By STEVE CORNELIUS, CJ Sports Editor
Somerset — ‘A great football career with a tragic ending’ might have been Chris Muse’s athletic epitaph.
But despite missing most of his senior season with a knee injury, Chris Muse is fully recovered and ready to write the next chapter of his great football career.
Recently, Muse signed to play football at the next level at Campbellsville University.
Granted before his injury, Muse was being courted by University of Kentucky, University of Louisville, Western Kentucky University and a host of other Kentucky colleges. But after sitting out hi senior season in all but two games with a torn ACL, Muse was eager to team up with the Tigers and reprove himself on the gridiron.
“I know Chris’ injury was a big setback for him, but it enabled us to recruit an athlete of his caliber,” Campbellsville University assistant football coach Ken Burress said. “After his injury, we knew some of the big colleges like UK, Louisville and WKU would drop off.”
“We have always been up front with Chris and we told him exactly what we could do for him,” Burress added. “Us landing Chris is huge.”
Muse got the nod as the Maroons’ starting quarterback early in his freshman season. And after taking some early lumps leading a young 2-9 Pulaski team in 2006, Muse began the work on building a Pulaski football powerhouse and some mind-boggling individual stats of his own.
“Without what Chris gave us as a player and and a leader I don’t think our team could have achieved what they achieved over the last three years,” Pulaski County High School football coach Johnny Hines said. “Chris became a starter early on in his freshman year. In 2006, he played on a very young team that kind of grew up together, and he was a leader of that offensive unit as both a rusher and a passer.”
“Chris had spectacular seasons his sophomore and junior years,” Hines continued. “He led the state in Class 5A in rushing his sophomore year and he was in the top 5 as a junior. He was also in the state’s top 10 as a passer his junior year. He finished his career with a completion percentage of 66 percent, which will place him in the state record books in the top 15 all-time passers.”
“Chris just had a fantastic career and it was a horrible and devastating thing to see it come to a close the way it did and effectively missing his entire senior season,” Hines concluded. “Chris had a lot of schools looking at him at all levels — big schools and small schools. Of course, when he had the knee injury, everyone sort of backed off. So now, Campbellsville is going to be able to get a tremendous player and I am looking forward to being able to go over there and see him play. We are proud of him and he has worked hard to rehab that knee and we are excited to be able to see him continue his career.”
Muse was impressed with Campbellsville’s openness and trust in him, even after his knee injury.
“Other colleges wanted me to reprove myself after my knee injury, but Campbellsville wasn’t like that because they knew I could play,” Muse said. “I liked Campbellsville because of the coaches, but it made my decision a lot easier since RC (White) and Mikey (Shepherd) were going there too.”
Campbellsville assistant football coach Ken Burress is looking forward to getting Muse back on the gridiron in a Tiger uniform.
“Chris has deceptive speed and he is a fun kid to watch playing on the football field,” Burress exclaimed. “He is very talented at the quarterback position and the defensive back position. We want to bring him in and get him on the field as quickly as we can. And right now, looks like he will start off at the DB position.”
Burress was also happy to get a group deal with the Pulaski County football program.
“Getting Chris and two more of his teammates (RC White and Mikey Shepherd) is a big plus for us in several different ways,” Burress explained. “I think them being friends and coming to college together will make their transition much easier. They were part of a great team in high school and hopefully they will help us build a great team here.”
Muse discounted his vast talent and explained that hard work and a good coaching staff was was the reason for his, and the team’s, success over the past three years.
“I think a lot of our team success at Pulaski was less about talent and more about us working hard,” Muse said. “In high school, you don’t have to be the most talented person in the world. But if you work hard and if you are willing to go out and hit people, success will come. I think we had a group of guys who wanted to do that and a group of coaches who really worked hard at what they did. They taught us how to play and they taught us how to be good people. It worked out good for all of us.”
Muse has not played a single down of football since August of 2009 and he is already looking forward to get back on the striped field.
“I had already told my dad I would probably cry the first game I get to finally play, because I will be so happy,” Muse laughed. “It will be one of those things that I can honestly say that I will be the best football player I can be once I come back.”
