Oct. 18, 2011
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Former University of Kentucky football great Artose Pinner will be on hand to sign autographs and help celebrate the 75th Anniversary of Keeneland at Seeblue Day on Friday, Oct. 21, at Keeneland Race Course.
General admission into Keeneland will be free to UK students, faculty and staff who show a valid UK ID, while UK Alumni Association members will also be give free admission. The first 200 UK Alumni Association members who show their membership card at the UK Alumni Association table outside the gift shop will receive a free gift.
Fans can purchase a commemorative UK/Keeneland 75th Anniversary hat and have it signed by Pinner along with other memorabilia. Proceeds will benefit DanceBlue.
The event is part of Homecoming Week for the Kentucky football team. For complete details for Homecoming 2011, visit www.ukhomecoming.com.
Pinner was a four-year letterwinner at running back for the Wildcats from 1999-2002. Pinner had an incredible senior season in 2002, when he rushed 283 times for 1,414 yards – second-highest total in a single season in school history – and 13 touchdowns. Pinner currently ranks seventh all-time on Kentucky’s career rushing list with 2,105 yards and 17 touchdowns. The native of Hopkinsville, Ky., earned 224 rushing yards against Vanderbilt in 2002, which is the sixth-most rushing yards by one player in one game in school history.
Pinner played five years in the National Football League with the Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings and Atlanta Falcons.
Phillips Wants to See Improvements on Saturday: University of Kentucky football head coach Joker Phillips said after practice Tuesday at the Nutter Training Facility practice football fields that he believes his team has improved since its loss to South Carolina two weeks ago.
“We had a good practice,” Phillips said. “I really do think that we have improved since the last time we were at South Carolina; (although) it doesn’t matter how much we think we have improved out here (on the practice fields) it only matters on Saturday and we need to see it on Saturday.”
Coming off a bye week, some teams have a tendency to start off slow, but Phillips is not expecting that out of his Wildcats come Saturday.
“There is always concern that you come out flat (after a bye week),” Phillips said. “I expect this football team to come out ready to go. I expect this team to come out with fire right away.”
Phillips praised Saturday’s opponent, Jacksonville State, which enters the game with a 5-1 record and ranked No. 8 in the Football Championship Subdivision.
“They are a really, really good team,” Phillips said about Jacksonville State. “The quarterback (Coty Blanchard) is a really crafty guy that does a good job of running their offense. One of them (tailback Washaun Ealey) scored a lot of touchdowns on us last year (when Ealey played for Georgia) and they have some other guys around them. They have some defensive personnel that are good as well. They scored four touchdowns on defense last week and one was called back.”
Kentucky will return to the practice fields Wednesday to continue its preparation for Jacksonville State.
