The Blanton Collier Sportsmanship Group Board of Directors

J. Scott Brogdon: real estate and antiques - Cincinnati, Ohio

Scott Brogdon went to the University of Kentucky on a football Grant-in-Aid, and received his BSBA majoring in Finance from the University of Louisville. He served in the United States Army from 1966-1969, was commissioned and received the Bronze Star as Company Commander during the Vietnam War. He was a financial officer with several Fortune 500 Corporations. Positions he has held in the chemical industry include Operations Manager, Purchasing Manager and Business Development Officer. He has been a business owner in the antique, wholesale printing and hair salon industries.

His interest in the Blanton Collier Sportsmanship Group stems from experiencing abuse by coaches, seeing the long-term impact of coaching abuse on others, and a desire to educate the sports community about the effects of such abuse so it will be eliminated. He and his wife Donna have one grown daughter, and live in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Ronald E. Butler: attorney - Lexington, Kentucky

Ronald E. Butler is a Kentucky native, and a graduate of Madisonville High School. An outstanding high school athlete, he was selected to All-State and All-Conference teams in football, and was awarded a football scholarship to the University of Kentucky under Coach Blanton Collier. He graduated from the University of Kentucky in 1965, and served as a coach and teacher at Lafayette High School through 1967. He returned to the University of Kentucky Law School, receiving his Juris Doctorate in 1971. He has been in private law practice for over thirty years. His civic involvement has included Rotary Club, the Salvation Army, Little League Coach and Church. He and his wife Joyce have been married for 43 years, and have four children and six grandchildren. They reside in the Lexington area.

Ron’s interest in the Blanton Collier Sportsmanship Group began with his own experience of coaching abuse, and his awareness of legal cases in this area, as well as knowledge of the experiences of his children and their friends. He has a desire to see that his grandchildren and future generations of young people will have the benefit of ethical coaching.

Kay Collier McLaughlin: PhD- Lake Carnico, Kentucky

Kay Collier McLaughlin, PhD is Director of Communications and Leadership Development for the Episcopal Diocese of Lexington, and holds a Doctorate in Counseling Psychology from the Union Institute with sub-specialties in leadership development, bereavement, life transitions and single adult development. The middle daughter of Coach Blanton Collier, Collier-Mclaughlin has served on the Hall of Fame Banquet Committee for the KY Chapter of the NFL Players’ Association, and is active as a design consultant with numerous institutions and systems. She is a senior human relations consultant for the Leadership Development Institute of the Episcopal Church, and the national EQ-HR Center in Washington, DC.

Her interest in the Blanton Collier Sportsmanship Group, while rooted in her long history with her father, his philosophy and work, is also based in the study she conducted with former University of Kentucky players entitled “A LONGITUDINAL STUDY OF THE IMPACT OF COACHING BEHAVIORS ON THE 1961-62 UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY FOOTBALL WILDCATS”, and the Grief and Loss Seminar she designed and conducted for players forty years after the abuse. She is also the author of FOOTBALL’S GENTLE GIANT: THE BLANTON COLLIER STORY.

Frank Minnifield: business owner - Lexington, Kentucky

Frank Minnifield is a Lexington native who, considered too small for big-time college football, went to the University of Louisville as a walk-on who became not only a scholarship player but also his team captain, and a “Legend” (Iall-time team great) with the Cleveland Browns, playing nine seasons at Corner Back. He was inducted to the Legends Club in 2005, honoring his outstanding play throughout his career. He made three consecutive trips to the Pro Bowl, intercepted three passes against the Houston Oilers in 1987, and 20 passes during his nine seasons. He is fondly remembered today in Cleveland not only for his outstanding play, but for founding the “Dawg Pound” cheering section at Cleveland Stadium with teammate Hanford Dixon. He was known as a great student of the game, often seen studying opponents on his lap top, long before most people made use of computers in this way. Following retirement from pro football, he founded Minnifield Enterprises in Lexington, which administrates five businesses in real estate development, new housing and golf course management. He has served on the Greater Lexington Chamber of Commerce, the University of Louisville Board of Trustees and is an active leader of the Kentucky Chapter of the National Football League former players association, which has also inducted him into its Hall of Fame. He and his wife and two children live in the Lexington area.

Frank Minnifield’s interest in the Blanton Collier Sportsmanship Group began with his awareness of Coach Collier’s contributions to the game, on and off the field, and his own interest in creating the best possible environment for young athletes, their parents and their coaches.

William F. "Billy" Reed: sports writer - Louisville, Kentucky http://www.billyreedsays.com

William F. “Billy” Reed , a 1966 graduate of Transylvania University, has been a journalist on the regional and national scene for almost 50 years. He has been a general columnist and sports editor at The Courier Journal, senior writer for SPORTS ILLUSTRATED, and sports columnist for The Lexington Herald-Leader. In addition, Reed has done free-lance radio and TV work for ESPN, WHAS radio and TV in Louisville and WKYT in Lexington. He is the author of fifteen (15) books, including “My Favorite Derby Stories” and “Hello, Everybody, This is Caywood Ledford.” Named Kentucky Sportswriter of the year seven times by the National Association of Sportswriters and Broadcasters, Reed has been inducted into four Halls of Fame and has been honored with numerous national awards, including the Sigma Delta Chi Award for General Reporting, two National Headliner awards , two Eclipse Awards for thoroughbred horse racing coverage and eight Red Smith Awards for excellence in Kentucky Derby coverage.

His interest in the Blanton Collier Sportsmanship Group stems from his long history with sports which has given him insight into the growing areas of abuse, and his desire to promote “ethics, education and excellence” in athletics.

William Sammons: coach - Louisville, Kentucky

Bill Sammons went to the University of Kentucky on a football Grant-in-Aid in 1956, and left in 1958 after the death of his father. He received a BS degree majoring in sociology, economics, health and recreation. He studied at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary for two years. A disabled and retired former coach at the high school and college levels (University of Louisville), he is currently working with the football program at Louisville Male Traditional High School. He retired as Director of Family Services for the Long Run Baptist Association with responsibilities in recreation, senior adults, single adults and other areas for over fifteen years. He also worked in manufacturing at Ford Motor Company and Peterbilt Motors as Production Manager and Materials Manager.

His interest in the Blanton Collier Sportsmanship Group “comes from my experience with coaching and belief that Coach Collier was and still is the finest coach with whom I have ever been associated. I have seen abuse of many kinds, and was acquainted with the abusive methods used in coaching which occurred while I was attending UK, and later, while talking to those who left” (UK after experiencing coaching abuse.)