Everybody wants to Rhule the (small) world

[MHS831]

Just an interesting, personal story---but it is (indirectly) Panther related.  (Keywords:  WCU football, Kent Briggs, Matt Rhule)

When I was in college at WCU (football scholarship and English major) back in the day, my roommate was Randy, a quarterback from AC Reynolds high school in Asheville.  He never played there because he liked to party.  My career was short-lived (concussions and 2 shoulder surgeries) so we basically boasted about accolades we earned in Spring practice that one year.  I once had to run a hamburger/suicide drill behind 2 walk-on linemen vs. three players who would later have NFL careers (an all-pro defensive end, a linebacker for KC who was drafted by Seattle, and the hardest hitting free safety I ever saw--he played for Green Bay later).  I held my own and earned their respect--the walk-on linemen in front of me both took a dive as I ran into the wall of future NFL players like Braveheart--screaming and blue faced.  Randy was sixth string, but was elevated to fourth string due to injury and academic probation incurred by others.  He used to jokingly brag about climbing the depth chart. At any rate, one of the graduate assistants was Randy's older brother, Kent.  Kent had the misfortune of playing QB at WCU a half decade before us, behind the nation's leader in passing.  He rarely played then, but was working with the QBs as an assistant to an assistant coach.

When Randy and I ended our football careers (mercifully), we decided to party and nobody partied more than his older brother Kent.  We used to go over to his condo all the time.  We were there when he met his future wife (she was walking down the street and Kent saw her out the window and ran to the door to slur to the neighborhood about her hotness). He was one of the funniest people I had ever met.  I was Sports editor of the paper then, and Kent confided in me that then-head coach Bob Waters, a man we all loved dearly, had Lou Gehrig's disease.  I never wrote about it or asked coach Waters (during interviews) about it, even though the early signs were showing--I let Sports Illustrated do him that honor.   In fact, once I needed to bring in a guest speaker for class and Kent did me the honors--I had procrastinated and he bailed me out--to explain to the class about Lou Gehrig's disease and share some stories about Waters.  

Several years later, Kent--after stints at NC State and other colleges--becomes the head coach at WCU.  I stayed in touch with  Randy--now living in Wisconsin--and he gave me Kent's number to call.  We had a few laughs and he called again when I coached a high school RB he wanted.  After the Panthers hired Rhule, I emailed Randy--just to check in.  He explained that Kent is the person who hired Rhule at WCU.  Kent said then that MR was the best assistant he ever coached with--they used to joke that he moved from UCLA (University of California at Los Angeles) as a defensive line coach to coach linebackers at the other UCLA (University of Cullowhee Left of Asheville).  He said the players loved him, were always "on point."  He said that he figured that Rhule would take his job sooner or later (Kent's record was terrible at WCU)---and you know the rest of the story.

If you like happy endings, Kent was fired soon after Rhule left and I lost track of him--until I saw an article where he won a state championship at Cherokee High School a few years back and retired from it all afterwards.  He was still married to Lisa, a hot blonde that became a professor at WCU.  I am not sure whatever became of Matt Rhule.

Just some history that brushed arms with our coach in a crowded hallway intersection.  I thought (since it is the offseason) I would share.  

It sure is a small world.

Some background on Rhule when he was hired at WCU: https://catamountsports.com/sports/2002/7/22/211720872.aspx

 

 

[d-dave]

That seems to be really consistent when people talk about Rhule.  Here's to hoping!

[manu4t]

Cool stories, thanks for sharing.

[4Corners]

Terrible Ruhle pun - DRINK!

 

[Waldo]

We need a positive desperately on the decision makers side. I hope he is everything thats advertised.

[Mr. Scot]

Actual cool story, not the internet kind.

[MHS831]

23 minutes ago, 4Corners said:

Terrible Ruhle pun - DRINK!

 

All puns are terrible. Compliment accepted.