Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame

Mission Statement

The mission of the Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame is twofold:

— To recognize those individuals and teams that have made significant contributions to sports and have achieved a high standard of athletic success representing the honored traditions of the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

— To support, in a meaningful way, Kosair Charities, which does so much toward providing world class medical care for thousands of children throughout Kentucky and Southern Indiana.

The Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame Board of Directors is pleased to provide this web site for all Kentuckians and friends of Kentucky sports nationwide. We hope this site:

— Provides the Kentucky sports public with history and information about the Hall of Fame inductees in terms of their high level of athletic/sports performance or sports contribution and their having made a positive influence on the development of other individuals, our communities and Kentucky institutions;

— Permits active participation by Kentuckians and friends in recognizing individuals/teams for consideration for induction into the Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame;

— Encourages Kentuckians to attend and/or contribute to activities to recognize the inductees, including the annual KAHF induction banquet, the proceeds of which go to benefit Kosair Charities;

— Solicits suggestions, invites Hall of Fame nominations and serves as a conduit to answer questions about the Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame.

As always, we wish to thank tour local businesses for generous, long-term support of the KAHF and for underwriting development of this web site outreach program.

2012 KAHF Officers and Board of Directors
Our membership offers wide capabilities. Within our alliance are representatives of
organizations of all sizes. Listed below are our current officers and board members.


KAHF Officers
President:		Jim Ellis
Vice-President:		Bob Pace
Treasurer:		Bill Malone
Secretary:		Jo Barrett



Board of Directors
	Jo Barrett	Joe McGehee
	Valerie Owens-Combs	Gary Meeker
	Gordon Crawford	Dan Neal
	Jim Ellis	David Owen
	Dick Gabriel	Wally Oyler
	Lloyd Gardner	Bob Pace
	John Hubbuch	Ron Sheeran
	John Karem	Hal Smith
	Bill Malone	Thomas Steltenkamp
	Steven McCormick	Glen E. Stuckel
Michael Wertheim


KAHF Advisors
Junior Bridgeman
Randy Coe
Paul Hornung
Will Wolford


KAHF Nominating Committee

Kosair Charities President Randy Coe says the association with the Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame is the equivalent of a slam dunk or touchdown for Kosair Kids. “Kentucky is home to some of the finest athletes and athletic programs in the nation, and it’s an honor for Kosair Charities to be associated with them. They bring great recognition to our state and, through this event, to Kosair Kids,” Coe notes. “We appreciate the volunteers at the Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame whose hard work make this event a success not only for the honorees, but also for our Kosair Kids.”

Giving to Kosair Charities is as simple as logging onto the Internet. At www.kosair.org you’ll be able to help Kosair Kids from your computer, when it’s convenient for you. Donations made online using a credit card are safe, secure and easy. They’re also tax-deductible.

A contribution to Kosair can be made in your name, or in memory or honor of another. If you make a donation to honor someone else, Kosair gives you the option to have an acknowledgement letter sent to that individual or estate.

You are not only invited, but urged to visit the Kentucky Fair & Exposition Center’s Freedom Hall in Louisville to see the Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame’s permanent “Walls of Fame” exhibit, a tribute to Kentucky sports achievement at all levels of competition.

Each Hall of Fame inductee is honored with a beautifully engraved bronze plaque on display on the first level of Freedom Hall. It’s a chance to recall sports feats of an earlier day as well as a way to introduce the kids and grandkids to the diverse heritage of Kentucky sports.

Engraved plaques for each inductee bear their likeness and provide short biographical information, including the date of induction into the KAHF. Stroll along and recall the memories that are stirred as you recognize the names and recall the accomplishments of such Kentucky sports standouts as Eddie Arcaro, Ralph Beard, King Kelly Coleman, Earle Combs, Keene Daingerfield, Paul Hornung and Dan Issel.

Those of us with “mileage” fondly recall Western’s Ed Diddle and his red towel. And Joe B. Hall is a household name, but can you recite the feats of “Indian Joe” Guyton? Remember promoter William H. King? Now, if you don’t know that Cawood Ledford was the “Voice of the Wildcats” for decades, get thee to the KAHF shrine and take notes! And what did John Tong always urge you to do following ballgames?

We were thrilled when Tori Murden-McClure successfully rowed across the Atlantic Ocean. But Bobby Nichols wielded a putter, instead of oars.” “Little Louie” Dampier was one of “Rupp’s Runts,” but who made up the “Fabulous Five” and the “Fiddlin’ Five” teams? Who wore number 11 and had his jersey retired by the New York Giants? What female basketball star went to the same Louisville high school as that gridiron great? The Wall of Fame knows!

Adolph Rupp at UK was simply called “the man in the brown suit,” but other Bluegrass State sports legends had colorful monikers. Consider U of L’s Johnny Unitas, who was “Mr. Quarterback” during his legendary NFL career with the Baltimore Colts. Harold “Pee-Wee” Reese became a Brooklyn Dodger, but he remained a Kentuckian, through and through. Do you know their stories? Do your offspring know about them? Do you know that Paul “Bear” Bryant was the University of Kentucky coach for eight years?

Other Kentucky sports figures with memorable nicknames and just as colorful exploits include John “Shipwreck” Kelly, Wallace “Wah Wah” Jones, Charles “Cotton” Nash and, of course, “The Greatest,” Muhammad Ali.

You remember him as “Junior” Bridgeman, but his given name is Ulysses. And while, in each case, Alfred is his real name, we know them as “Sonny” Collins and “Butch” Beard.

Maybe it’s about time you learned more about “Jumping Joe” Fulks, Jack “The Goose” Givens, Arthur “Bull” Hancock Jr., Clem “The Gem” Haskins, Vito “Babe” Parilli and “Sweet Lou” Johnson. While those Hall of Fame inductees — and almost 200 more — are profiled right here on this web site’s Inductees page, a pilgrimage to the “Wall of Fame” stirs up the nostalgia in all of us.

Was “Peck” Hickman’s first name really Bernard? Many know that Centre College once beat the mighty Harvard in football, but what did role “Uncle Charley” Moran play in that monumental upset? The answers are engraved in bronze on the KAHF Walls of Fame in Freedom Hall.

Like Las Vegas headliners, some Kentucky legends can be recognized from their first names alone, for instance, Adolph and Denny, Blanton and Howard, Richie and Cawood, Kyle and Westley. As for our own Darrell and Darrell, one was a NASCAR star while the other led the “Doctors of Dunk.” A stroll along the Walls of Fame is a walk through Kentucky sports history for the whole family.

The Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame board member is indebted to The Kentucky Fair & Exposition Center board for its support of this KAHF endeavor on behalf of Kosair Charities. We also are grateful to the Kentucky Farm Bureau Insurance Companies for its longtime corporate

sponsorship and for providing these plaques for display in one of Kentucky’s premier sports facilities.

The “Walls of Fame” exhibit is free and open to the public during any sports activity or general event at Freedom Hall. While the area housing the Walls of Fame is often accessible at other times, you may wish to call Freedom Hall in advance about the hours the area is open and available.

The most direct access to Freedom Hall and the KAHF display is to enter the Fairgrounds from the Crittenden Drive side and proceed directly to the facility. Come visit the Walls of Fame soon!