Oliver Springs alum pays tribute to the Bobcats and a way of life

October 18, 2023 by Ken Leinart

For Kevin Randolph, Friday nights on D.J. Brittain Field on the campus of Oliver Springs High School is a special time.

It’s more than football.

Randolph, a 1996 graduate of OSHS , is paying tribute to the Bobcats with a song, “Throwback Memories,” and a music video filmed during the team’s game against Midway High School Sept. 29.

“Tri-County football is sacred,” Randolph said. “That’s what we did on Friday nights.”

Randolph suffered a head injury and broken hip in a car crash when he was young. “That was it for me,” he said. “I couldn’t play contact sports after that, so I never got to play.”

But football is in his genetic code. His grandfather played at Oliver Springs, and that connection is something Randolph cherishes.

“That’s what so special about football at small schools like Oliver Springs,” he said. “You play because your brother did, or your dad. You have cousins on the field. It becomes a family tradition.”

Randolph said he was looking at his 1996 yearbook and reading all the things written, and it made him realize how much those Friday night experiences shaped his life — and how much those experiences are shaping the lives of young men today.

“There’s nothing better than 1A football,” Randolph said.

“Throwback Memories,” filmed at Oliver Springs High School and during the Bobcats’ matchup with Midway High School, is about the experience of life in a small town.

Yes, football is the focus, but the song and video are a slice of life in a small town.

Randolph lives in Henderson, Kentucky, but visits his old school as much as possible.

He likes to go back to Kentucky after visiting OSHS on a Friday night and tell the folks there what the experience was like.

“It’s a rush of emotions,” he said. “It’s hard to explain, you know? Because it’s so emotional.”

Randolph said this is Oliver Springs’ year, and he’ll be on hand for the Friday night match up with Coalfield.

“The program is in good hands,” he said. “Coach (Tyler) Harper is a good coach, but he also teaches life lessons how to handle your business on and off the field.

“I feel blessed to call Oliver Springs home.”

The video can be seen at youtu.be/N95QjZwfMPo