manufacturing firm that became a success. It is a shop that has never seen a union, Van Note's mother, Marie, died of cancer when he was 10, "I didn't face what I had missed from my mother for a long time." Van Note says. "I Was introverted, lonely. My father would say, "Boys this is the schedule," and that was it. There was no softening to my life. Little joy. So sports-football-took over and filled the void."

"When it's quiet sometimes, Jeff will say to me, "Why did God have to take her?' " says Dee Van Note, Jeff's wife.

The Van Note's have three sons-Beau, 16, Ben, 14, Blaine, 9. " I tell Jeff to hug Blaine," says Dee. "Hug him and tell him that you love him, But it's hard for Jeff to do."

"The bond between mothers and sons," Van Note says firmly, "Is not an old wives'  tale"

Jeff and Dee meet when he was enrolled at St. Joe Prep, 40 miles outside Lousiville. He was allowed to come home old once a month. "I knew, when my father liked him ,that he had to be a boy of character," Dee says. Only I couldn't get him to dance. He didn't dance well, so he didn't dance at all.

Van Note got the last available scholarship at Kentucky in 1964 and played defensive end. running back, linebacker and defensive end,. He was quick enough as a freshman to return an interception  84 yards for a touchdown, "I used to be an athlete before I became lineman he says with a laugh.. ."I had to bulk up. But you'd always rather have your quick's than strong's. Even today, Always.