The First Lady of Kentucky Football: an interview with Dr. Leslie Phillips

As Sunday's big UK - U of L game draws near, I'm obsessed with all things college football.  I was so thrilled that Dr. Leslie Phillips agreed to an interview.  Leslie is a busy lady -- in addition to her duties as Coach Phillips' wife, she's a professor of Kinesiology at Georgetown College.  I really enjoyed getting to know Leslie through this interview.  She's smart, gracious, and lovely -- important qualities for the First Lady of Kentucky Football!  -- HCW

Like many of our readers, you're a native Kentuckian. Tell us a little about yourself. 

I was born in Fort Worth, TX but only lived there for about a year. I grew up in Lexington. I graduated from Henry Clay High school and UK (3 times!). 

How did you and Coach Phillips meet? 

 Joker and I met while in school at UK. His roommate was Lexington native, George Adams, who I knew because my father was a volunteer basketball coach at Lafayette High School for a period of time when George was there. George introduced us in a sociology class. Also, I worked part-time at the Rec Center on campus (Seaton Ctr.) at that time and would see Joker there when he would come over to play basketball. 

You earned your PhD while traveling on the coach's wife circuit. How did you choose kinesiology, and how did you make the logistics of your education work while Coach was putting in his time at different schools? 

Well, my PhD is in Educational Psychology with an emphasis on health psychology. It is really an applied psychology degree. My masters degree was in exercise physiology. I took classes part-time at UK for a few years while working with UK’s Employee Wellness Program. Then, when Joker took a job at the University of Minnesota, I moved away and was ABD (all but dissertation). I began my dissertation research study there in Minneapolis but then Joker took another job after 2 years in Minneapolis at Notre Dame. That move really hindered my ability to recruit subjects for my study and the study “went down the tubes.” I was very frustrated and thought many times about quitting – I would joke what I may be going from ABD to NGD (Not Gonna Do!). But, I had begun studying yoga extensively while in Minneapolis so I decided to start over and chose a dissertation topic that related to my interest in yoga. After one year at Notre Dame and then one season at South Carolina we packed up again moving back to Lexington when Rich Brooks hired Joker on his first staff! The move back to Lexington was a huge help to me in being able to meet with my professors and buckle down and complete the PhD program. It was a long road but worth it! 

You are married to one of the most high-profile men in the state and you have a great career of your own. How do you balance the roles of "First Lady of Football" and "Professor"? 

It’s very challenging from a time management standpoint. To me, my college teaching work is my priority but, my “second job” is my role related to football! Although there is no defined role for wives of football coaches I do like to be involved in the recruiting as well as hosting players and staff at various times. All of the wives on this coaching staff are involved to the extent that they can be in recruiting weekends and hosting players at various times. It contributes to the close-knit, family atmosphere that we try to cultivate with the program. 

What is it like watching a game from a coach's wife's perspective? 

Leslie and Joker on a Service Trip to Ethiopia.

 It can be pretty nerve wracking but I love it! I love college football in general. But, when you have gotten to know the players and you know how hard everybody involved has worked you just want so badly for the team to have success. 

I doubt there's much down-time in the Phillips household, but what do y'all do when you "turn football off"? 

Very little down time is right! We might workout or go for a walk. We might watch a movie. We do go out for dinner quite a bit. We love to travel to see concerts when we can get away to do that. 

What advice do you have for women who are aspiring to careers in academia? 

Well, I once read that even a bad job in academia is better than most other jobs. My path into teaching is a bit different in that I entered into the field later after working for a number of years in the health promotion field. I have always enjoyed the work that I have done but I find academia very enjoyable. Don’t get me wrong; it has been a lot of work to transition into academia but I enjoy interacting with young people. I continue to learn as I teach and I find the mentoring aspect of teaching very rewarding. 

Predictions for the U of L game? 

I predict it will be really hot so I will dress appropriately and hydrate! (Haha) No predictions from me - I got out of the football prediction business a long time ago. I’m looking forward to it, though!

On Wildcat Football

November 2002. Oh, we've all been tailgating for a while and this LSU game is over, I think. Good job 'Cats. I'm gonna sneak on out, pick up some beer, and have people over for a post-victory party. That one didn't quite turn out the way I planned. Some miracle.

December 2006. My beau and I are newly engaged and joining in the Music City Bowl festivities. We walk from our downtown Nashville hotel amidst friends and fans, jubilant in the experience of our first bowl game in six whole years, y'all. As we enter the gates, my mood starts to dip. The ticket lady points me toward a little basket, the kind they use to measure carry-on bags at the airport. She briskly informs me that if my purse doesn't fit in there, I can't take it in the stadium. Fighting back tears, I start to visualize the trek over the bridge, up the hill, and back to the Hermitage. Another ticket lady promptly takes pity on me and announces "That's a real nice bag; you take that right on in, baby." Louis Vuitton saved the day. So did André Woodson -- we wound up beating Clemson!

Music City Bowl, 2007.

I love Kentucky football. Now, as y'all well know, I love Kentucky basketball, too. The thing is, I probably love Kentucky basketball too much. In the lingo of women's magazines, my relationship with the football 'Cats is far more healthy. I have fun with football and honestly enjoy the entire experience. I have a full set of cute little anecdotes about the zany experiences I've had at tailgates and games. When it comes to basketball, though, I'm obsessed. I think of Rich "Paw Paw" Brooks as a nice man who turned our program in the right direction while I consider Coach Cal to be the demigod who single-handedly saved the Commonwealth. To me, Bear Bryant was a savvy coach who got called home while Rick Pitino is a treasonous infidel. I'm always up for a tailgate party, while I prefer to watch the basketball 'Cats with minimal distractions. I'm the consummate hostess in September, whipping up small bites and fun drinks, but I prefer a March with no distractions. You never know how that 8-9 matchup in the West Region will impact the Wildcats' chances of winning it all. There will be time for food later.

I actually have more fun at football games because I'm not an insane fan. Sometimes we win and sometimes we lose. Every play doesn't have the ramifications of potentially impacting our historic next title. I'm not moved to tears when I talk of football players' motivation, athleticism, or leadership, while the mere mention of Michael Kidd-Gilchrist's name can evoke waterworks. I've never floated "Jared Lorenzen" or "Tim Couch" as a potential baby name. Perhaps jokingly -- even I am not quite sure -- I've suggested "DeMarcus" many times.

UK-UT game, 2009.

I always assume that I love the Football 'Cats the way people at normal, non-SEC schools love their teams. I want them to win, but I don't talk about them every day of my life. Maybe that's what it's like to be a sports fan outside of the Greatest Conference in Collegiate Athletics. (This article sums the SEC up far more hilariously than I ever could.) I'm not alone; Kentucky girls don't need to tailgate in our Lilly Pulitzer the way they do at The Grove, because we've got two whole months of Keeneland to dress up for every year. We enjoy our football, but we grew up in a gym.

I come from basketball-mad Eastern Kentucky, just down the road from the great "King" Kelly Coleman's hometown. My aunt was John Pelphrey's high school teacher. Where I'm from, basketball is an all-day, every day occurrence. You can't go to a church, hospital or grocery store without engaging in an intense conversation about recruiting or scheduling. (This year, everybody's worried about the lack of small forwards. And, you know, the poor widow at this funeral. But mainly those forwards.) I suppose if I'd grown up in Alabama, I'd be calling into the Paul Finebaum show every day. I'd say things like "PAWWWWLLLL, don't you think Chizik and Miles should both just forfeit this year instead of coming to Tuscaloosa? Yeah, me too. Roll Tide." (Ok, well, I might still do that, because Finebaum calls are awesome.)

I love that football season gives me a chance to be a regular old fan. I wear my blue, cheer for my team, and tailgate with my friends. I watch games, cheer for teams I like, and enjoy myself. It's a fun time to be a UK alumna and a native Kentuckian. Most of all, it's just fun.

A Kentucky Football Family

When I met my now-husband 12 years ago, I remember being flabbergasted that he liked the much dogged UK football team more than the celebrated UK basketball team. Actually, I take that back: he liked them equally, which around Lexington practically means the same thing - it's pretty uncommon.

We've been through the years of Guy Morriss, Rich Brooks, and now Joker Phillips. If you don't live in the state and haven't ever heard of those names, no worries as I had permanently blocked out Guy Morriss and the ridiculous Bluegrass Miracle against LSU. Here is where I link to the definition of "premature celebration" that is forever embedded into Kentucky football history.

I can't hate on that momentary lapse of judgement by then-QB Jared Lorenzen since we got our LSU redemption when they sat at a #1 ranking and our mighty Wildcats beat them in triple overtime during my wedding reception in 2007. My poor husbands family (who loves Kentucky football as much as he does) huddled around the DJ's little laptop squinting to make out the figures on the field that led us to victory. The UK fight song then blared over the speakers of my reception and the party was kicked off with a bang. I think that's the only reason we were able to get the men on the dance floor. Thanks Cats!

This weekend with the Cats v. Cards, the family will gather at my house in front of our obscenely large TV where we've watched many games. There will be screaming and accusing the referees of poor officiating. And for the umpteenth time, I'll be reminded: "Hey, remember that time you guys got married?" I will smile and nod and accept that I am among a Kentucky football family, and be proud of it.

A Perspective on Kentucky's Forests - A HerKentucky Guest Post

I'm so pleased to feature a dear friend's guest post today! Merril Flanary is a Kentucky girl currently living, studying and working in Sweden. She's a Renaissance woman - talented with words, musical instruments and a love for the natural world. I hope you enjoy her perspective on Kentucky's forests.

-Lydia

Blanton Forest by Merril Flanary

Growing up at the end of a country road in a small town in central Kentucky, I was surrounded by forests.  Although my parents labored in flower beds near the house, they applied a more laissez-faire gardening approach to most of the property.  The eighty-year-old sugar maple and red oak trees planted when the house was first built were left to grow.  The shed where we parked the lawnmower was actually a ½-acre grove of pawpaw trees my dad saw no point in trying to contain.  We burned black locust for heat in the winter and revelled in the sight of dogwood blooms commencing Derby season in the spring.  For me, trees were beautiful and strong things that fulfilled our utilitarian needs almost as often as they provided us with seasonal aesthetic pleasures.  

I suppose it was all those years amongst my family’s trees that first sparked my interest in forestry.  A forestry summer course in high school sealed the deal.  After learning to identify a few species and how to use a compass, I was certain there was no better subject to study.  Soon after, I was enrolled as an undergraduate forestry student at the University of Kentucky.

   

Photo by Beverly James

Kentucky’s forests are incredibly complex.  Rivaled only by the tropical rainforests of Central and South America, Kentucky’s forests are among the most diverse in the world.  There are almost 100 native tree species found throughout the Commonwealth; the forests in the Pacific Northwest or the Rocky Mountains have only a handful.  The seven distinct ecological regions in Kentucky harbor an equal number of unique forest types, each with their own assortments of geology, soils, mammals, reptiles, insects, and birds.  Our forests are an important oasis for ecological processes and biodiversity.  

Kentucky’s forest industry is unique and significant.  Almost half of Kentucky’s surface area is covered in forests, most of which are owned by private landowners in small tracts less than ten-acres in size.  Unlike other states, where government or large corporations own much of the forest land, these private citizens provide 95% of the saw timber that makes up Kentucky’s forest industry.  Harvesting red oak, white oak and yellow-poplar, Kentucky is among the top three hardwood producers in the US.  

Blanton Forest by Merril Flanary

My love affair for forestry grew most significantly while studying and subsequently working in the forests of eastern Kentucky.  The remoteness and rugged terrain of this region are among the reasons it has earned the reputation of redheaded stepchild of Kentucky society, but it was for these reasons I found myself drawn to the region.  Dodging rattlesnakes and black bears, I studied and worked in eastern Kentucky for five years.  Nowhere else in the state are there as many tracts of intact forest, and it was in these forests my budding interests grew and prospered. 

Photo by Merril Flanary

When you walk ten feet in a forest in eastern Kentucky—with the smallest shift in aspect or a few feet in elevation—the scene completely changes.  In the bottomlands, dense stands of eastern hemlock and American beech trees shade freshwater streams and provide safe cover for birds.  Along a northeast facing slope, the perfectly straight stems of yellow-poplar grow as uniformly as the fields of corn that settlers grew there a century ago.  Majestic white oak, hickory, and black cherry scatter hilltops providing an abundance of food for an array of animals.  Perhaps the most endearing quality of these forests is the variety of plants finding purchase on the forest floor.  Squaw root punctures through the litter layer, maidenhair fern dances in a warm breeze, and Virginia creeper crawls over rocks and roots in search of sunlight.  

Photo by Kyle Napier

The diversity of Kentucky’s forests and the dynamic uses of these forests make them an integral part of our culture.  As a child climbing over broken branches in my backyard, I never thought I would one day commit myself to the study of forests.  It has been a rewarding endeavour that is far from over and makes my experience as a Kentucky girl all the richer.       

Smathers and Branson Needlepoint Flask giveaway!

Sometimes Football Wishes really do come true!

To get us all in the tailgating mood, the kind folks at Smathers and Branson have graciously offered to give one of their adorable needlepoint flasks to a lucky HerKentucky reader!


One winner will be awarded a Needlepoint Flask from the Smathers and Branson collection.  You can choose the Maker's Mark design, straight from our Tailgating Wishlist...

... or maybe the Mint Julep design, to get yourself in a Derby frame of mind.

Every Smathers and Branson design is so cute, it'll be hard to choose!

You can enter using the Rafflecopter widget below.  The contest ends Thursday, August 30, and the winner will be announced on Friday August 31. The winner can choose from any in-stock, non-monogrammed flask in the Smathers and Branson collection. 


a Rafflecopter giveaway

The HerKentucky Sky Scarf Challenge

Early last year, I taught myself to knit. This was attempt number eleventy billion to learn. I'm not sure what made it happen, but one day, the actions associated with knit one, purl two just clicked in my brain and off I went with the clicking and clacking of needles never far behind me. Then came summer. Hot, hot, hot summertime. Who wants to think about woolen hats and scarves when your brain melts just stepping outside? Not me.

With our recent cooler temperatures and nights of sleeping with the windows open, I've been thinking more and more about picking up my needles again. The imminent football season is also good impetus to start pinning new projects to my Ravelry to-make list and my Pinterest knitting board. Nothing helps you feel better about being lazy and watching a whole day (or a whole weekend) of football than having a newly-knitted scarf or two to show for it!

This week, I happened across a pin on the HerKentucky Craft Ideas Pinterest board. (If you aren't following us over there, you really should! These women have good taste!) That pin led me to a post on whipup.net (one of my favorite craft sites) by Lea Redmond and her idea for Conceptual Knitting - a Sky Scarf. The basic premise is this - you observe the sky each day, then choose a yarn to match the color of your sky, and knit one row each day. At the end of one year, you'll have a pretty amazing scarf with a cool story behind it.

Source: whipup.net via Her on Pinterest

I like this idea because it ties two of my goals for life into one thing - 1) to live, observe and document my life in interesting ways and 2) to craft and create beautiful things that are useful.

The HerKentucky Sky Scarf Challenge

The challenge couldn't be simpler! Today, I'd like to challenge you to gather up your favorite blue, gray, and white yarns. Beginning September 1, knit one row of a scarf based on what the sky looks like that day - where you are. Monthly, I'll share my progress with you here on the blog. Please share your progress with us, too - via Facebook, Twitter or in the comments of each month's Sky Scarf post!

 What's that? You don't know how to knit?

If I can learn, you can, I promise. I taught myself with some good diagrams and by watching Youtube videos. I suggest that you find a friend/aunt/grandmother who knits and ask them to show you. I was mystified by someone else trying to teach me, but you may learn that way in two shakes. We're all different, and that's the best!

 Variations on a Theme

As I read the comments on the original whipup entry, I saw lots of variations on the Sky Scarf idea. Some people thought that observing the sky at sunrise or sunset could produce interesting results. Some people might like the idea of assigning a color to each mood and producing a row a day based on how they feel on that particular day. Of course, Heather and I brainstormed that we could make a scarf that corresponds with the UK basketball season – five rows of blue for a win, five rows of white for a loss. Everyone wants a solid blue scarf, right?

Join Us!

Mention in the comments if you'd like to accept this challenge. Then, go forth and buy yarn!

Here are some of our favorite local knitting shops:

• With Ewe In Mind - 800 Jefferson Street, Paducah, Kentucky
• ReBelle - 225 Rosemont Garden, Lexington, Kentucky
• The Woolery - 315 St. Clair, Frankfort, Kentucky (with an amazing online shop)

How I Became A Football Fan

Some rights reserved by juggernautco

Born and raised in Kentucky, it's easy to become a basketball fan. For most of us, we're surrounded by it. It's not an exaggeration to say that a whole lot of Kentuckians eat, sleep, and breathe college basketball - whether their blood runs blue or red. Football is a different story. We aren't like other SEC states. People don't name their children Crimson or their dogs Bear. We have to work to become football fans.

As a young kid growing up in Western Kentucky, I remember hearing about my uncle and dad playing football in high school. I remember the neighbor boy showing off his football pads and grossing me out with his mouthguard. What I remember most, though, are Sundays watching football with my dad. We would be lazy on the couch and watch NFL games. My dad liked the Cowboys. Beyond that knowledge, my memory is fuzzy.

I'm not sure when my love of football was firmly cemented, but here are some of the memories that led to my current love affair with football:

The first Super Bowl I really remember watching is Super Bowl XX in 1986. I was five years old and I loved William "Refrigerator" Perry, especially his nickname. To a 5-year old, it's really funny to think of a refrigerator playing football. I loved how big he was. I remember loving the Bears' goofy Super Bowl Shuffle video, too. Funny, I didn't even know I was watching greatness in Walter Peyton's sweet moves.

In October of 1993, I remember the movie trailers for Rudy. I was a 13-year old girl. None of my girl friends liked football, and boys were still gross. I wasn't about to be seen in public with my little sister, and my parents weren't interested in the movie. I begged my mom to let me go see it. Back then, you could do that. So I went to a movie about football all by myself. I loved it. I went to a Catholic school. Notre Dame was a Catholic school. So began a period of loving the Fighting Irish. That year also featured the first bowl game I remember the Wildcats playing in, and I cheered them on, loudly, in the Peach Bowl.

The first weekend of high school, there was a home football game. Even though my school's team wasn't very good, the student section was the place to see and be seen. Unsurprisingly, I was the only one of my group following the game and trying, often in vain, to explain first downs and sacks to the group of girls around me. I thought I was the coolest. I wasn't.

By the end of high school, I was dating a football player as was one of my best friends. We went to away games together, and I coached her on the vocabulary of the game - pointing out the accomplishments of her running back boyfriend. The best thing to come out of my relationship with that high school boyfriend was a deepening love for football.

It's still amazing to me that I chose a college that doesn't have a football team. What, exactly, was I thinking? Despite that fact, college is when I really came into my own in regards to football. I went to a couple of UK games with friends who scored student tickets. I saw a UK quarterback chosen first in the NFL draft my freshman year (that still boggles my mind). I watched future Super Bowl (backup) quarterback Jared Lorenzen eat pizzas across the street from our house on University Avenue. I watched The Bluegrass Miracle. More importantly, I spent Saturdays recovering from Friday night studying with College Gameday on television in the background. I did the same thing on Sundays with NFL Countdown.

Traveling the state for work in the early 2000s, Monday Night Football was the bright spot of my week. I remember watching Brett Favre (he's my favorite, I don't care what you say about him!) play his heart out the day after his father died on a Monday night while I was in a hotel room in Pineville. I remember, too, sitting in Paducah watching the Monday night Peyton Manning and the Colts scored 28 points in the fourth quarter to beat the defending Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers - one of the most thrilling quarters of football I ever witnessed.

The 2007 UK season was a milestone one for me. My new boyfriend, who wasn't a sports fan at all (and that worried me), agreed to watch football with me. We watched the Wildcats beat Louisville for the first time in four years at a bar on our fourth or fifth date. He was sweet and acted interested, because he knew it was important to me. A month later, he was still around to watch the most thrilling game of football I've ever seen (and he was genuinely interested by that time!) - the night the Wildcats defeated the #1 LSU Tigers in Commonwealth Stadium in triple overtime when Stevie Johnson got loose once again!

Some rights reserved by Chris Breeze

While I'm less interested in going to games in person, now, being old and preferring to sit on my couch, I'm no less thrilled with great football. When pressed, I'll tell you that the Green Bay Packers are my favorite NFL team, but I really just love a good game (and for my Fantasy players to do well!). Just like in basketball, I have teams I regularly root for with no good reason (Texas/Oklahoma/The New York Giants) and teams I regularly root against (USC/Ohio State/The New England Cheaters Patriots). I'm the strongest Gator Hater and I wrinkle my nose at houndstooth when those teams are playing Kentucky, but on BCS Championship night, I'm always rooting for the eventual champions (because you know the champions come from the SEC!).

Sports is my thing. I've always been the girl who likes sports, and I take way too much pride in the fact that I can talk sports with "the guys". More importantly, though, football and sports are a way that I mark time. I'll remember, fondly, the moments mentioned above, and I can't wait for another season of memorable moments to be made.