Courtney Love wants to be remembered “as a leader”

Courtney+Love

Courtney Love

Chase Campbell

UK Football’s senior linebacker Courtney Love doesn’t care if he’s remembered for what he does on the field or off it, he just wants to be remembered “as a leader.”

“I’m just looking to make a difference in people’s lives,” Love said during UK’s Media Day. “And, you know, lead by example.”

Love has plenty of examples to lead by, as he leads the team in community service hours with 115 by the start of the 2017 season despite having transferred to the school just two years prior. Love has volunteered his time and effort to the UK Children’s Hospital, Read Across America, a local football camp and many other programs around Lexington.

One of these programs is called Amachi Central Kentucky, a program that assists children with one or more incarcerated parents by giving them an adult mentor from their community. Love said that this is his favorite volunteering event of all.

“I get to do a lot of hands on, I get to see him [the child Love mentors] week to week, and so it’s not just, you know, I go to one event and then it’s over with. With this one, it’s constantly happening, you know, I’m making an impact in his life,” Love said.

Love’s personal connection to the situation of these kids is also a likely contributor to his love for the program, as Love ran away from home at eight years old while his father served time in prison.

Even when the Cats headed to Florida for the TaxSlayer Bowl in Jacksonville at the end of last season, Love found a way to help in their community, visiting sick children in the Wolfson Children’s Hospital.

Because of his incredible effort he puts into the Lexington community, Love was nominated for a spot on the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team, which recognizes 22 college football players that have done outstanding community service work.

Love said that he’s really not concerned about the award, and that while getting recognized for his work would be “a blessing,” he cares more about how he affects the lives of those he works with.

On the field, Love contributes every bit as much as he does outside the walls of Kroger Field, as he racked up 76 tackles and a sack in his 13 starts for UK. Love has started every game he’s been able to play in for the Cats, and has been an extremely valuable asset to the team’s star-studded linebacker squad.

Love also said he values the support of his teammates on defense and the work they put in to make each other better.

“When you’ve got guys in different positions calling each other out or calling a player’s only meeting, you know, things like that, that definitely helps and it just lets guys know that we all have each other’s back,” Love said.

With the opening game to his final season soon upon him, Love will have one more shot to make as much of a difference on the field as he’s made off it.