01/20/23 – Dawahares/KHSAA Hall of Fame Reveals Class of 2023

January 20, 2023 2022-2023 News Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: JAN. 20, 2023

The Kentucky High School Athletic Association will induct its Class of 2023 into the Dawahares/KHSAA Hall of Fame presented by Roberts Insurance on Sunday, April 30, at the Central Bank Center Ballroom in Lexington. With the addition of this year’s 14-member class, the Dawahares/KHSAA Hall of Fame will surpass the half-century mark with 505 all-time members.

Tickets to the 2023 Dawahares/KHSAA Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will be available for purchase at khsaatickets.org beginning Feb. 6.

CAROLYN ALEXANDER (Athlete / Hazard) – Carolyn Alexander, the 1998 “Kentucky Miss Basketball” runner-up, led Hazard to the 1997 KHSAA Girls’ Basketball Sweet 16® championship and back-to-back All “A” titles. In her junior season, Alexander earned first-team All-State honors from the Associated Press, Lexington Herald-Leader and Courier Journal, and was named the No. 1 player in Kentucky by the AP. Alexander’s 3,726 career points rank fifth all-time, highlighted by a 1,029-point campaign in 1997-98. She also totaled more than 1,100 rebounds, 500 steals, 300 assists and 100 blocks over her career.

CANDY BERRY (Coach / Greenup County) – Candy Berry started the Greenup County cheerleading program and guided the Lady Musketeers for 44 years, earning 16 UCA National High School Cheerleading Championships, six Kentucky Association of Pep Organization Sponsors state titles, three KHSAA Basketball Sweet 16® In-Game competition titles and two KHSAA Competitive Cheer State Championships. She was named Coach of the Year by KAPOS in 1979 and again by American Cheerleader Magazine in 2000, twice earning Kentucky Colonel recognition. She was inducted into the Greenup County School District Hall of Fame in 2016 and earned the American Spirit Awards Lifetime Achievement honor in 1999.

GREG BROHM (Athlete / Trinity [Louisville]) – Greg Brohm earned first-team All-State honors from the Associated Press and Courier Journal after totaling 51 receptions and 893 yards for Trinity (Louisville) during the 1987 season. He was named the third-best wide receiver in Kentucky history by Bob White of the Courier Journal in 1996. Brohm earned Academic All-State honors in three sports and participated in the Kentucky-Tennessee All-Star Football Series, winning the 1985 KHSAA Football Class 4A State Finals with the Shamrocks before going on to star at the University of Louisville.

JERMAINE BROWN (Athlete / Fairdale) – Jermaine Brown, named 1991’s ”Kentucky Mr. Basketball,” was a back-to-back first-team All-State honoree and Most Valuable Player of two consecutive KHSAA Boys’ Basketball Sweet 16® championships by Fairdale in 1990 and 1991. Brown amassed 2,005 career points, including 158 dunks, in addition to 1,121 total rebounds. He anchored Fairdale to a 70-8 record over two years, claiming two titles at both the Louisville Invitational Tournament and King of the Bluegrass. Brown also earned All-State football honors during his 1990 senior season before going on to play basketball at the University of Tennessee.

DAVE COWENS (Athlete / Newport Central Catholic) – Dave Cowens played two seasons for Newport Central Catholic, guiding the Thoroughbreds to a 50-11 record by way of back-to-back district championships and one region title. Cowens went on to play for Florida State University, where he remains the program’s all-time leading rebounder and a top-10 all-time scorer. Cowens was selected fourth overall by the Boston Celtics in the 1970 NBA Draft, leading the Celtics to two NBA championships over 13 years. Cowens was the 1973 NBA Most Valuable Player, the 1971 Rookie of the Year and an eight-time All-Star. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1991 and had his jersey retired by both the Celtics and the Seminoles.

MEGEN “PENNY” GEARHART (Athlete / West Carter) – Megen Gearhart, named 2003’s “Kentucky Miss Basketball,” anchored West Carter to the 2000 KHSAA Girls’ Basketball Sweet 16® championship, as well as five Region 16 and District 62 titles. She was named to the All-State first team three times and to the All-Tournament Team in every region and district tournament in which she participated, claiming Region Most Valuable Player honors her final three seasons. Gearhart scored 2,711 career points for the Lady Comets before going on to play collegiately for Morehead State University.

DAN GOBLE (Coach / Lloyd Memorial, Shelby County, Atherton, Christian County) – Dan Goble spent 37 years as a football coach and 14 years as a baseball coach across multiple Kentucky high schools. He guided Lloyd Memorial (12-1), Shelby County (10-1), Atherton (9-1) and Christian County (14-1) to the best respective records in school history at the time during his tenure on the sidelines. Goble won a KHSAA Football Class 1A state title as an assistant coach and guided Christian County to two Class 4A state championships as a head coach. The Colonels won 12 Western Kentucky Conference titles and six district titles under Goble, who earned Coach of the Year honors four times from three different organizations and has previously been inducted into four Halls of Fame while never posting a losing record in baseball. A three-time Kentucky Colonel, Goble has been recognized by three different Governors of Kentucky for his achievements.

BARRY “BB” KING (Athlete, Coach / Knott County Central, Letcher County Central, Breathitt County) – Barry “BB” King led Knott County Central to two KHSAA Boys’ Basketball Sweet 16® appearances as an athlete and five as a coach. King scored 1,941 career points, which ranks third all-time in school history. The Patriots went 260-109 (.705) over 12 seasons, including a span of four consecutive region and district titles from 2012-2015. Knott County Central advanced to eight region finals during King’s tenure which also included a stint as Kentucky All-Star coach, claiming two WYMT Mountain Classic championships.

JARED LORENZEN (Athlete / Highlands) – Jared Lorenzen, named 1998’s “Kentucky Mr. Football,” quarterbacked Highlands to the 1998 KHSAA Football Class 3A state title behind a perfect 15-0 record. Lorenzen completed 169 of 270 passes that season, racking up 3,392 passing yards, 42 passing touchdowns, 904 rushing yards and 15 rushing touchdowns. He continued his football career at the University of Kentucky, where he still holds the all-time passing record of 10,354 yards. Lorenzen was a Super Bowl XLII champion with the NFL’s New York Giants in 2008 and was inducted into the UK Athletics Hall of Fame in 2015.

RANDY NAPIER (Coach / MC Napier, Perry County Central) – Randy Napier coached girls’ basketball at MC Napier and Perry County Central for a combined 38 seasons. Napier’s career record of 886-285 (.757) makes him the all-time winningest girls’ basketball coach in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, while also topping the sport’s list of games coached at 1,171. His teams won 22 district titles, 10 region titles and one KHSAA Girls’ Basketball Sweet 16®. Napier earned Region 14 Coach of the Year honors 11 times and coached the Kentucky All-Stars in 2007 and the McDonald’s All-American team in 2014.

RANDY REESE (Coach / Ludlow, Paris, Henderson County, Warren East) – Randy Reese spent four decades as a football coach across multiple Kentucky high schools after beginning his career in his home state of Ohio. Reese earned his first KHSAA Football Class 1A state championship during his first season as Ludlow head coach in 1975. He went on to add back-to-back state titles at Paris in 1981 and 1982, as well as a runner-up finish in 1984 and a 38-game winning streak. His teams won more than 20 district titles, earning Reese Coach of the Year honors during each of his championship seasons. Reese has previously been inducted into the Paris Greyhound Hall of Fame, as well as the Norwood High School (Ohio) Athletic Hall of Fame, earning a spot on the Marietta College (Ohio) All-Decade Team for his accomplishments as a player.

DEREK SMITH (Athlete / Highlands) – Derek Smith starred for Highlands in football and boys’ basketball, finishing as the 1999 “Kentucky Mr. Basketball” runner-up. Smith was a four-year starter in basketball and the Region 9 Player of the Year, earning first-team All-State honors in each of his final three seasons en route to scoring 2,229 career points. As a football player, Smith led Highlands to two state championships and twice earned first-team All-State honors as an upperclassman. He was named the Gatorade Kentucky State Football Player of the Year, News Media Kentucky High School Football Player of the Year, Paul Hornung Kentucky High School Football Player of the Year and the “Kentucky Mr. Football” runner-up in 1999. He continued his football career collegiately at the University of Kentucky, earning All-Southeastern Conference honors at tight end before playing one NFL season for the Cincinnati Bengals.

CHARLIE TYRA (Athlete / Atherton) – Charlie Tyra scored 1,026 points for Atherton boys’ basketball, earning first-team All-State and first-team Converse/Chuck Taylor All-American honors in 1953, as well as a selection to the Kentucky All-Star team. He continued his career collegiately at the University of Louisville, where he ranks second in career rebounding average, third in career free throws made and fourth in career scoring average. Tyra helped the Cardinals to the 1956 National Invitational Tournament, earning Most Valuable Player honors en route to the championship. Tyra played five seasons in the NBA and one more in the ABL before being inducted into the Kentucky Sports and UofL Athletics Halls of Fame. Tyra’s jersey was retired by UofL, which also honored him with a spot on its Walk of Fame.

GEORGE UNSELD (Athlete, Coach / Seneca) – George Unseld starred for Seneca boys’ basketball as a player and coach, guiding the Redhawks to a 1961 region title and KHSAA Boys’ Basketball Sweet 16® appearance, where he earned All-Tournament Team honors. He was named to the All-State first team and the Kentucky All-Star team in 1961. Unseld continued his playing career collegiately at the University of Kansas before a professional stint with the NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers. Unseld returned to Seneca as Kentucky’s first Black head coach of a predominately white high school in 1967. He won three district titles and another region title en route to a runner-up finish in the 1968 Sweet 16®.

– 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 284 member schools, both public and non-public. The KHSAA awards 215 state championships to 51 teams and 164 individuals in 13 sports and six sport-activities, funds catastrophic insurance coverage for its more than 106,000 rostered member school student-athletes, provides coaching education and sports safety programs for more than 12,000 coaches and licenses and facilitates the distribution of training material for over 4,000 contest officials.