Honoring a hometown legend that celebrates the Paris High graduate whose football journey led to an NFL championship

 

IVAN K. RICE l doctorofsports@aol.com

 

PARIS – Friday night at 7:30pm, Coach Cory Dumphord’s Paris Greyhounds will host Perry County Central in the third annual Blanton Collier Classic, named in honor of the late Greyhound coach whose success at Paris launched a football career that reached both the collegiate and professional ranks.

Blanton Collier remains one of the most respected names in football, making it fitting that Paris High School honors its distinguished alumnus with a classic bearing his name.

Blanton Collier graduated from Paris High School and Georgetown College before returning home to spend 16 years as a teacher and head football coach. From 1928 to 1943, he guided the Greyhounds and remains the program’s third-winningest coach of all time, trailing only legendary coaches Randy Reese, the school’s all-time leader, and Homer Goins.

 

A hometown that never left his heart

When she arrives at the stadium that bears her father’s name, Kay Collier McLaughlin is flooded with a mixture of emotions. There is pride and appreciation for the present, memories of the stadium dedication when her mother was still alive, reflections on sharing the moment with her sisters when Rep. Ben Chandler presented a flag that had flown over the nation’s capital, and recollections of her childhood, including the bonfires that once lit the hillside above the field. Those memories endure because Paris always held a special place in her father’s heart.

“It remained important to him throughout his life,” said McLaughlin. “He always took the Paris paper and read it cover to cover. It was proudly his hometown, and he had deep friendships in Paris, and his Paris teams, he remembered names of individuals who were truly ‘my boys’ which he called them.”

 

From Navy chance encounter to football greatness

During his early years, Blanton Collier joined the U.S. Navy during World War II, where he met legendary coach Paul Brown. That relationship would shape the rest of his football career.

According to McLaughlin, it is an inspirational story, and her father never stopped appreciating how two defining circumstances shaped his life: his decision to enlist in the U.S. Navy during World War II, despite being a married father of three, and the hearing loss that challenged him throughout his life. His deafness was discovered while he was in the Navy when he failed to hear his name called for sea duty. He was subsequently sent to Great Lakes Naval Hospital, where fate placed him near legendary coach Paul Brown, who was coaching a Navy team in the area. That sequence of events ultimately gave, as Collier often described it, “an unknown high school coach” an opportunity to enter the world of professional football.

Blanton Collier went on to become one of Paul Brown’s top assistants with the Cleveland Browns, helping the franchise capture four AAFC championships from 1946-49 and an NFL championship in 1950. He was later selected to succeed the legendary Paul “Bear” Bryant at the University of Kentucky, where he coached the Wildcats for eight seasons and compiled a 41-36-3 record.

Following his tenure at Kentucky, Collier returned to Cleveland as an assistant coach in 1962 before being promoted to head coach in 1963. Under his leadership, the Browns reached four NFL Championship Games and captured the 1964 NFL title with a stunning 27-0 victory over the heavily favored Baltimore Colts. Collier finished with a remarkable 76-34-2 record and never endured a losing season during his tenure as Cleveland’s head coach.

“Blanton Collier was a brilliant teacher, really a ‘teachaholic,’ as one sportswriter said. He could not help himself because he turned everything he said into a lesson, usually an unforgettable one. His innate psychological insight and genuine interest in understanding what made people ‘tick’ shaped his relationships throughout his life. His left-handed handshake revealed his warm, sensitive, loving nature, along with a great sense of humor,” said McLaughlin.

 

A legacy of loyalty and life lessons

With her father accomplishing so much throughout his life and serving as an ambassador for Paris, Kentucky, wherever he went, McLaughlin was asked if she believes he would be surprised that people are still honoring his legacy at Paris High School through the Blanton Collier Classic.

“I do. When I told him I was working on a book about him, he said, ‘There is nothing unique about my life that people would want to read about.’ He was a very humble man.”

When it comes to the football classic, McLaughlin said she hopes it continues to attract significant players and coaches who were influenced by her father, bringing them to Paris to speak with players and members of the community. In doing so, the celebration can extend beyond the game itself while helping keep his legacy alive.

“Hopefully, it makes the name on the stadium and the awards more personal as stories are shared and people who were influenced by him return to be part of the event. The presentation of the math award stands out as a way of helping today’s youth understand that coaches are not one-dimensional people, but individuals who have much to offer when it comes to life lessons and values.”

The addition of the Math Award, which was presented to Paris High senior Callie Ball last year, is one of the aspects of the event that excites the Collier family. So, too, is the involvement of the Blanton Collier Sportsmanship Group, which sponsors the game. Former Paris High graduate Dr. Steve Parker serves as the group’s chairperson, working alongside Paris Independent Schools Superintendent Stephen McCauley and others in organizing the event.

“The Blanton Collier Classic was created in remembrance of Coach Collier and the belief that good sportsmanship should always be the fabric and backbone of competition, regardless of the outcome,” said Dr. Parker.

As for the teams taking the field Friday night, McLaughlin was asked how her father would define success for the athletes participating in the football classic.

“I think of what he always told his college players each year. You are not here because of anything you did, but because you have the God-given physical ability to play a game that will enable you, if you do your best, to receive the greatest gift of all… an education. He also said that anyone can teach a boy to run when he is on his feet; I want to teach him how to get up when he is down, in the game of football and the game of life.”

 

A life well lived

Throughout his remarkable life, Blanton Collier’s priorities never changed: God, family, and football. The characteristic that bound those priorities together was loyalty.

“Loyalty was a defining trait of his life,” McLaughlin said. “It was a value he worked tirelessly to instill in every player and student he influenced.”

When asked how she hopes her father will be remembered, McLaughlin’s answer reflected the same humility and character that defined the man whose name now adorns the Paris field.

“I would like for my Dad to be remembered as a man whose life elevated the meaning of a winner,” she said. “He was an inspirational and aspirational model of a life well lived, and someone who is just as relevant today and tomorrow as he was when he walked the sidelines of Paris High School.”

More than 100 years after graduating from Paris High School, Blanton Collier’s impact continues to resonate. His name remains synonymous with excellence, leadership, character, and service. From the hillsides overlooking the old field to the bright lights of NFL championship football, Collier never forgot where he came from.

And neither has Paris.

As the Greyhounds take the field Friday night in the Blanton Collier Classic, they do so in honor of a hometown son whose legacy reaches far beyond wins and losses.

Here’s to “Captain George,” well can you see, leading our team right on to victory!

 

–SIDEBAR–

Things you may not know about Blanton Collier … shared by daughter Kay Collier McLaughlin

How “Dorge” Was Born

Within the family, Blanton Collier’s nickname was, and remains to this day, “Dorge.”

According to daughter Kay Collier McLaughlin, the nickname originated with his first grandchild, Mary Diane Slone. As a young coach at Paris High School, Collier preferred not to be called “Mr.” or “Coach.” Instead, in a playful manner, he called the girls “Martha” and the boys “George.” Before long, the students began calling him George in return.

The nickname even found its way into the Paris High School fight song… “Here’s to Captain George, well can you see, leading our team right on to victory.”

When young Diane heard his friends calling him George, she tried to imitate them. However, she could not pronounce the “G.” What came out instead was “Dorge.”

Blanton Collier loved it.

From that day forward, “Dorge” became his family nickname. It endured through the generations, and even great-grandchildren who know him only through family stories still know him as Dorge.

 

Teaching the art of a forward pass

Kay also recalled that Collier took a hands-on role in teaching his children and grandchildren how to throw and catch a football.

One lesson, in particular, was drilled repeatedly: “Look the ball into your hands.”

Every child learned to watch the football leave the quarterback’s hand, keep their eyes fixed on it throughout its flight and snap their head down to watch the ball arrive in their hands. To reinforce the lesson, Collier showed film that demonstrated both proper technique and what happened when receivers looked away and missed the catch.

The lesson became a family tradition. Grandchildren passed it along to great-grandchildren, ensuring that one of Dorge’s favorite teachings lived on long after the games were over.