Cathey lacked size, not confidence

When Elmer Smith retired as a football coach, he spent much of a year privately publishing his memories in This Really Happened. He wrote this about his favorite tailback Grady Cathey:

“In the fall of 1949 we had 108 players report, an unusual number for a small school,” Smith wrote. “Among them was Grady Cathey, a 140-pound halfback from Smackover. The first day I would not give him a uniform.

“He kept following me around, assuring me that he could make the team, but I said, ‘Grady, if I let you have a uniform, you get hurt the first practice, and there will be one of my scholarships shot, because we will have to keep you.’

“Finally, I gave him what gear we had left.

“He was a genuine jackrabbit - unbelievable moves, supported by enough confidence for three his size. He started his first game,and every game thereafter for four years. He was one of the quickest backs I have ever been associated with in football.”

Grady and Lula Mae Cathey live in Hot Springs now. When a newspaper reporter asked Grady about his age a few days ago, he said, “three 83 birthdays. or something like that.

“I doubt I ever weighed as much as 155 when I was playing football for Southern Arkansas,” he said. “Idoubt I ever weighed more than 150 when I was playing ball. A funny thing happened in 1951. I spent two years in the Army before I went to college. Soon after the 1950 football season was over, the Army sent for me again. Then they released me in October 1951. By then, the Muleriders had already played four games and were undefeated.

“That would be my third football season, which was about half over, and I figured Coach Elmer would sort of redshirt me until the next season. No way. We happened to be playing Henderson State that Saturday - a real tough game that year - and Coach Elmer took me with him to Arkadelphia. In the middle of the first half, I was already in the game. I think I made about 85 yards in the second half. We won the AIC championship with a 9-1 record and a nonconference loss to McNeese (La.) State.

“In 1952, we went 10-1 with another championship. Our only loss was a nonconference game against Arkansas State.”

That year - combining rushing, pass receiving, etc. - Cathey’s total yardage for 11 games possibly missed 1,000 yards by only 35 or 40 yards. (Usually, AIC rushing leaders rarely topped 600 yards.)

Late in the 1952 season, the Muleriders had a game booked in deep south Texas, but their players were excited at the prospect of spending a couple of nights in Houston. Rice University permitted Elmer Smith to stage a workout in a 70,000-seat stadium.

Along the sidelines that day, Smith asked Cathey, “You think you could play on this field?”

“This place?” Cathey laughed, “Heck, Coach, I might score three touchdowns in my street clothes.”

“But that wasn’t a good thing,” he said last week, about 60 years later. “You need to respect everybody.”

Sports, Pages 16 on 06/04/2013

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