RUSSELLVILLE – Whatever you order, the fried corn on the cob alone is worth the trip.

Ski Daddy’s opened not long after Mikie Benton graduated from Russellville High School and started playing football at the University of Kentucky. It’s an old KFC building turned into a hometown restaurant with a logo Benton never thought to question until this dinner.

“Looks like the dog from ‘Duck Hunt,’ ” Benton said. “Or a rabbit?”

What you can’t question is his love for spicy food and the side of fried corn on the cob. (Writer’s note: it’s worth it.)

Get the chicken finger combo rolled in hot sauce with fries, extra toast and of course, that irresistible corn.

“I can’t explain it,” he said. “Legit, everybody I’ve told about Ski Daddy’s, once they try the corn on the cob, they get it from here on out any time they come – you can’t come here and not. … Life changing.”

In small towns like Russellville, Ski Daddy’s is the easy option when the menu is that desirable. It’s a popular spot and Benton, whether he likes it or not, is a popular face in the community.

He’s the second former Panthers football star (Tommy Wilkins, UK) to make it out of Russellville and play for a team in the Southeastern Conference. That attention is magnified when the team is Kentucky.

Benton was a cornerback and special teams contributor responsible at times for stopping the best talent in the SEC. Cam Newton, he said, is like running full speed into a tree.

Benton’s sheer presence on the Wildcats’ roster made anyone in Logan County prideful of Russellville no matter their high school affiliation.

Then he became the head coach of his alma mater in January, and now he won’t go to Walmart until after 9 p.m.

“There’s so many people in Russellville who know who I am and I have no clue who they are,” Benton said, sitting in a corner booth at Ski Daddy’s.

Even in the hour Benton sits in his favorite hometown restaurant, he’s approached four times with either a first-time greeting or well wishes for the upcoming season. One woman gave a quick hello while picking up a to-go order. A man played football with an older cousin of Benton’s decades ago. Then two Russellville students walked in and chatted football for a few minutes.

“It’s just part of it,” Benton said. “I’m not the type of person who wants the attention on me. I’ve never been that type of person and I used to hate it, but granted I had to get used to it.”

Especially if you’re the head football coach at Russellville.

A bum ankle during Benton’s senior year nixed any chance at the National Football League. He moved back to Russellville upon graduation to care for his daughter and find a job to use his degree in agricultural economics. For all Benton knew, everything related to football was over.

Not wanting to leave the area, which was required to accept any job using his degree, Benton started working at Evine Live in Bowling Green. Everything changed when he decided to visit his old coach, John Myers, at football practice one day.

“I don’t remember if he was a bit short-handed that day or what but he was like, ‘Mikie, can you explain this to them,’ ” Benton recalls. “I’m sitting there explaining something about running triple-option. I’m explaining form, footwork, ball movement and everything and they picked up on it really quick. He comes back over there and said, ‘They picked up on it real easy. If you don’t mind and ain’t got nothing to do, come on back tomorrow.’ ”

Then came adjusting his work schedule to work 12-hour shifts starting at 3 a.m. so he can get off in time to make football practice that same afternoon. He recalls every free moment being consumed with his daughter and football. Sometimes that would come at the same time while rocking her to sleep and watching Hudl on his phone.

Benton coached defensive backs for the next five seasons and became the defensive coordinator in 2017 under Myers. When Myers stepped down after 14 seasons, Benton became just the fourth head coach at Russellville since 1976 and the first alum to coach the Panthers.

And Benton recognizes the pride that comes with that job. He wants to build Russellville back into the powerhouse that won three state championships between 1980 and 1990. He’s even changed the offense out of the traditional Wing-T to the spread in an effort to utilize speed, hoping it’s the right ingredient to finally get the Panthers beyond the Class A semifinals.

He’s not jetting from town any time soon.

“When they hired me, it was a situation where they realized I’m definitely in it for the long haul,” Benton said. “One of my boys from college who is a coach at (East Tennessee State) said if something ever pops up I’m going to bring your name up. I told him, ‘I appreciate it, but until I can look back at something to be proud of in Russellville, I’m not going anywhere.’ ”

Benton’s first game as coach was a rocky one. The Panthers mustered 79 yards of offense in a 51-0 loss to Glasgow, a game that pitted Benton across the sideline from Myers, now an assistant coach with the Scotties.

Benton’s first win came at Fort Campbell in a 28-3 decision, then the Panthers held off Butler County 17-13 in his first game as the man at historic Rhea Stadium.

Next up is Week 4 at Logan County.

“That Friday night when we play, the city will be shut down,” Benton said. “No doubt about it.”

Benton’s motivation to lead his alma mater stems from his own football experiences. When playing quarterback for the Panthers as a senior in 2008, Benton threw for 852 yards, ran for 749 yards and had 28 total touchdowns. As a defensive back, he recorded 38 tackles and three interceptions.

Much of that success was energy exerted as a release of anger. Football was his way out.

“Football was my release from the world,” Benton said. “In high school with my parents going through a divorce, there was a bunch of anger built up. At the same time, I knew I wasn’t a guy who could let my grades slip because I knew nothing was going to benefit from that. Football was the perfect place to release my anger. Through football, it got my education paid for and allowed me to play college football at the most elite level there is and meet people I never would’ve if I never left Russellville.”

Be it football or local fried corn on the cob, Benton wants to preach the Russellville pride into his team. Yes, Benton is still young enough to connect and have fun with the players during practice, but he knows how to work and get the most out of them. As a Class A school averaging around 30 on the roster each year, Benton is taking conditioning lessons from college and applying it to his team. With most players playing both sides of the ball, the freedom of taking breaks isn’t an option.

Benton’s hope is what’s built from that mindset is a brotherhood that helps players make the most out of playing for Russellville.

“The things football has done for me and being from this area, knowing what football means to Russellville, it’s just coming and trying to get these kids to understand that,” he said. “It drives me. Playing this game is honestly a privilege, not a right. That right there is probably one of the most challenging things to teach these guys to actually understand.

“When you make a block, you’re not making a block for the running back, you’re making a block for my best friend who I used to share peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with in second grade. If I can get them to grasp that it’s more than football and it’s about building a brotherhood and everything, then it makes everything easier when you get that concept.”{&end}