11/19/17 – Dawahares/KHSAA Hall Of Fame Class Of 2018 Inductees Announced

November 19, 2017

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 19, 2017

LEXINGTON – The Kentucky High School Athletic Association Hall of Fame Class of 2018 was announced today in a press conference at the KHSAA Offices. The 13 members in this year’s class will be the 31st inducted into the Dawahares/KHSAA Hall of Fame, and consists of former high school coaches, athletes, officials, administrators, and contributors. The Class of 2018 will be inducted in ceremonies scheduled for Saturday, April 21, 2018, at the Hilton. The Class of 2018 will also be recognized during the semifinals of the 2018 Whitaker Bank/KHSAA Boys’ Sweet 16®. The induction of the 13-member Class of 2018 will bring the total number of honorees in the Hall of Fame to 469.

Brian Brohm (Trinity (Lou.)) – The 2003 Mr. Football honoree, Brian Brohm led Trinity (Lou.) to three-consecutive state championships from 2001-03 while amassing 10,579 passing yards and 119 touchdown passes for the Shamrocks. A multi-sport standout, Brohm added to his prowess on the gridiron by helping the Shamrock baseball team to the state tournament in 2002 and 2004, while leading the basketball team to its first KHSAA Boys’ Sweet 16® appearance in 2004. In addition to the Mr. Football award, Brohm was a two-time Paul Hornung Award recipient (2002-03) and named the Kentucky Gatorade Player of the Year and Frank Camp Award Winner in 2003. Brohm went on to star at the University of Louisville and was selected in the Second Round of the 2008 NFL Draft (56th overall) by the Green Bay Packers.

Ted Cook & Cook Tire Company (Contributor) – Ted Cook was the consummate fan and supporter of high school athletics. Upon forming his Tire company in 1975 along with his wife Debbie, Ted set out on a career long journey of giving back to the community and the state, particularly around sports. Ted was the first official corporate partner of the KHSAA in the mid-1980s, and the legacy of giving continues even after his recent passing. The company has been without question the biggest promoter of KHSAA events in the eastern Kentucky region, and in particular staunch supporters of basketball. Ted Cook and Cook Tire, with their more than 30 years of continued commitment to the KHSAA, is more than deserving of this honor.

Dave Fraley (Powell County, Pulaski County, Knott County Central) – A longtime fixture on the hardwood, Dave Fraley ranks in the top-10 all-time in state history in coaching wins, with his most memorable victory coming in the finals of the 1986 KHSAA Boys’ Sweet 16®. Fraley began his coaching career at Powell County in 1967, becoming the head coach in 1970. He took the Pirates to the state tournament in 1974 before moving on to Pulaski County in 1977. The Maroons reached the state tournament in 1979 and 1984, but reached the top in their third trip under Fraley, winning the 1986 state championship with a 47-45 win over Pleasure Ridge Park at Rupp Arena. Fraley took Pulaski County back to the Boys’ Sweet 16® in 1992 and made his sixth appearance in the state tournament as head coach at Knott County Central in 2010. He returned to the sidelines at Powell County in 2016 and enters the upcoming season with a career record of 684 wins against 242 losses.

Lloyd Gardner (Fairdale) – Coach Lloyd Gardner has dedicated his whole life to the youth of Kentucky, serving the Fairdale community in numerous roles dating back to 1958. An athletic trainer, head coach of four sports and the longtime organizer of the prestigious King of the Bluegrass tournament, Gardner has impacted countless lives over the years. He was an assistant coach at Fairdale under Stan Hardin when the Bulldogs won back-to-back KHSAA Boys’ Sweet 16® Championships in 1990 and 1991. He took over as head coach for the 1991-92 season and guided Fairdale to the program’s third Sweet 16® title in 1994 with a 59-56 win over Paul Laurence Dunbar at Freedom Hall. Gardner led Fairdale to three regional championships and a 275-144 overall record in 14 seasons as head coach, while winning the King of the Bluegrass in 1993 and the Louisville Invitational Tournament in 1994. In Cross Country, Gardner guided Fairdale to four regional runner-up finishes and coached the individual 3A state champion in 1989. He took turns coaching tennis (1976-78) and golf (2000-03) as well, and worked as an athletic trainer for various teams and sports from 1958-95.

Billy T. Haynes (Official) – A licensed official for more than 55 years, Billy T. Haynes has served as an officials assigner, state tournament worker, state officials evaluator, camp clinician and ambassador for the state for more than 25 years. Haynes refereed his first high school basketball game at South Hopkins HS in 1961, and would later add baseball and football to his repertoire (both for more than 30 years), along with track, volleyball and softball. He currently serves as the assigning secretary for football in the 2nd and 3rd Region, and was awarded the Distinguished Service Award from the National Federation of High Schools in 2017. An avid bowler, Haynes led his team to a state championship in the Kentucky State Bowling Tournament. He sported an average over 200 for more than 20 years with three perfect games, two 299’s and two 298’s.

Ron Kordes (Assumption) – A name that is synonymous with volleyball in the state of Kentucky, Ron Kordes has guided the Assumption Rockets to 20 KHSAA State Championships in 29 seasons as head coach. Since taking the helm in 1989, Kordes has racked up 1,060 wins against just 107 losses (.908 winning percentage), with undefeated seasons in 2001 (40-0) and 2005 (43-0). Assumption’s dominance included 12 state titles in a 13-year span, with eight-consecutive championships from 1995 to 2002 and a string of 174-consecutive wins against in-state competition. Kordes ranks in the top-20 all-time on the NFHS list for career volleyball coaching victories (11th among active coaches), while Assumption is tied for eighth nationally with its 20 state championships. The Rockets have been named national champions four times during his tenure, with two players (Katie George and Alexa Filley) earning national Player of the Year honors.

Billy Lynch (Ashland Blazer) – As a senior in 1966, Billy Lynch compiled a perfect 11-0 record with a 0.31 earned run average to lead Ashland Blazer to the first of three-consecutive state championships. Lynch racked up 150 strikeouts over just 66 2/3 innings en route to earning Mr. Baseball and High School Player of the Year honors from the Associated Press. In the 1966 state tournament, Lynch recorded a pair of wins for the Tomcats by allowing one run and one hit with 28 strikeouts over 11 innings pitched. Lynch, who received All-State honors as a junior and senior, contributed offensively as well, posting a .386 batting average as a senior while leading the team in seven offensive categories. As a junior, Lynch hit an astounding .649 and had a string of 14-consecutive at-bats with a hit. He finished his prep career with a 27-2 record on the mound, including an 8-1 mark with a 0.40 ERA as a junior, before being selected in the 2nd Round of the 1966 MLB Draft (32nd overall) by the Cleveland Indians.

Bill Miller (Pleasure Ridge Park) – The all-time winningest coach in KHSAA baseball history, Bill Miller has guided Pleasure Ridge Park to six state championships, 21 regional titles and 1,132 wins in 38 seasons as head coach. The Panthers captured the first of three-consecutive state championships in 1994 with a 10-8 win over Corbin, and repeated the following year with a 2-1 victory over Bowling Green in the state title game. The Panthers became just the second program to win three-straight state championships the following season when they defeated Greenup County, 5-3. PRP has made 10 appearances in the championship game of the state tournament under Miller, reclaiming the state title in 2008, 2013 and 2017. A 2013 inductee into the Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame, Miller has coached three Mr. Baseball honorees and boasts a .789 all-time winning percentage (1132 wins against 304 losses).

Angela Payne Starnes (Todd County Central) – A stellar track athlete at Todd County Central, Angela Payne-Starnes won seven state titles for the Lady Rebels and set the 1A state record in the 100-meter dash at the 1980 state meet – a mark which still stands 37 years later. As a sophomore in 1978, Payne-Starnes won the 440-yard dash and anchored the 4×100 relay team to a first-place finish. She followed that up as a junior in 1979 by winning the first of two-consecutive state titles in the 400-meter dash and added another victory in the 4×100 relay. The 1980 state meet saw Payne-Starnes win the 200-meter dash in 25.90, repeat as 400-meter champion with a time of 58.30 and set the state record in the 100-meter dash in 12.20 as Todd County Central repeated as 1A state runner-ups. Payne-Starnes earned a track scholarship to Murray State, before returning to high school athletics where she has coached track and field at Crittenden County for the last 27 years and became the school’s first female athletic director.

Margaret Richards (Central) – Margaret Richards was named 6th Region Player of the Year and First Team All-State as a senior at Central HS in 1999 after ranking second in the state in scoring average at 35.5 points per game while grabbing 12.9 rebounds per game. An All-District and All-Region selection all four years of her playing career, Richards led Central to an appearance in the KHSAA Girls’ Sweet 16® as a sophomore in 1997. The Yellow Jackets defeated Boyle County 50-46 in the opening round before falling to Apollo in the quarterfinals, 46-45, with Richards earning a spot on the All-Tournament Team. As a junior, Richards averaged 20 points and 11 rebounds per game while helping Central to a 22-11 overall record. Richards went on to play four years at the University of Nebraska before transitioning to the coaching ranks, and is currently the head coach at Alabama A&M.

Rachel Sanford DeJarnatt (Southwestern, Pulaski County) – A five-time Cross Country 3A state champion, Rachel Sanford DeJarnatt won her first state title as a 10-year old fifth grader in 1993. Her accomplishment at such a young age led to a spot in Sports Illustrated’s “Faces in the Crowd”, but she was hardly done there. Sanford DeJarnatt won the next three years as well for Southwestern while still in middle school, and notched her fifth-consecutive state title as a freshman at Pulaski County in 1997, helping the Lady Maroons claim the 3A team championship. Her streak finally came to an end her sophomore year, when she finished as runner-up at the 1998 State Meet. She closed out her high school career with a fourth-place finish as a junior and a third-place showing as a senior, the last of which helped Pulaski County to another 3A team championship. Sanford DeJarnatt excelled in track as well, winning back-to-back state titles in the 3200 meters in 1995 and 1996 while teaming with her sisters (Rebecca and Moriah) to win the 4×800 meter relay in 1998.

Shon Walker (Harrison County) – The 1992 Mr. Baseball award winner, Shon Walker set KHSAA single-season records for home runs and runs scored which still stand 25 years later. As a senior at Harrison County, Walker established KHSAA and then-national records by belting 29 home runs with 82 runs scored for the Thorobreds. He also totaled 76 RBI and drew 43 walks that season, both of which still rank in the top-five in KHSAA records, and is tied for eighth all-time with 70 hits. Among KHSAA career records, Walker is tied for second place with 215 runs scored and sits third with 52 home runs. He is also 14th in career RBI with 183 and ranks sixth with 130 walks. Following his prep career, Walker was drafted in the First Round of the 1992 MLB Draft (33rd overall) and spent seven seasons in professional baseball.

Dave Weedman (Oldham County) – An early girls’ basketball advocate and a highly successful coach, Dave Weedman guided Oldham County to eight appearances in the KHSAA Girls’ Sweet 16® and captured the state title in 1986. The Lady Colonels claimed 10 district titles and eight regional championships under Weedman, advancing to the semifinals of the Girls’ Sweet 16® in 1980. Oldham County reached the top in 1986, defeating Franklin-Simpson, 49-48 in overtime, to earn the school’s first state championship. The Lady Colonels returned to the championship game two years later, but finished as state runner-up after falling to Southern. Weedman ended his coaching career with an all-time record of 319 wins against 110 losses for a .744 winning percentage. He was named the Courier-Journal Girls’ Basketball Coach of the Year in 1989 and was recognized by the KABC Court of Honor in 2003. Following his coaching career, he completed 42-year career in education and served two terms on the KHSAA Board of Control, including one year as President of the Board.

— 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 282 member schools both public and private. The KHSAA sanctions 44 state championships in 13 sports and 5 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.