06/08/14 – Dawahares/KHSAA Hall Of Fame Class Of 2015 Inductees Announced

June 8, 2014 2013-2014 News Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: SUNDAY, JUNE 8, 2014 

DAWAHARES/KHSAA HALL OF FAME CLASS OF 2015 INDUCTEES ANNOUNCED

LEXINGTON – The Kentucky High School Athletic Association Hall of Fame Class of 2015 was announced today in a press conference at the KHSAA Offices. The 10 members in this year’s class will be the 28^th inducted into the Dawahares/KHSAA Hall of Fame, and consists of former high school coaches, athletes, officials, administrators and contributors. The Class of 2015 will be inducted in ceremonies scheduled for Saturday, March 21, 2015, at the Lexington Convention Center. The Class of 2015 will also be recognized during the semifinals of the 2015 Whitaker Bank/KHSAA Boys’ Sweet 16®. The induction of the 10-member Class of 2015 will bring the total number of honorees in the Hall of Fame to 433.

Ron Bevars (North Hardin) – One of the winningest boys’ basketball coaches in Kentucky history, Ron Bevars built a powerhouse program at North Hardin in his 38 seasons at the helm, racking up 805 victories, 12 Region Championships, three KHSAA Boys’ Sweet 16® Semifinal appearances and a runner-up finish in 1982. Bevars retired after the 2013 season with a career mark of 805-348, and currently ranks fourth on the state’s all-time list for coaching victories. He presided over more games than any other coach in the state’s history with 1,153 varsity games, all at the same school. A charter member of the Kentucky Association of Basketball Coaches, Bevars was inducted into the Fifth Region Athletic Directors Hall of Fame in 2001 and the Kentucky Association of Basketball Coaches “Court of Honor” in 2002.

Kyra Elzy (Oldham County) – One of the best girls’ basketball players to come out of Kentucky, Kyra Elzy totaled 3,020 points, 1,703 rebounds, 516 steals and 449 assists during her stellar career at Oldham County. A two-time All-America selection by Parade Magazine and Street & Smith, Elzy led the Lady Colonels to four district titles, two regional championships and a semifinal appearance at the 1993 KHSAA Girls’ Sweet 16®. She posted career averages of 23 points and 13 rebounds per game, and enjoyed a career performance as a junior with a 38-point, 35-rebound double-double against Scott County. Elzy excelled off the court as well, both in cross country and track and field, where she won a state championship in the 400 meter dash as a junior.

Rich Hendrick (Bristow) – A prolific scorer, Rich Hendrick averaged over 42 points per game his final two seasons at Bristow High School to wrap up a prep career in which he scored 3,070 points. As a junior, Hendrick led the country in scoring with a 42.7 points per game average, totaling 1,110 points in just 26 games to earn Second Team All-State honors. He followed that up by scoring 1,135 points in 27 games as a senior for a 42.0 points per game average en route to his second All-State honor. He set a fifth region record by scoring 65 points against Adairville, and was named Southern Kentucky’s Player of the Year in 1965, while also receiving All-America honors from Coach and Athlete Magazine, Dell Magazine and Clair Bee’s. In the final 53 games of his prep career, Hendrick scored 40-or-more points on 35 occasions, and topped 50 points 12 times.

Dudley Hilton (Breathitt County, Bell County, Bourbon County) – One of the most successful football coaches in Kentucky history, Dudley Hilton amassed 345 victories and won three state titles in three different classifications over 36 seasons (1991, 1997 and 2008). He retired in 2010 with a career record of 345-101, tied atop the state records for the most football coaching victories all-time following a career which included 20 district titles, 11 regional titles, seven regional runner-up finishes and 34-consecutive winning seasons. His career accomplishments were recognized with Coach of the Year honors from the Kentucky High School Athletics Directors Association, the Kentucky High School Coaches Association and the Louisville Courier-Journal. In 1997, he was named Sportsman of the Year by the Lexington Herald-Leader.

Adrienne Hundemer (Dayton) – Possibly the most decorated track athlete in Kentucky history, Hundemer racked up 20 state titles during her illustrious career at Dayton HS. A three-time Kentucky Post Female Athlete of the Year honoree, Hundemer won a total of 12 individual state championships at Dayton, winning four titles in the 300 meter hurdles, and four-straight in both the 100 meter hurdles (1991-94) and the 400 meter dash (1991-94). She was a part of six-consecutive 1600 meter relay championships (1989-94) and contributed to two state championships in the 800 meter relay. Her time of 14.70 in the 100 meter hurdles at the 1994 state meet is still a 1A record 20 years later. Hundemer was inducted into the Dayton HS Hall of Fame in 2007, and joined the Northern Kentucky Sports Hall of Fame and Buddy LaRosa’s Sports Hall of Fame in 2013.

Dennis Johnson (Harrodsburg) – A three-sport star at Harrodsburg HS, Johnson was a dominant force on the football field where he was named Kentucky’s Mr. Football, USA Today Player of the Year, and Sports Illustrated National Player of the Year as a senior in 1998. Johnson suited up for his first varsity football game as a second grader in 1986 at the age of six. He was voted First Team All-State a record 10 times in his prep career, which culminated with a national Defensive Player of the Year award from Parade Magazine. Johnson was a star on the hardwood as well, totaling 2,306 career points, 1,347 rebounds and 335 blocks, while leading Harrodsburg to a regional title and berth in the 1997 KHSAA Boys’ Sweet 16®. Johnson’s prowess in track was evident in his eight individual 1A state championships, as he won four-straight shot put titles (1995-98), three discus championships (1995-96 and 1998) and the triple jump in 1997.

Crystal Kelly (Sacred Heart) – Kentucky’s Ms. Basketball in 2004, Crystal Kelly led Sacred Heart Academy to three-straight state championships, including a 37-1 record and a No. 7 national ranking as a senior. In four years at Sacred Heart, Kelly led the Valkyries to a record of 139-9 by amassing 2,377 points, 1,478 rebounds, 370 steals and 366 blocks, while shooting 64.8 percent from the field. She was twice named Kentucky Gatorade Player of the Year, and received All-America accolades from the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association, Street & Smith and Parade Magazine. A two-time Gatorade Player of the Year for the state of Kentucky, Kelly averaged 14.2 points and 9.3 rebounds per game as a senior while totaling 106 blocks and 91 steals en route to earning Player of the Year honors from the Associated Press and her third-straight All-State selection from the Courier-Journal.

Freddie Maggard (Cumberland) – A three-sport standout and a 12-time letterwinner at Cumberland HS, Freddie Maggard starred for the Redskins on the hardwood, the gridiron and the diamond. On the football field, Maggard led Cumberland to a pair of state championship game appearances as a quarterback and defensive back, earning All-State honors at both positions from the Associated Press in 1986. He was a three-year starter and 1,000 point scorer on the basketball team, and a four-year starter and All-State selection as a pitcher and center fielder on the baseball team. His talents as a baseball player, which included a 28-1 pitching record, led Cumberland to three-consecutive regional championships from 1985-87, with the Redskins advancing to the state semifinals in 1985.

Dan Manley (Contributor) – For over forty-six years, Dan Manley has promoted high school athletics across the Commonwealth. The longtime voice of the Montgomery County Indians, Manley also serves as sports director and morning show host at WMST, and sports editor at the Mt. Sterling Advocate. He is involved in roughly 200 sporting events a year through is role at WMST, but also hosts a weekly live “Sports Extra” program every Saturday morning to highlight coaches and student-athletes. Known for his expertise, knowledge and excellence in play-by-play work, Manley is a member of the 10th Region Boys’ Basketball Hall of Fame as a contributor. Under his direction, WMST is the only radio station in the state to broadcast the entire KHSAA Boys’ and Girls’ Sweet 16® Basketball Tournaments, as well as the football state championships.

Dickie Parsons (Harlan) – A four-sport star at Harlan HS, Parsons was an All-State selection in football and basketball, ran the 880 in track, and hit .450 as a senior for the baseball team, where he continued his career by becoming an All-American at the University of Kentucky. Parsons scored 1,277 points in three years for Harlan, which retired his basketball jersey in 1996, earning All-State honorable mention honors as a junior, and Second Team All-State accolades as a senior in 1957 after averaging 22.9 points per game. Following his playing days at UK, Parsons went on to coach at Glasgow and Boyle County High Schools, with the Rebels inducting him into their baseball Hall of Fame.

— KHSAA — 

About the Kentucky High School Athletic Association
The Kentucky High School Athletic Association was organized in 1917 and is the agency designated by the Kentucky Department of Education to manage high school athletics in the Commonwealth. The Association is a voluntary nonprofit 501(c)3 organization made up of 277 member schools both public and private. The KHSAA sanctions 40 state championships in 12 sports and 4 sport activities, licenses and trains over 4,000 officials, provides catastrophic insurance for its more than 70,000 member school student-athletes, as well as overseeing coaching education and sports safety programs.