A thousand football game nights in Clover Fork were celebrated Tuesday at Coach Charlie Hunter Memorial Stadium. An evening of middle school football as part of the Coal Bowl provided an opportunity to honor two of the greatest in Evarts High School football history on the field where they both starred.
Perky Bryant was honored with the naming of the road passing next to the field at Evarts Elementary School as Perky Bryant Pass. The dressing room facilities at the field were named as the Scott Russell Fieldhouse. Both former players were honored with their families at midfield between games.
A star running back and linebacker at Evarts, Bryant was listed among the state’s elite players as a senior in 1959 when the Wildcats posted an 11-1 mark under Hunter. The only loss was a 7-6 thriller against a Lynch team that went on to win the first Class A football title in the initial season of playoffs in Kentucky.
After signing with the University of Kentucky, Bryant became a key player in the early 1960s and played on the Thin Thirty squad when only 30 players stayed with the team after a brutal summer camp under coach Charlie Bradshaw. Bryant played both fullback and linebacker for the Wildcats.
Bryant was a head coach at both Owensboro Catholic and Whitley County. He returned home and worked as an assistant principal and assistant coach during the 1980s at Cawood where he ran the offense on numerous outstanding Trojan teams with coach Jim Cullivan.
“It was real nice. I didn’t expect all this with all these people here,” Bryant said. “It’s nice to come home. It brought back a lot of memories.”
Russell was a four-year starter for the Wildcats from 1988 to 1991 and helped lead a resurgence of the school’s football program, capped by a 13-1 record as a junior when Evarts won its only football regional title with an 8-7 victory at Pikeville over the three-time defending champs. The Wildcats hosted a Class A state semifinal game the next week in front of a packed crowd as they fell to Bellevue.
As a senior in 1991, Russell earned all-state honors for a second time on a 7-4 squad that fell to Fleming-Neon in the Class A playoffs. Russell broke the state rushing record late in the season on the Cats’ first offensive play against Williamsburg, setting off a celebration that Russell remembers fondly.
“We were talking earlier about how many fans were here those nights. It was an awesome feeling, and all that came rushing back when I walked in here,” he said.
Russell played collegiately at Lees-McRae and Union before going on to a coaching career that included several years as head coach at Knox Central.
“I can’t tell you how long it’s been since I’ve been on the field here,” Russell said. “I’ve seen so many people, including teammates and family friends. It kind of caught me by surprise, but it’s a great honor.”

Evarts Elementary School assistant principal John Middleton came up the idea to honor the former players.
“Clover Fork is more than just a place to me. It’s home. It’s family. I wanted to create a night that not only honors the incredible athletes who have come before us, but also reminds our community of its worth and the pride we should carry for where we come from,” he said. “Preserving the legacy of this town is something I’ll always be committed to. Scott Russell and Perky Bryant were heroes to a lot of kids growing up on Clover Fork. It was an honor to be able to recognize them tonight.”