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Ask Matt ... what happened to Bearcat great Sam Gash?

By Matt Matteson, Published: February 2, 2015

The Lightning responds to your questions.

Q. What is Sam Gash doing these days? Is he still with the Detroit Lions?

Sam left Detroit after coaching for five years. He has been the Green Bay Packers running backs coach for the past year. A Hendersonville High football standout, Gash went on to play fullback for Joe Paterno at Penn State. His pro career, which included stints with the Patriots, Bills and Ravens, lasted a dozen years – a remarkable run given that the average career in the NFL for a player is 3.3 years. To learn more about Sam's job with Green Bay, I spoke to a local fan — Betty Gash, his mom. She related that Sam told her that coaching the Packers was the best job he ever had. This past year Betty Gash drove up to see two games in Green Bay. She said, "I wasn't going to sit in any press box. I want to be right out there with the fans." She also admitted that she was an unapologetic "cheesehead."
I also talked to Sam's brother, Eric, who teaches math and coaches football and girls basketball at Hendersonville High. Eric said that the Packers recent loss to Seattle was a heartbreaker for Sam and the team, particularly when they were in the catbird seat until the last few minutes of the game. On a brighter note, Eric said that there was talk about holding a kids football camp here in Hendersonville this summer where Sam could help out and possibly bring down some of the Green Bay players. I hope that idea gets traction.

Q. How many new restaurants have opened this past year in Henderson County?

Here is an unofficial list of 14 eateries that have opened their doors to the public in 2014: Mountain Pie Company, Sol y Luna, and Postero (all on Main St.), Jimmy John's and Burgerworx (both Harris-Teeter), Dickies Barbecue Pit (Fletcher), Poplar Leaf Cafe (Upward Road), Moose Cafe (Highland Sqare), Mex-Italy and Liberty Cafe (Asheville Hwy.), Tequila's Bar and Grill (Freeman Street), J-Bob's Pit BBQ (Etowah), Patty's Burger Shack (7th Ave.), and Lakeledge Bistro (Cummings Cove). Renzo's will open on Main Street in February and one day the downtown rooftop dining restaurant will open. I'm thinking they may call it The Pyramid for as long as they have been working on it. A quick count reveals we now dine at 10 Mexican, 4 Italian, 12 Asian, and 5 barbecue restaurants. Oh, and one soul food place.

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Send questions to askmattm@gmail.com.