The (Ashland, Ky.) Daily Independent‘s Aaron Snyder wrote of Dad’s passing in the February 13, 2014 edition. He has kindly granted me permission to reprint it here.

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Coach Walter Brugh, coach of the Paintsville (Ky) Tigers, for 44 years. Paintsville High School’s all-time winningest football coach, Brugh died at age 87 on Tuesday night.

The legend of the “Blue Legend” will never fade in Paintsville.
Walter Brugh, Paintsville High School’s all-time winningest football coach, died at age 87 on Tuesday night.

In 39 seasons, Brugh was 280-136-5 with two state finals appearances. He became the state’s all-time leader in career coaching wins in 1993. He is currently 11th on the list, but still ranks atop all Kentucky Class A coaches.

Like with many great coaches, Brugh’s influence was just as impactful off the field.

“Beyond sports, coach was a gift to all of his players because he taught people discipline,” said John Porter, an attorney who has practiced law in Paintsville since 1970. He played for Brugh from 1957-62. “I bet if you could get a list of all of his players, 98 percent of them did real well in life.”

“Tough” and “hard-nosed,” Brugh’s ability to motivate kids propelled him into legendary status, according to Bill Mike Runyon, a longtime friend who played for and coached under Brugh.

Coach (Brugh) was a gift to all of his players because he taught people discipline.” – John Porter, former player and attorney.

“He would break you down, then build your confidence up to a level you never had,” Runyon said. “He and (late former longtime baseball coach) Charlie Adkins made me want to go into coaching.

“Those guys motivated me to stay here, with one school, as long as I have,” said Runyon, who has logged 36 total years of coaching various sports, most notably basketball and football, at Paintsville. The 58-year-old coached the Tigers to a Sweet Sixteen state title in 1996. “In the back of my mind, it’s always been like, I’ve got to do the same thing.”

Runyon spent 23 years on the sidelines with Brugh, in addition to the seasons (1971-73) he spent as a player.

Brugh guided Paintsville to state championship games in both 1978 and 1985. The Tigers fell to Fort Campbell, 15-13, and lost to Crittenden County, 14-6, in those games, respectively.

Runyon said while those gut-churning losses hurt, they didn’t wear on Brugh, who was inducted into the KHSAA Hall of Fame in 1991.

“Every play I draw up is designed to score a touchdown.” – Coach Brugh

“He took everything year to year,” Runyon said. “He just demanded perfection year-in and year-out. If that led to a state title, then so be it. If not, let’s go ahead and start working toward the next year.”
Brugh would tell Runyon, “Every play I draw up is designed to score a touchdown.”

“He wanted everything done to perfection,” said Runyon, adding that he always had his players in excellent physical condition.
Brugh had his favorite sayings, too, some of which can’t be printed, but Runyon divulged one, in particular, that resounds in his head.

“If we called a 44-power, which was the four-back in the four-hole, he’d say, ‘Get on up in there, hunny!'” Runyon recalled with a laugh.

“The thing I remember most about him is he could criticize you during a game, and actually make you like it,” Runyon said. “He’d chew you up pretty good, but after the game was over, he’d always give you a hug.”

Some of Brugh’s best players include Mike Minix, Tony Mayes and Joey Couch, to name a few.

Porter declared Minix as Brugh’s best player. Both Minix and Porter received football scholarships from the University of Kentucky.
Porter said Tigers players were expected to follow Brugh’s rules to a T.

“He was a real strict disciplinarian,” Porter said. “You didn’t drink or smoke, you couldn’t even drink coke, and you had to be home by 9:30. Sometimes, Coach would call just to make sure you were home.”

Brugh placed emphasis on execution and disclipine on the field, Porter said, and he “tried to make you very efficient.” He also had a gift for teaching punting, said Porter.

Brugh ran a variation of the wishbone offense, which worked remarkably for much of his career. The coach racked up eight double-digit win seasons, including five consecutive from 1976-80.
Brugh spent his playing days at Paintsville and The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, where he was a defensive back.
Shortly upon returning to Paintsville, Brugh’s storybook coaching career began.

“You knew that football practice started Aug. 1 every year back when he was coaching,” Runyon said. “If you gave any inkling to your parents that you weren’t going to play football for Coach Brugh, they’d probably kick you out of the house.”

Runyon said Brugh is synonymous with the town. The field also bears his name.

“You mention Paintsville, Ky., and I guarantee one of the first names that comes up is Walter J. Brugh,” Runyon said.

AARON SNYDER can be reached at asnyder@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2664.