Immediately after graduating from the University of Wisconsin I packed my horrible CD collection and Superfriends pillow into my 1990 Pontiac Grand Am and headed for my first post-graduate job, sports editor of The News-Messenger in Fremont, Ohio. It was a great experience, but I was lonely, especially at first. Most of my knucklehead friends were still in Madison having fun, and I was working 80 hours a week.
One afternoon that summer reminded me of the Madison I missed so much and the good times I had there. It was the day I interviewed Kevin Huntley, a Fremont native who spent the same four years at UW as I did -- the big difference being he played for the football team while I was just an interested observer.
Kevin was a superstar athlete at St. Joseph Central Catholic at roughly the same time Charles Woodson was an all-galaxy athlete at crosstown Fremont Ross. Everyone in Fremont had nice things to say about what a good kid Kevin was, which reinforced my perception of him at UW. After Wisconsin, Huntley spent time on the Chiefs' roster before playing football in Germany.
Several weeks ago I was delighted to get an email from Kevin, who told me he reads the blog from time to time. It's a natural fit; after all, how many people out there have ties to both Fremont and UW?
I asked him what he's doing nowadays, and he's living in Florida, married to a Fremont girl. He keeps in touch with a lot of the guys he played with at UW, including Lamar Campbell, Cayetano Castro, Marcus Carpenter, Donald Hayes, and Michael London. (OK classmates, was that a trip down memory lane or what?)
Kevin's cousin competes for Michigan in track, so he follows that sport closely. Here's the other thing: he likes having the Big Ten Network, which allows him, living in Florida, to follow Badger sports much more than he ever would have without it. See, it's working!
I always thought Huntley got a raw deal at UW. If you'll recall, he started out at wide receiver, switched to defensive back for his sophomore and junior seasons, then back to wide receiver for his senior seasons. He led the team's defensive backs in tackles the two years he started at safety, then got stuck behind two NFL wideouts in Hayes and Tony Simmons.
Anyway, great to hear from another member of the class of 1998, and a former athlete to boot.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Kevin Huntley
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2 comments:
Great connection, Taps. I, too, always thought he got a raw deal.
Kevin - I also interviewed you as a few times as co-sports editor/writer with Taps and always came away impressed for what it's worth. Glad to hear that you're doing well and only wish the best for you and your family.
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