Former Cats' Pause publisher Oscar Combs is now in the Kentucky Sports Hall of Fame. (Louisville Sports Commission Photo)
Former Cats’ Pause publisher/owner Oscar Combs recently was inducted into the Kentucky Sports Hall of Fame. He started his publication on UK sports in 1976 and sold the publication in 1997.
He also spent 20 years on the UK Radio Network pregame shows before giving that up in 2016. “I enjoyed that so much and it made me a better person and I tried to be a kinder person when older people would call in or maybe folks did not have their facts straight when they called,” Combs said.
Combs was an icon not only in Kentucky but across the nation for the work he did covering UK athletics.
“I wanted to go out on top and feel like I did that when I stepped away,” he said.
However, while Combs left the UK Radio Network, he didn’t exactly quit sharing stories. Instead, he started a podcast on OscarCombs.com where he mainly talked with former UK players for about an hour letting them share their stories.
“All the podcasts are still available and some are unbelievable stories,” Combs said. “One must listen is with (former Kentucky governor) John Y. Brown and his involvement with UK sports.
“(Former UK coach) Joe (Hall) put us off a long time before finally coming over and saying he would do 30 minutes. He got there at 9:45 (a.m.) and left at 2:45 (p.m.). We did four episodes with him and he held nothing back.”
Combs believes one of his “very best interviews” was with LeRoy Byrd in 2018.
“His son had been killed about two months before and he brought up how his life changed so much. It brought tears to my eyes,” Combs said. “But there are a lot of interviews like that.”
Combs worked with WLAP producer Beau Robinson on the podcast. Robinson is a huge UK basketball historian and the two originally had 100 episodes when they were going to call it quits.
“But I told Beau we had to do one more show to make it 101 as a final show of appreciation to the Committee of 101 for all that group has done over the years to help UK athletics,” Combs said.
2 Responses
Great words Oscar
What a difference a man can make. He elevated the affection fans held for their Cats. He understood that affection of the thousands of Eastern Kentuckians who drove in many instances over an hour to get to a hill whereupon they could sit in their cars and listen to their Cats. These were his friends for many reasons, but what they shared through the Cats
brought them together regardless of differences. And he was one of those kind of fans, and
he came up with means to help his friends to better understand and follow their team.
The doors he opened for so many people. And the Cats Pause was awaited throughout the state and around the nation. The growth of the Big Blue Nation added many more fans to follow the Cats with more information than they had ever had….and more info on the Bib Blue for Cats fans than did rivals had for over a decade.
Basketball fans across the nation are thankful to the doors he opened across the country to follow their schools by using his ideas. The NCAA as well as national television understand
the significant growth in basketball interests that has grown in part due to Mr. Combs’ innovations.
Makes you proud of Kentuckians!
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