Kentucky high schools need to make sure legacies of past schools are not forgotten – Guest post by Mac Yocum

Frankfort had plenty of room to hang banners honoring more recent teams along with those from teams that paved the way for today's athletes. (Mac Yocum Photo)

There are over 280 schools in Kentucky playing high school basketball. At one time there were nearly 80 schools playing high school basketball in the 2nd region alone.  Counting the African-American schools that played in the KHSAL, and the number is close to 700 high schools in the state that had a high school basketball team during the glory years of Kentucky high school basketball.  

It was decided that bigger was better (which is a discussion for another day) and the small schools went the way of the drive-in theater.  Thankfully though, desegregation forced the end of the African-American only schools.

With the closures of those small community schools and the African-American schools, years of histories and traditions have been brushed away.  I am in gyms across the state as a coach and the one thing that is missing in almost every one of these new gyms and new schools is that there is nothing honoring those who paved the way.  

When Frankfort High School renovated its 65-year old gym, among the first things to go on the walls were banners honoring the championships of Mayo-Underwood, the African-American school in the district from 1928-1956. 

Paul Laurence Dunbar has banners proudly touting the greatness of the original Dunbar High School in Lexington.  However, across town at the amazing new Frederick Douglass High School, I saw no banners recognizing the state championship or state runners-up or the national runners-up teams from the original Douglass High.  

Schools like Mercer County Senior High have had great success in recent years.  But when you visit their gym do you see anything honoring the legacy of Rose Hill, Cornishville, Fairview, McAfee or Salvisa Schools?  Is there anything recognizing Harrodsburg High’s regional titles? 

I doubt there are banners proclaiming Harrodsburg Westside the 1939 KHSAL state champions or honoring its12 regional titles. 

Danville pays homage to Bate during football season but is there anything up in the gym honoring the 13 KHSAL regional titles or the 1936 state runners-up or recognizing their appearance in the 1936 national tournament.  I venture to say there are no banners for the Danville High’s girls’ teams of the 1920’s who made numerous state tournament appearances. 

Garrard County has banners for Camp Dick Robinson, Buckeye, Paint Lick, Lancaster and Lancaster Mason but I don’t think I saw one for recognizing the Buena Vista girls for their state tournament appearance in the early 1920’s.

Schools like Scott County that have won multiple titles have nothing that I have seen honoring the Georgetown Wonder Five girls’ team of the mid 1920’s.  The Wonder Five won a state title, were runners-up twice and featured two of the best female players in the state, Margaret Sabol and Elizabeth Sharpe. Sharpe actually scored over 1,000 career points in an era when that was unheard of.  

I could go on and on about the greatness that was found in those small schools and in the KHSAL schools.   The point is, schools today need to stop forgetting where their roots are and put banners up to honor and recognize these schools, teams and players that laid the foundation for what these schools are today. 

The Mountain Sports Hall of Fame does a great job of keeping the memories alive of those from their area.  Frankfort High School has its own museum so students will know the history.  Other schools need to step up so that the legacies of these former schools and players are not forgotten.

— Mac Yocum

Vaught’s Note: Mac Yocum is an assistant girls basketball coach at Frankfort High School and long-time teacher in Kentucky.