[TheRealVille]

Former UK player Mike Scott has always been the consummate offensive lineman: tough, unassuming, concerned with helping others. Even as he's fighting Stage IV pancreatic cancer now, those qualities haven't left him.

Scott, now an assistant football coach at Milton High School in Fulton, Ga., was diagnosed with cancer earlier in October. His situation quickly became serious. Scott, 36, was hospitalized on Oct. 19, and was released this weekend to his home to be with his family.

His initial diagnosis indicated he might have six months to live, but that timeline has since been shortened. He's now under hospice care at home, and the cancer has spread to his liver and lungs. Chemotherapy and radiation treatments aren't an option for him.

"Through all this, Mike has said 'I know I'm up against something tough but I'm going to fight it to the very end to the best of my ability,'" said Fulton assistant Todd Perry, who played offensive line at UK from 1989-92.

Scott played guard and center for Kentucky in 1994 before his career was cut short by costal chondritis, an inflammation of rib cartilage and an enlarged heart. Scott wasn't done with football, though. He spent the next three years as a student assistant coach, working with the offensive line while learning how to coach.

He's always remained close to the program and followed the team closely. Following his diagnosis, Scott texted Kentucky coach Joker Phillips to let him know what he was up against. Phillips, who was an assistant coach at UK while Scott was a player and student assistant, told his team about Scott's battle after Kentucky's 49-7 loss to Arkansas.

"There's not a bigger UK fan than Mike Scott," Phillips said in an email to Cats Illustrated. "He's a guy who wrote letters to the (UK) coaches since he was in eighth or ninth grade about his dream of playing here. The reason I wanted to tell the team about his fight is because I know he is pulling for them in their fight."

After Scott's diagnosis, Milton's players began wearing blue and white decals with his initials on them to honor their coach. A purple ribbon is the symbol for pancreatic cancer, but the blue and white stickers seemed more appropriate.

The walls of Scott's office are covered with Kentucky posters. He and Perry regularly talk about the Wildcats while they shared duties coaching the offensive line.

"He lived and breathed Kentucky football," Milton head coach Howie DeCristofaro said. "He died 1,000 deaths when they lost. He's a great guy and fun to be around. It's a shame that his family will have to go through life without him."

Milton has begun taking donations for Scott's wife, Mary Jane, and their children. The Milton High School booster club set up a scholarship fund for his 6-year-old daughter Abby and his 3-year-old son Anthony to help send them to college.

Donations to the family can be made at www.giveforward.com/miracleformike. There's also a Facebook page that has been set up as a show of support. The response has been overwhelming. As of Wednesday, over $32,000 had been raised.

"It tells you there's a lot of great people in this community, but it also tells you what kind of a person Mike is," Perry said. "It's been a blessing."

Even rival schools in the area have helped to raise money. Milton has also started selling red bracelets to raise money, and the team has adopted 'ScottStrong' as its motto. Scott is also the strength coach for Milton.

"He's just a tough guy and a strong man," Perry said. "That's what 'ScottStrong' is about. It just made sense."

Scott has remained upbeat and positive throughout the process. He and Perry still speak, but Scott doesn't talk about his situation. DeCristafaro said Scott is much more concerned about others.

Outside of his family, Perry says Scott has been more worried about his players than anyone else. Two of his senior offensive linemen are committed to play at Wake Forest next year, and a third is committed to TCU.

"People that love Mike and know Mike, he has this big booming voice that you could hear 100 yards away even if he was whispering," Perry said. "He has such a big presence and he epitomizes what it means to be an offensive lineman in terms of toughness. Even with everything going on, he won't let up one bit."

It's a difficult situation for Scott, his family, and those involved at Milton. But they're still holding out hope for a miracle.

"Everybody's praying," DeCristofaro said. "There's only one guy who can make that call and it's up to him. He's waiting to see if it works out and if it doesn't, I guess there's a better purpose in mind for him."

You can donate to Mike Scott's family at http://www.giveforward.com/miracleformike. You can also show support for Scott and his family on Facebook.

http://kentucky.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1429505

[TheRealVille]

MILTON, Ga. -- Just a month ago, Milton High School assistant football coach Michael Scott was as healthy as anyone. Now, he is in the hospital with maybe days to live.

PHOTOS | [URL="http://www.11alive.com/news/photo-gallery.aspx?storyid=261905"]Coach Michael Scott
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"Compared to life and death, football's not all that important," said head coach Howie DeCristofaro. "He wants to be out here in the worst way."

After going in for tests for what he thought was acid reflux, Scott was diagnosed with Stage IV pancreatic cancer that had already spread to his lungs and his liver. Scott's family learned this week he is beyond chemotherapy. At this point, they are simply trying to make him comfortable for his final days.

"The hardest part for he and I both was telling our six-year-old girl that Daddy didn't have much time left," said his wife Mary Jane.

The Scotts have two children, and he also claims seven figurative sons in the form of his offensive line. Scott coached the linemen at Milton; he brightens up greatly when they visit.

"Anything I get to do with the offensive linemen is near and dear to my heart," Scott said. "[I appreciate] that I know hands-down that I've made some sort of impact on them."

The Scott family is trying to raise funds to help cover medical expenses at this difficult time. If you would like to donate, go to http://www.giveforward.com/miracleformike. If you would like to leave a note of support and prayer, fill out the form below.

http://www.11alive.com/news/article/2618...Atlanta-HS