Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame

The Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame is a sports hall of fame for the U.S. state of Kentucky established in 1963. Individuals are inducted annually at a banquet in Louisville and receive a bronze plaque inside Louisville's Freedom Hall. The Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame other wise known as the Kentucky Sports Hall of fame, is a non-profit organization funded by the Kentucky Lottery and owned and operated by the Louisville Sports Commission.

Notable inductees

Honorees have included Louisville native Muhammad Ali. A three-time world champion and six-time Golden Glove recipient, he won a gold medal in the light heavyweight division at the 1960 Summer Olympics (at age eighteen) and turned professional later that year. Also included is American football player and coach Bo McMillin (who played for Centre College in Danville, Kentucky); and basketball player and coach Pat Riley, who played in college for the Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team. While at the University of Kentucky, Riley managed to average a double double during his entire career there. He is also a ten-time NBA champion, winning one ring as a player with the Los Angeles Lakers and the rest as a coach and an owner in the NBA. Coach Riley was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2005. Bob Baffert an American racehorse trainer who trained the 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah and 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify. Baffert's horses have won a record seven Kentucky Derbies, seven Preakness Stakes, three Belmont Stakes, and three Kentucky Oaks. Most recently inducted. A more recent inductee Dwane Casey inducted in the 2021 class who is the head coach for the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association. He is a former NCAA basketball player and coach, having played and coached there for over a decade before moving on to the NBA.

The 2013 class included people such as Jerry Carroll who was a golf professional, Donna Bender a student-athlete/athletic director at Sacred Heart Academy, University of Louisville basketball player Pervis Ellison, Calvin Borel who was a Kentucky horse racer, Pro football player for the Pittsburgh Steelers Dwayne D. Woodruff, and Tennis player Julie Ditty.

Inducted in the 2015 class were tennis player Mel Purcell,( he captured the 1980 NCAA doubles title with Rodney harmon and was named an all-American.) women's basketball coach Paul Sanderford, basketball player Sharon Garland, college basketball manager and King of the Bluegrass Men's Basketball Tournament founder and director Lloyd Gardner, Major League Baseball umpire Randy Marsh, track and field athlete Boyd Smith, and Lexington's Keeneland Race Course. Scott Davenport, the current men's basketball coach at Bellarmine University was also inducted.

The 2016 class included American football player Shaun Alexander, basketball player Darel Carrier, college basketball coach Scott Davenport, basketball player Kyra Elzy, high school basketball coach Philip Haywood, Kentucky Wesleyan basketball play-by-play announcer Joel Utley, and the Lakeside Swim Club. Kyra Elzy is a Kentucky native and currently holds the position as the University of Kentucky's Women's Basketball Head Coach. She also played basketball for the University of Tennessee and assisted for their team after her career.

Class Year Inductions & Names

2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020
Calvin Borel	Susan Bradley-Cox	Lloyd Gardner	Shaun Alexander	Mike Battaglia	Bob Baffert	Derek Anderson	Pete Browning
Jerry Carroll	Charles "Red" Crabtree	Sharon Garland	Darel Carrier	Howard Beth	Sam Ball	Deion Branch	Anna May Hutchison
Julie Ditty	Stan Hardin	Randy Marsh	Scott Davenport	Rodger Bird	Bob Beatty	William Exum	Clarence "Cave" Wilson
Pervis Ellison	Bill Miller	Mel Purcell	Kyra Elzy	Rob Bromley	Bernie Bickerstaff	Ralph Hacker
Alvin "Bo" McMillin	Paul Rogers	Paul Sanderford	Phillip Haywood	Swag Hartel	Nick Hayden	Willis Augustus Lee
Donna Bender Moir	Rudell Stitch	Shandelier Boyd Smith	Joel Utley	Kenny Klein	Ken Ramsey	Nate Northington
Judge Dwayne D. Woodruff	Valhalla Golf Club	Keeneland Race Course	Lakeside Swim Club	Dennis Lampley	Sarah Ramsey
				Marion Miley

Selection committee

The 2021 Selection Committee has the following members:

• Jeff Bidwell, WPSD-TV
• Drew Deener, ESPN Radio
• Jody Demling, iHeart Media
• Mike Fields, retired Lexington Herald Leader staff writer
• Jason Frakes, Courier Journal
• Kendrick Haskins, WAVE 3
• Reina Kempt, Courier Journal
• Zack Klemme, The Daily Independent
• Mark Mathis, Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer
• Marques Maybin, ESPN Radio
• Brian Milam, WKYT-TV
• Steve Moss, WKYT-TV
• Kevin Patton, The Gleaner
• Kent Spencer, WHAS-TV
• Mark Story, Lexington Herald-Leader

Inductees

The Hall of fame has been honoring athletes for the past 58 years. These are some of the athletes inducted in the past 6 years. Here is the link to the full list of inductees.

2021

• John Asher – Kentucky Derby ambassador. He is known as the voice and face of horseracing in Kentucky.
• Dwane Casey – American Professional basketball coach who attended Union County High School in Morganfield, Kentucky and played four years at the University of Kentucky winning a National Championship in 1977–78. He began His coaching career at the Western Kentucky University before becoming the first African American assistant coach at The University of Kentucky, before moving to the NBA.
• Romeo Crennel – American football coach. Before becoming a defensive coordinator, he was a star at Western Kentucky, where he was a four-year starter and a team captain as a senior in 1969. He then embarked on his coaching career that spanned six decades and included five Super Bowl rings as an assistant.
• Rachel Komisarz Baugh – American swimmer, Olympic gold medalist, and former world record-holder. She swam at the University of Kentucky and became a seven-time All American swimmer and three-time SEC Champion by the end of her four years at the university.
• Keith Madison – Head coach of the Kentucky Wildcats baseball team from 1979 to 2003. He remains the most winningest baseball coach in program history with 735 wins.
• Elmore Smith – Former American professional basketball player. Played at Kentucky State University and went on to play in the NBA for the Buffalo Braves.

2020

• Pete Browning – American professional baseball player that was a pioneer for the major league games, which included several seasons with the Louisville Colonels.
• Anna May Hutchison – Louisville native, she played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.
• Clarence "Cave" Wilson – Basketball player. Wilson led the Horse Cave, KY, Colored School to 65 consecutive basketball victories in the 1940s. He was a forward and a point guard for the Harlem Globetrotters (1949–1964)

2019

• Derek Anderson – American former professional basketball player. In 1996, Anderson helped the University of Kentucky win the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship as part of a team that featured nine future NBA players under their coach Rick Pitino, known as the “untouchables”
• Deion Branch – is a former American football player for the NFL. He played college football as a wide receiver at Louisville under coach John L. Smith. Branch was named the Most Valuable Player of Super Bowl XXXIX.
• William Exum was the head of the Kentucky State University Physical Education Department and later head of the Athletics Department. He coached the KSU men's cross country team to an NCAA Division II championship in 1964. He was also the manager of the United States Track and Field teams at the 1972 and 1976 Olympics.
• Ralph Hacker spent 34 years on the UK Radio Network. He served as the men's basketball analyst for many years with broadcaster Cawood Ledford
• Willis Augustus Lee was a Kentucky native and a skilled sport shooter that won seven medals in the 1920 Olympics shooting events, including five gold medals. He was tied with teammate Lloyd Spooner for the most anyone had ever received in a single Olympics. Their record stood for 60 years.
• Nate Northington – He was the first African-American to play in a college football SEC game with the Kentucky Wildcats.

2018

• Bob Baffert
• Sam Ball
• Bob Beatty
• Bernie Bickerstaff
• Ken Ramsey
• Nicky Hayden

2017

• Mike Battaglia
• Howard Beth
• Rodger Bird
• Rob Bromley
• Swag Hartel
• Kenny Klein
• Dennis Lampley
• Marion Miley

2016

• Shaun Alexander
• Darel Carrier
• Scott Davenport
• Kyra Elzy
• Philip Haywood
• Joel Utley
• Lakeside Swim Club

Inductees	Year of Induction	Hometown	College	Relevant Sport(s)
Dwane Casey	2021	Morganfield, KY	University of Kentucky	Basketball
Elmore Smith	2021	Macon, GA	Kentucky State University	Basketball
John Asher	2021	Leitchfield, KY	Western Kentucky University	Horseracing
Keith Madison	2021	Brownsville, KY	Western Kentucky University	Baseball
Rachel Komisarz Baugh	2021	Warren, MI	University of Kentucky	Swim
Romeo Crennel	2021	Lynchburg, VA	Western Kentucky University	Football
Anna May Hutchison	2020	Louisville, KY	University of Wisconsin-Parkville	Baseball
Clarence "Cave" Wilson	2020	Horse Cave, KY	Tennessee State University	Basketball
Pete Browning	2020	Louisville, KY	–	Baseball
Derek Anderson	2019	Louisville, KY	University of Kentucky	Basketball
Deion Branch	2019	Albany, GA	University of Louisville	Football
Nate Northington	2019	Bowling Green, KY	University of Kentucky	Football
Ralph Hacker	2019	Richmond, KY	University of Kentucky	Football
Willis Augustus Lee	2019	Natlee, KY	Naval War College	Sport Shooter
William Exum	2019	Rock Island, IL	Kentucky State University	Track
Bernie Bickerstaff	2018	Benham, KY	University of Rio Grande	Basketball
Bob Baffert	2018	Nogales, AZ	University of Arizona	Horse Training
Bob Beatty	2018	Butler, MO	Missouri Southern State University	Football
Ken and Sarah Ramsey	2018	–	–	Horse Training
Nicky Hayden	2018
Sam Ball	2018
Dennis Lampley	2017
Howard Beth	2017
Kenny Klein	2017
Marion Miley	2017
Mike Battaglia	2017
Rob Bromley	2017
Rodger Bird	2017
Swag Hartel	2017
Darrell Carrier	2016
Joel Utley	2016
Kyra Elzy	2016
Lakeside Swim Club	2016
Philip Haywood	2016
Scott Davenport	2016
Shaun Alexander	2016
Keeneland Race Course	2015
Lloyd Gardner	2015
Mel Purcell	2015
Paul Sanderford	2015
Randy Marsh	2015
Shandelier Boyd Smith	2015
Sharon Garland	2015
Bill Miller	2014
Charles "Redd" Crabtree	2014
Paul Rogers	2014
Rudell Stitch	2014
Stan Hardin	2014
Susan Bradley-Cox	2014
Valhalla Golf Course	2014
Alvin "Bo" McMillin	2013
Calvin Borel	2013
Donna Bender Moir	2013
Judge Dwayne D. Woodruff	2013
Jerry Carroll	2013
Julie Ditty	2013
Pervis Ellison	2013
Angel McCoughtry	2012
Booby Watson	2012
Churchill Downs	2012
Homer Rice	2012
Hugh Durham	2012
Lee Corso	2012
Ricky Robey	2012
Seth Hancock	2012
Artis Gilmore	2011
Bunny Daugherty	2011
Ed Kallay	2011
George Tinsley	2011
Jerry May	2011
Phil Roof	2011
Rex Chapman	2011
Cornelius "Buddy" Demling	2010
Dan Neal	2010
Donna Wise	2010
Jeff Brohm	2010
Lillie Mason (Stockton)	2010
Michael Waltip	2010
Mike Praff	2010
Wilbur Hackett	2010
Booby Keith	2009
Dan Ulmer	2009
Marty O'Toole	2009
Mary Jean Wall	2009
Mike Casey	2009
Patti Jo Hedges-Ward	2009
Travis "The Machine" Grant	2009
Bob White	2008
Dale Kindsey	2008
Jaime Walz-Richey	2008
Jamal Mashburn	2008
Joe Federspiel	2008
Joe Kendall	2008
Tubby Smith	2008
William S. Farish	2008
Bill "Mr. Wildcat" Keightley	2007
Chris Redman	2007
Clarence "Big House" Gaines	2007
DeJuan Wheat	2007
Jeff Mullins	2007
Kenny "Sky Walker" Walker	2007
Myra Van Hoose Blackwelder	2007
Ron Kordes	2007
Secretariat	2007
Tim Couch	2007
Allan Houston	2006
Bob Schneider	2006
Clemette Haskins	2006
Doug Flynn	2006
Elmore Just	2006
Hillerich and Bradsby	2006
Jenny Hansen	2006
Pat Riley	2006
TOm Jurich	2006
Adrian Smith	2005
Art Still	2005
Dr. Bob Davis	2005
Darrell Wayne Luckus	2005
Greg Page	2005
Woodie Fryman	2005
1974–75 Kentucky Colonels	2005
Bill Spivey	2004
Don Lane	2004
Doug Buffone	2004
Howard Crittenden	2004
Jim McDaniels	2004
Jimmy Feix	2004
Tamara McKinney	2004
Tom Meeker	2004
Ukari Figgs Moore	2004
Anne Combs	2003
Dermontti Dawson	2003
Jack Harbaugh	2003
Johnny Meihaus	2003
Kenny Davis	2003
Roy. Bowling	2003
Van Vance	2003
Will Wolford	2003
Alfred "Sonny" Collins	2002
Danny Sullivan	2002
Guy Strong	2002
John Owens	2002
Mo Moorman	2002
Patricia Joen "Patti" Cooksey	2002
Richie Farmer	2002
Rodney McCray	2002
Wes Strader	2002
Bill Gatti	2001
Billy Reed	2001
Charles Ruter	2001
Johnny Cox	2001
Lee Rose	2001
Lisa Harrison	2001
Tom Hammond	2001
Vernon Hatton	2001
Wesley Cox	2001
Bobby Nichols	2000
Bud Olson	2000
Gay Brewer	2000
Jim Host	2000
King Kelly Coleman	2000
Lou Johnson	2000
Pat Day	2000
Torri Murden-McClure	2000
Charles "Jock" Sutherland	1999
Darrell Waltrip	1999
Derrick Ramsey	1999
Dwight Gahm	1999
Joe Jacoby	1999
Lea Wise Prewitt	1999
Steve Cauthen	1999
Wade Houston	1999
Bill Olsen	1998
Ellie Brown Moore	1998
Frank Minnifield	1998
George Blanda	1998
John Tong	1998
Larry Gilbert	1998
Jim Bolus	1998
John Y Brown	1998
Susan Sloane-Lundy	1998
Denny Crum	1997
Derek Smith	1997
Don Brumfield	1997
Earl Cox	1997
Gene Rhodes	1997
Jim Green	1997
Larry Conley	1997
Phil Simms	1997
Darrell Griffith	1996
Don Fightmaster	1996
Jim Reid	1996
Kyle Macy	1996
Paulie Miller	1996
Steve Meilinger	1996
Valerie Still	1996
William T. Young	1996
Bill Arnsparger	1995
Cliff Barker	1995
Donna Murphy	1995
James Edward (Ted) Bassett, III	1995
Karl Schmitt Sr.	1995
Kenny Rollins	1995
Otto Knop	1995
Phil Rollins	1995
Tom Thacker	1995
Dicky Lyons	1994
Frank Selvy	1994
Geri Grigsby	1994
Howard Schnellenberger	1994
Ralph Kurcheval	1994
Dr. Rudy Ellis	1994
Tom Jackson	1994
Bob Gain	1993
Charles "Cotton" Nash	1993
John Dromo	1993
Lou Michaels	1993
Mack Miller	1993
Mary Terstegge Meagher	1993
Ron King	1993
Sam English	1993
Alex Groza	1992
Bobby Laughlin	1992
Jeff Van Note	1992
John Gaines	1992
Mike Barry	1992
Roy Kidd	1992
Susie Shields White	1992
Ulysses "Junior" Bridgeman	1992
Charles Martin Newton	1991
Dave Cowens	1991
Don Gullett	1991
Jack Givens	1991
Johnny Unitas	1991
Keene Daingerfield	1991
Steve Hamilton	1991
Vito "Babe" Parilli	1991
Amos Martin	1990
Clem Haskins	1990
Dan Issel	1990
Jack Ryan	1990
Jerry Claiborne	1990
Louie Dampier	1990
Louise Wilson	1990
Warner L. Jones Jr.	1990
Arthur Boyd "Bull" Hancock Jr.	1989
Garnis Martin	1989
Jimmy Ellis	1989
Joe B. Hall	1989
Joe Fulks	1989
John Turner	1989
Sherman Lewis	1989
Alfred "Butch" Beard	1988
Betty Rowland Probasco	1988
Billy Evans	1988
David Russell "Gus" Bell	1988
Letcher Norton	1988
Mike Silliman	1988
Paul "Bear" Bryant	1988
Ralph Carlisle	1988
Sanford T. Roach	1988
Cawood Ledford	1987
Charles Tyra	1987
Clint Thomas	1987
Eddie Arcaro	1987
Harry Lancaster	1987
Ted Hornback	1987
William H. King	1987
Jack Coleman	1986
Jim Bunning	1986
Joe Guyon	1986
John Oldham	1986
Paul McBrayer	1986
Stella Gilb	1986
Tommy Bell	1986
Woody Stephens	1986
Ben Allyn Jones	1985
Frank Beard	1985
Muhammad Ali	1985
Ralph Beard	1985
Westley Unseld	1985
Bernard (Peck) Hickman	1975***
Bernie Shively	1975
Blanton Collier	1975
Charles Talton "Turkey" Hughes	1975
Claude Sullivan	1975
Cliff Hagan	1975
Earl Ruby	1975
Frank Camp	1975
Frank Ramsey Jr.	1975
Leonard Lyles	1975
Lou Tsioropoulos	1975
Nick Denes	1975
Paul Hornung	1975
Theodore A. Sanford	1975
Wathen R. Knebelkamp	1975
William L. Kean	1975
Eros Bolivar "Cy" Barger	1966**
Raymond T. Baer	1966
Adolph Frederick Rupp	1964*
Edgar Allen Diddle	1964
Samuel Paul Derringer	1964
Albert Benjamin "Happy" Chandler	1963
Charles "Uncle Charley" Moran	1963
Colonel "Matt" Winn	1963
Earle Combs	1963
Ellis Johnson	1963
Forrest Sale	1963
Harold Reese	1963
John Simms Kelly	1963
Nathaniel John Cartmell	1963
Roscoe Goose	1963
Wallace Clayton "Wah Wah" Jones	1963
William Anderson Alexander	1963

*Selection on hiatus 1965

**Selection on hiatus 1967–1974

**Selection on hiatus 1976–1984

External links

• Official website
• List of inductees