A lesser known College Football Sex Scandal...which still does not even compare to Penn State.

The recent scandal that has been unsurfaced at Penn State is without a doubt, the most disgusting, disturbing, and flat out deplorable event in the history of college athletics. Nothing has, nor will ever compare to this.

There is no way to even compare any infractions or levels of cheating to this. If you think on this too much, you will begin to vomit. It's just sick.

However, the tract record of scandals in the history of college sports is long. It's nothing new. This one, though, is on a whole different level. The amount of wrong that has been done here transcends college sports. It shows a level of evil and sickness you would hope that would never rear it's ugly head, but it has. The healing process is going to be long, and the wound may never close.

Oddly enough, this, while is the WORST, is not the first sexual scandal in college football to be uncovered. Now, make no mistake, I am not making a comparison here. Nothing is on the Jerry Sandusky level.

In 1962, The University of Kentucky had seen it's roster dwindle from 88 to 30, due to the brutal coaching style of Charlie Bradshaw, who was from the Bear Bryant coaching tree. A hangover from the Bear's tenure in Lexington, and one whose style mirrored that of his mentor.

That team would become known as 'The Thin Thirty' due to this. They fought, battered and bruised, and limped to a 3-5-2 season. It was rough. It wasn't pretty, but just like Bryant's character in the film 'The Junction Boys' stated, these Kentucky boys were tough. If you have seen this movie, you know what Bradshaw, and Bryant before him, put the teams through.

The 30 would, however, score a monumental win over rival Tennessee in the season finale in Knoxville. The Cats would see the foot of Clarkie Mayfield hit a field goal to give them the 12-10 win.

Other heroes of that depleted bunch were Tom Hutchinson, Dale Lindsey, and Herschel Turner. All of those men would go to play in the NFL, and Lindsey later became a respected assistant coach in the NFL as part of the Chicago Bears and mentoring of sorts Brian Urlacher. Another member of the team, Bob Kosid, went on to play pro ball in the CFL.

Two other names who may be familiar to fans, are that of coaching staff members Leeman Bennett and Chuck Knox. Both men became head coaches in the NFL.

However it's the other names associated with this team that draw the most interest, and the reasons they were associated with them:

Professional wrestling promoter and executive Jim Barnett, known as the father of televised wrestling on WTBS, and the man Ted Turner looked to for guidance in the programing and ran Georgia Championship Wrestling/World Championship Wrestling before the events that led to the formation of Jim Crockett Promotions as a national brand. He brokered the deal that put GCW/WCW in McMahon's hands in 84, and later drew up the deal that brought Jim Crockett promotions to Ted Turner as the new WCW in 1988. Barnett, was also notorious for his 'peculiar' lifestyle and sexual orientation. Rumors of sexual favors for top spots in that business are nothing new.

And, perhaps the most famous Hollywood leading man, Rock Hudson. The same Rock Hudson who in my youth was responsible for one of the best jokes ever:" What do you call Rock Hudson? First Aid." and the equally classic, "What do you call Rock Hudson on a skateboard? Roll Aids."

Barnett was a man of the sort who appreciated the arts, and had loads of cash. He had been in favor with politicians and other business leaders in Georgia for years. providing cash donations to their causes and lavish gifts. It kept his wrestling business from being regulated all to hell by state athletic commissions. It also led to President Jimmy Carter appointing him to the Council on the Arts. The details of the events that transpired point to a perfect storm. Bradshaw was hell bent on returning Kentucky to national glory and building a winner , that he foolishly brutalized his team during workouts. Barnett, had a lot of cash, a big Cadillac, and a taste for young boys. The boys, had an attraction to nice gifts and Barnett's cash.

Barnett and his pal Lonnie Winter came on to the scene in Lexington around 1959. While mapping out the town, they happened upon a group of young, impressionable males. Those males happened to be incoming freshman members of the UK football program. I imagine Barnett salivating at the thoughts racing through his effeminate mind. It all started with just one simple inquiry: "Any of you boys wanna' go for a ride in my Cadillac?" If you have seen the episode of 'King of the Hill' where Bill meets his cousins in the Bayou of Louisiana, picture the character of his cousin, Gilbert, speaking this line. That's exactly how it would have sounded.

Soon, Barnett would move his exploits from a lavish Lexington hotel suite, to a more lavish house located on Lakeview Drive in the city. It was there that parties were staged by Barnett to entice the Kentucky players with his gifts and his money, always dressed impeccably. He made quite the impression on these broke college kids.

And the drawing card to insure that his invitations to be pampered would be accepted? A Hollywood star. Barnett would frequently pick Rock Hudson, who outside a few in Tinsel Town was not known to be gay, at the airport in neighboring Cincinnati. Hudson would join in on the parties, where the guest would be treated to steaks, lobsters, all you can eat dining and an open bar. And, to ease the minds of the football players, to set up for the later propositions, women would also be readily available at the parties.

Before you knew it, Rock Hudson was having sexual relationships with several of the players, who had given in to temptation of continuing the lifestyle being offered by Barnett, at the expense of sexual favors on Barnett's companions and associates. The players had become prostitutes.

It is even said, in a eerie similarity with the Penn State situation, Members of the coaching staff, notably Bennett, had known about the sexual nature and other details of the relationship between Barnett and some members of the team. However, according to author Shannon Ragland, who's book 'Thin Thirty' chronicles these events and is the basis for this article, says that Bennett decided to take the don't ask don't tell approach, and not say anything about the situation, going under the premise of 'it's just boys being boys'. That, is hardly the case. It was also felt that the activities did not have any effect on what happened on the grid iron, so they ignored it.

Now add to all this mess that a group of the players, while not going 'gay for pay' also are alleged to have attempted to fix a game against Xavier that season.

It would reach a point where Bradshaw drew the line and put an end to the relationship with Barnett and friends and his players. The point shaving incident was something that Bradshaw knew would be very damaging to UK, having just been punished for such a scandal on the basketball team's behalf years earlier. Bradshaw was able to play a considerable amount of damage control, and when the sex and points shaving scandal came to the forefront, it disappeared almost as quickly. Bradshaw was able to keep it mostly in-house and close the lid on it before it did any damage.

Barnett and Winter pulled the 'thief in the night' routine and quickly left town after these events, most notable the allegations of the gambling in 1963.They sold off any assets they had ties to and headed off to Australia, as far away from Lexington as possible and spent a period of years there, where Barnett would have success introducing the country to Pro Wrestling in what is the Australian equivalent to the 1980's boom period and Attitude era of the late 90's here in the states. He also ran the first incarnation of World Championship Wrestling there.

Barnett returned to the states, and began his tenure as possibly the most influential man in wrestling prior to Vince McMahon's monopolization in the 80's. Upon returning to the states in 1974 ,Barnett would become the owner of GCW/WCW on WTBS and become a trusted associate of Ted Turner.

It has also been rumored that Tommy Rich's 1981 NWA World Title victory, while Barnett claimed it was done to boost ratings for TV in Atlanta, was actually done as part of a deal between Rich and Barnett, in exchange for sexual favors by Rich. Ole Anderson, who was a stockholder in GCW/WCW and the booker, sued Barnett over the title change.

The 'Thin Thirty' story is bad. It's not the most moral of things. However, it does not even come close to the disgust of Penn State and Jerry Sandusky.

'The Thin Thirty' by Shannon Ragland is availabe through Amazon.com