questioned that. His ultimate downfall was that he thought we are UK and the recruits should want to play for him. He and his staff failed to recruit, and that led to his departure. He’s one of the best X’s and O’s coaches…..but if you don’t have the players, you can’t compete.
May 25th, 2012 at 10:15 am
Hey guys, isn’t it about time to get up a groundswell of grass roots support amongst the fans and get my jersey hung in the rafters of Rupp, alongside the other national championship winning former coaches? After all, I never embarrassed the university by shagging some skank in a restaurant!
May 25th, 2012 at 10:16 am
While Tubby was at Kentucky, I have to say I was not a supporter for him as a coach. There is no question that he is a great human being. I have found myself cheering for Minnesota for Tubby. He ran a clean program, and doesn’t get the respect he deserves. Very moving story.
May 25th, 2012 at 10:18 am
33, I named my dog Ricky Pee. He runs all over the neighborhood humping all the old bitches.
May 25th, 2012 at 10:19 am
35 – no, you shouldn’t have gone there. Give Corey some credit – he throws in an occasional clunker, but this was a great story. Did you try out for KSR and get rejected? Why all the hate?
May 25th, 2012 at 10:21 am
35 – Multiple exclamation points: the sure sign of an insane mind.
May 25th, 2012 at 10:24 am
There are many reasons why a head coach is successful… Tubby has done fine in his own right but his being on Pitino’s staff helps explain why the guy that ended up at Louisville did better in Lexington.tubby is a class guy and I hope they find a way to hang his jersey in Rupp…. preferably right over the top of Farmers.
May 25th, 2012 at 10:25 am
My Uk story- I once saw James Blackmon at Wendys. Wow. That was so awesome. Wow. Greatest day In Wendy’s history. Wow. I hate University of Tennessee athletics with every fiber of my body.
May 25th, 2012 at 10:27 am
42-corey’s droppin’ rhymes, well assonance, up in this joint!
May 25th, 2012 at 10:29 am
I swore to name my first born Billy Clyde if we had defeated gardner webb 4 yrs ago. Thankfully, It was just not meant to be.
May 25th, 2012 at 10:47 am
It really is a shame that his last few years he couldn’t get the recruiting success that we needed to get to the championship.
Some people attribute this to laziness. I disagree. It may have been a question of priorities. In my life I have decided to put time with my family, time in church and participating in civic things in a very high priority. Work is high priority as well, and I have had some success with it.
But there is a level of dedication to my work that frankly I can’t get to because of the way my priorities are aligned. I won’t been willing to take it to that next level of time commitment until my kids are grown and gone. I think Tubby hit that “it isn’t all about work” thing and poured more of his energy into family and the hundreds of acts of personal kindness that we have all heard about.
As a basketball fan it was disappointing but as a father and husband I understand. His record wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t good enough for UK.
May 25th, 2012 at 10:47 am
My former brother-in-law was associated with Coach Smith during his time at UK. He related a number of similar stories like this. I have to believe that even the Tubby haters have to agree that he was, in fact, as class act.
May 25th, 2012 at 10:47 am
a class act
May 25th, 2012 at 10:58 am
woods made his shot with 2.1 seconds left but who’s counting…
May 25th, 2012 at 11:02 am
Who peed on this guy’s breakfast burrito? ^^^^
May 25th, 2012 at 11:10 am
No one ever doubted Tubby’s character. He is a great person, just not the coach for UK. Great story
May 25th, 2012 at 11:25 am
Retire that man’s jersey. He is a class act all the way. He was perfect for UK regardless of what people say and think.
May 25th, 2012 at 11:42 am
that’s one of the reasons why Tubby will always be loved by KY
May 25th, 2012 at 11:45 am
He said Major Cummings. Im sorry, just could not resist. Great story though!!
May 25th, 2012 at 11:54 am
That’s a great story! I like it.
May 25th, 2012 at 12:04 pm
Great story. One issue. The dUKe/UK game in 1992 was played in the afternoon. Doubt that everyone was asleep at your house, unless they go to bed around 4pm.
May 25th, 2012 at 12:15 pm
Nope the game was played at night, I was 9 and stayed up past my bed time to watch it. I remember because it was the only game I ever cried after.
May 25th, 2012 at 12:17 pm
i don’t really understand what there is to be negative about this – tubby has long since left UK and he has still gone out of his way to connect with a UK fan. very cool.
May 25th, 2012 at 12:20 pm
#57 the game late afternoon and was over close to 10PM I was at a wedding at the Louisville water tower and we watched it during the reception on a 5″ TV with about 50 people in the back room Kitchen area…it was late….
May 25th, 2012 at 12:23 pm
Tubby was, is, and will always be a Wildcat in my eyes. A great coach who did everything the right way and truly loved his players.
May 25th, 2012 at 12:36 pm
Awesome story!
May 25th, 2012 at 1:20 pm
I like people who keep their promises.
May 25th, 2012 at 2:01 pm
I’ve known Jerry most my life. He’s dedicated his life to serving our country and as you can see, he brings the same dedication to his love for UK basketball. Awesome to wake up this morning and read this post.
May 25th, 2012 at 2:51 pm
Can we get Tubby in the Rafters already?
May 25th, 2012 at 4:10 pm
VERY cool story! This is why #BBN is the best.
May 25th, 2012 at 5:03 pm
The 92 game was at night (I was there). The 98 game was in the afternoon.
May 25th, 2012 at 5:10 pm
I agree with #58 it was a night game and I could not sleep after the game.
May 25th, 2012 at 5:48 pm
Great Story! Tubby is and always was a great human being. Major Cummings has displayed exemplary loyalty and devotion to his family and passion. He must be a great dad, husband, and soldier. Glad he’s a CATS fan.
May 25th, 2012 at 6:41 pm
Tubby Smith will always be on the plus side of being a wildcat,one of the things i miss is seeing his wife Donna in the stands cheering .
May 25th, 2012 at 7:12 pm
Tubby was and is pure class. Im not sure what caused him to recruit the way he did his last years, but he had to go, seemed like he lost his fire. I do beieve he deserves to be in the rafters for winning the tite in 98.
May 25th, 2012 at 10:39 pm
Tubby is all class, always has been. The only negative in his UK tenure was he got lazy with recruiting and wouldn’t fire his bone-head assistants.
May 26th, 2012 at 1:58 am
69.Ditto — Interesting story Corey.
May 26th, 2012 at 9:29 am
74!!!!
May 26th, 2012 at 9:32 am
Tell the truth…your wife really just like that crappy actor Orlando Bloom and this story is a cover up. Now naming a kid Tubby would have been a story.