For about thirty years the hall has been a way to support Kosair as well as the men and women that display sportsmanship in athletic endeavors.
And, this year’s induction class certainly held true to those principles; Rex Chapman, who played basketball with Kentucky prior to making it to the NBA; Bunny Daugherty, a much beloved high school coach specifically at Sacred Heart; Artis Gilmore, a legend with the ABA’s Kentucky Colonels; Ed Kallay, a notable sports broadcaster; Jerry May, a sports medical specialist who made outstanding advances in Athletic treatment; Phil Roof, a baseball stand-out for his time as a catcher as well as manager; and George Tinsley, a basketball star at Kentucky Wesleyan and Olympian; were the names honored, in that June ceremony.
The plaques cover names from Denny Crum to Pat Day and everywhere in between and stand for all visitors to freedom hall to view.
What’s truly remarkable regarding the Hall though is the heart that’s behind it; and how closely it’s aligned to children’s hospitals. One of the Hall’s own mission statements reads, “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. ” (Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame [4])
Currently, the hall is looking for nominations for the 2012 induction class, sports related Kentuckians are encouraged to check out their website [5] for more info.
Image courtesy of the Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame [6]