LOUISVILLE, Ky. (May 6, 2015) — The 2015 Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame members will be introduced at a ceremony at the Crowne Plaza Louisville on Wednesday, June 17, with a reception and silent auction at 6 p.m., followed by a dinner at 7:15 p.m. with Pat Day giving the invocation.
The Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame celebrates it’s 52nd  Anniversary and will hold the  annual banquet to induct seven of Kentucky’s premiere athletes to the Hall of Fame. The Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame honors athletes and sports figures who were born in or who played their respective sport in the State of Kentucky. Each inductee will receive a bronze plaque that will hang inside Louisville’s Freedom Hall. Past inductees include Muhammad Ali, Pee Wee Reese, Pat Day, Denny Crum and many more. This semi-formal event includes a silent auction, dinner, and a program.  All proceeds from this event benefit Kosair Charities.
The cost is $75 per ticket; $600 for table of 8/$3000 for sponsorship table (table of 8 plus 2 seats at an inductee’s table)
. For tickets visit www.KAHF.eventbrite.com.
Kosair Charities® & the Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame proudly presents its Class of 2015
Keeneland Race CourseÂ
Located in Central Kentucky’s Bluegrass region, Keeneland plays an important role in Thoroughbred breeding and racing. As the world’s top Thoroughbred auction house, Keenelandhas sold more champions and stakes winners than any other sales company. A National Historic Landmark, Keeneland held its first racing meet in October 1936. Today, Keeneland’s Spring and Fall Meets rank among the nation’s top racing programs for purse money, field size, quality and fan attendance. Keeneland will host the Breeders’ Cup World Championships in 2015.
Lloyd Gardner
Born in Fairdale, Ky., Lloyd “Pink” Gardner was a manager/student trainer at Fairdale High School in 1958 and at Western Kentucky University from 1962-66. He was trainer, travel secretary and equipment manager for the ABA Kentucky Colonels in 1967-68 and 1971-76. He was part of the World Championships with the Kentucky Colonels in 1975 and with the Kentucky Bourbons pro softball team in 1981. As a head coach at Fairdale for 14 years, his teams won three Regional Titles. His 1994 team won the KHSAA State Basketball Championship.
Paul Sanderford
Women’s Basketball Head Coach, 1982-97; Men’s Basketball Assistant Coach, 2003-07
Paul Sanderford coached WKU women’s basketball 15 seasons (1982-97), winning 365 of 485 games (75.3%). His teams posted 15 winning seasons and played in 14 post-season tourneys (including 3 Final Fours – ’85, ’86 and ’92 – with a runner-up finish in ’92). He later coached at Nebraska before returning to WKU, where he put in 4 years (’03-07) as an aide on the men’s staff. His college head-coaching record – at WKU, Nebraska & Louisburg Junior College – is 616-208.
Randy Marsh, Director, Major League Umpires
Randy Marsh joined the Major League Umpire Staff in 1981 after umpiring in the minors for 13 years. He worked four All-Star games, five Division Series, eight League Championship Series, and five World Series in 28 years. He took part in the first Joint Committee on Training and assisted writing the first Major League Umpire Manual. He was appointed Director of Umpires in 2011. He graduated from Covington Holmes High School in 1967 and the Al Somers Umpire School and served in the U.S. Army Reserve from 1968-74. Randy and his wife, Roxanne, have a daughter, Lauren.
Sharon Garland
Sharon Garland led Laurel County High School to three consecutive State Championships in 1977, 1978 and 1979. She was the leading scorer in all three of the championship games. No other player in the history of the Girls’ State Tournament has accomplished this.
Shandelier Boyd Smith
Shandy Boyd Smith is one of Kentucky’s most decorated track athletes. She won 11 state titles at Valley High School and was two-time Gatorade Athlete of the Year, Associated Press Athlete of the Year, Outstanding Female Athlete and Kentucky Girls Sports Association All-Star. She made All-Region honors in basketball and took part in the Kentucky East/West All-Star Game. She was a member of the 1992 U.S. Junior Olympic Team. At Ohio State University, she was a seven-time Big Ten Champion, four-time All American, and Olympic Trials participant.
Mel Purcell
Mel Purcell was one of the quickest, most flamboyant players on the ATP Tour. In 1978-79 he received the wild card into the Louisville Pro Classic. He was a Gold Medal winner in the Pan Am Games in 1979 in singles and doubles. He won NCAA titles in doubles and indoor singles at the University of Tennessee in 1980. He was ATP Rookie of the Year in 1980 and reached a career-high ranking of 17th in the world. In 1983 he made the finals of Monte Carlo and the quarterfinals of Wimbledon. He has wins over eight former No. 1-ranked players.
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