Tyson Gay & Frank Miklavcic Added to KHSAA Hall of Fame

 

Nine former high school coaches, athletes, officials, administrators or contributors make up the 26th class to be inducted into the Dawahares/KHSAA Hall of Fame.

Pascal Benson - One of the most well-rounded athletes in Western Kentucky, Benson starred for Henderson High School in the mid-1950s. Benson starred in baseball, basketball and football, earning All-State honors in all three sports.

Julie Ditty - A three-time state high school singles champion, Ditty is one of Kentucky's all-time tennis greats. Ditty won her first championship as an eighth-grader at Lexington Christian Academy in 1993. Ditty later starred at Russell High School, taking home singles championships in 1996 and 1997. Ditty later played two years for the U.S. National Junior Team and enjoyed a standout career at Vanderbilt University, where she was a three-time All-American.

Tyson Gay - Long before he became America's fastest man, Gay was Kentucky's fastest student-athlete. Gay won three state championships in the 100 meters competing for Lafayette High School, including a record time of 10.46 in 2001. Gay later became a three-time world champion and represented the United States Olympic team in 2008.

Burney Jenkins - One of Kentucky's most decorated officials, Jenkins has dedicated more than 35 years to Kentucky high school sports as a referee, an umpire and later as an assigning secretary. During that time Jenkins has called four state football championships, five state basketball finals and five state baseball championships.

Roger Klein - One of the pioneers of Kentucky high school tennis, Klein's contributions during more than three decades as a coach and contributor cannot be understated. Klein built a power at Bellevue High School, where he served from 1942-1974. His perseverance led to the establishment of the first state tennis tournament in 1945.

Frank Miklavcic - Miklavcic's contributions to the sports of track and field and cross country are an important reason why the sports enjoy the nationwide level of respect among their peers. A longtime coach at first Paintsville and later Frankfort, Miklavcic consistently fielded squads that were among the top of its division.

Ron Myers - Myers enjoyed a distinguished 31-year baseball coaching career at Elizabethtown High School. During his time in charge of the Panthers, Myers won 727 games and state championships in 1970 and 1975. In all, his Panthers won 21 districts, 18 regional and five semi-state championships and finished as state runner-up on two other occasions.

Jamie Walz Richey - Perhaps the most decorated girls' basketball player in state history, Walz Richey set records in her career at Highlands in the early 1990s that still have not been approached. In all, Walz Richey set 12 state records and was twice named the Kentucky Female Athlete of the Year. By the time her career ended in 1996, Walz Richey earned a spot in the Gatorade Circle of Champions, Parade Magazine National Player of the Year and Kentucky Miss Basketball. She remains the state's all-time leading scorer with 4,948 points.

Jon Dee Wilson - The personification of the words sportsman and teacher, Wilson has dedicated nearly four decades of service at Cawood, Webster County and later at Red Bird Mission School. Wilson took over a Cawood team in 1974 that had never enjoyed a winning season and won four district titles in five years. Once he retired from the public school system, Wilson breathed new life into the boys' basketball program at Red Bird.

Two others have previously been voted into the Hall of Fame but declined induction. Kelly Coleman (1989) and John Reynolds (1994) have yet to accept the honor. They would be added if accepted.