Living the Dream—Heroes, Legends, and Books

Think about someone you really admired in your youth.

Maybe it was a famous movie star or cultural icon. Or perhaps a political or military leader. For many of us, it might have been someone who was not necessarily famous but rather just a bit closer to home. Perhaps a loving parent, an impactful teacher, or even your local pastor. Whether Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. or Jesus in the flesh, we all had heroes that we all dreamed of emulating.

For those of us who are sports fans, our heroes are often front and center. We all had athletes who we enjoyed watching, that we looked up to, and who we cheered on passionately. As a lifelong, die-hard University of Kentucky sports fan, my heroes landed squarely in the sweet spot of the late ’70s—that magical seven month run where the UK football team went 10 – 1, was undefeated in the SEC, and achieved a No. 6 national ranking, while the UK basketball team won their fifth championship title—the first in my lifetime.

Kyle Macy was the point guard on that 1978 championship basketball team, while Derrick Ramsey quarterbacked the Wildcats through that blitzkrieg of the 1977 football season. And guess what? Those two UK greats just happened to be two of my all-time favorite UK players.

Not only did I finally meet these Wildcat legends face to face, but I also recently got to know them up close and personal. You see, I worked with Kyle on our awesome “From The Rafters of Rupp” book project back in 2021. And I’m finishing up my role as coauthor of Derrick’s just released, blockbuster new memoir, “They Call Me Mr. Secretary.”

Imagine that. If you had told me back in the day—as a nerdy, sports obsessed pre-dental student who dreamed delusionally of on-the-field stardom—that I’d one day be rubbing elbows with two superstars who I’d only gawked at and worshipped previously from afar, I would have told you that you were CERTIFIABLY NUTS!

But it’s strange how life plays out sometimes. One of the things I’ve enjoyed the most about collaborating with these two UK icons is discovering how fantastic they are as people. You learn a lot about someone—how they think, what makes them tick, and how they view the world—when you spend hours and hours with them gathering the information that’ll properly cement their legacy.

It’s downright fascinating where the conversation meanders when you’re watching historical videos in their living room (as I did with Derrick) or driving to ball games (as I did with Kyle). It suddenly dawns on you that despite their immense athletic talents, they’re regular human beings just like the rest of us—real people with real worries, real hurts, and even real hopes in life that occasionally don’t quite pan out like we planned.

Whether it’s Derrick, or Kyle, or the bold and opinionated Alan Cutler in “Cut To The Chase,” or my award-winning coauthor Del Duduit in our best-selling “Kentucky Passion,” or the Hall of Fame UK tennis coach Dennis Emery in “Serving Up Winners,” I hope you’ve enjoyed all the heartfelt time and effort that everyone’s poured into these labor of love projects.

If you’ve read or commented or helped promote any of these books in any way possible in the past, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. If you’ve actually spent your hard-earned money to buy any or all of them, then—you’re not only my friend, but—you’re my true hero.

I’m living the dream. And everyone needs heroes in order to keep dreaming.

Dr. John Huang is a retired orthodontist, military veteran, and award-winning author. He currently serves as a reporter and sports columnist for Nolan Group Media. He is the author/coauthor of five books, Cut To The Chase, Kentucky Passion, From The Rafters Of Rupp, Serving Up Winners, and his latest release, They Call Me Mr. Secretary. You can follow Dr. Huang on social media @KYHuangs and check out all his books at https://www.Amazon.com/stores/Dr.-John-Huang/author/B092RKJBRD