SKCTC PROFESSOR SPORTS COLUMNIST JOINS BLANTON COLLIER GROUP BOARD OF DIRECTORS

MIDDLESBORO, Ky. A faculty member at Southeast Kentucky Community amp; Technical College (SKCTC) has been chosen to the Board of Directors of the Blanton Collier Sportsmanship Group.

As a new board member, Professor Jamie H. Vaught joins the Lexington-based Collier Sportsmanship organization, whose mission is to highlight ethics, education and excellence in football. The organization is named after the late Blanton Collier, a highly-respected coach who was known for his strong ethical standards. Collier was the head football coach at the University of Kentucky before winning a National Football League championship in 1964 as the head coach of the Cleveland Browns.

The Blanton Collier Sportsmanship Group (BCSG) also selects the winner of the annual Blanton Collier Award, which was established by the Kentucky Chapter of the NFL alumni in 2007 to honor individuals for integrity both on and off the field. The 2016 award will be presented to ex-UK star, and former Miami (Fla.) and Louisville coach Howard Schnellenberger as part of Kentucky Pro Football Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Lexington in late June. Past recipients include Gale Sayers, Nick Saban, Rich Brooks, Tony Dungy, Jim Brown, the Archie Manning family, among others.

In addition to teaching at SKCTCs Middlesboro campus, Vaught is also an author, and a longtime sports columnist and photographer in Kentucky. He has written four popular books about UK basketball, including "Crazy About The Cats: From Rupp To Pitino" (published in 1991). The editor of growing KySportsStyle.com magazine, Vaught writes columns for several media outlets in Kentucky. The professor has taught at Southeast since 1991.

The BCSG is a non-profit corporation organized by volunteers who are interested in the health, safety and well-being of athletes as well as the ethics of coaching at all levels.