What began as a trophy order website for his father’s sporting goods store in the early days of the internet morphed into the state’s premier website for Kentucky high school sports information.
However, the future of the Riherd’s websites and databases is in question following Saturday’s announcement by site designer Frank Riherd that he had been diagnosed with ALS. A message posted on the website by Riherd said he would be unable to maintain the scoreboard after June 30.
Riherd called this week “one of the most difficult of his life.”
Since the first boys’ basketball scoreboard launch in 1997 through a partnership with the Kentucky High School Athletic Association, Riherd expanded the software to include football, girls’ basketball, volleyball, girls’ soccer, boys’ soccer, baseball, softball, field hockey, and lacrosse.
The website has included the scores of over 650,000 games and statistics of teams and athletes as entered by the schools. It has been hailed as one of the top high school sports databases and websites in the nation.
Riherd’s career in engineering took him across the country and later to Europe, where he continued to maintain the site despite the 7-hour time difference from the United States.
However, the Louisville Courier-Journal reported in June 2024 that the KHSAA struck a five-year deal with ArbiterSports, allowing Arbiter to become the KHSAA’s internal software system for managing all aspects of member schools’ athletics, including scores and schedules.
Riherd said Arbiter “chose not to implement key pieces. Some of those are important. Unfortunately, there is no replacement yet for RPI, Game Stats, and Leaders, which require constant handholding.”
Riherd went on to say, “I do not yet know how the KHSAA will replace the Scoreboard, but it will no longer be updated on this website as of June 30. The same applies to the iPhone app. I hope the vendor they find shares my penchant for detail and ‘getting it right.’”
Riherd’s unexpected announcement leaves the KHSAA with big decisions to make in the coming months. The switch to Arbiter for schedule, score, and roster entry has not been a popular one among athletic directors and coaches because of the extra steps involved in data entry.
The KHSAA has also struggled to update historical data and records on its own website over the past five years, leaving many statewide record books without timely updates.
Now, with the state’s top high school sports database ceasing to update after June 30, the KHSAA has to decide whether to let an outside vendor take over its operation or dig in and take over the site, working to ensure Riherd’s vision and sweat continue for the coming years.
