The history of sports in Northern Kentucky goes back a long way. A very long way. Decades. Centuries.
We know you’ve seen these lists before, but this is a different and unique way of presenting our “50 sports icons in Northern Kentucky” as we’ll provide you one per day over the next 50 days.
Hall of Fames are everywhere in NKY, the Northern Kentucky Sports Hall of Fame, High School Athletic Directors Hall of Fame, NKU, Thomas More and local high schools all have something to recognize their past.
We’ll preface this series by saying this, some of you may disagree with who should or shouldn’t be in the top 50 and that’s fine. Plenty are in the Hall of Very Good, but we feel these 50 are the one’s who stuck out to us.
Sports Editor Evan Dennison spoke and conferred with several local NKY sports history buffs to get their opinions and lists of their own and who should be “locks” for the 50 sports icons. We compiled each list and came up with the 50 of our own (maybe cheated a little by putting families in as one) to present over the next 50 days.
Hope you enjoy as summer time rolls on!
The 42nd of the 50 sports icons is Bill Krumpelbeck. Krumpelbeck coached Covington Catholic baseball for 48 years and is second all-time in KHSAA baseball history in wins.
BILL KRUMPELBECK
One of the most respected figures in Kentucky high school baseball history, Bill Krumpelbeck concluded his legendary 48-year career as Covington Catholic’s head coach with 1,149 wins, second-most all-time in Kentucky High School Athletic Association history. Under his leadership, the Colonels captured 22 district championships, nine regional titles, and the 2002 KHSAA state championship. That 2002 team went 40-3, finishing with the most wins of any high school baseball team in the nation that season and cementing its place in state history.
Krumpelbeck’s impact extended far beyond the diamond. A Xavier University graduate with both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in education, he joined CovCath in 1976 and spent 46 years teaching biology, earning a reputation as a dedicated educator, mentor, and steady presence in the classroom. Known affectionately as “Coach Krumps,” he built not just winning teams but a winning culture, guiding his program to decades of consistent excellence. His teams compiled a 1,149-485 record, good for a .703 winning percentage, and routinely posted 20-win seasons deep into his career.
In 1999, Krumpelbeck was inducted into the Kentucky High School Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame, years before his most dominant seasons had even occurred. His last two teams finished 31-6 and 21-12, with his final squad reaching the Ninth Region quarterfinals. As of 2025, he was one of just 14 coaches in the nation to surpass 1,000 career wins, a testament to his extraordinary consistency, leadership, and love for the game.
See the 50 sports icons on a day-to-day basis over the next 50 days
— Day 1: Dave Cowens
— Day 2: Shaun Alexander
— Day 3: Homer Rice
— Day 4: Dicky Beal
— Day 5: Jared Lorenzen
— Day 6: Jim Bunning
— Day 7: Tom Ellis
— Day 8: Nate Dusing
— Day 9: Jim Connor
— Day 10: Steve Cauthen
— Day 11: Irv Goode
— Day 12: Stan Steidel
— Day 13: Kenney Shields
— Day 14: David Justice
— Day 15: Morgan Hentz
— Day 16: Eddie Arcaro
— Day 17: Nancy Winstel
— Day 18: Steve Flesch
— Day 19: Donna Murphy
— Day 20: Randy Marsh
— Day 21: Mike Yeagle
— Day 22: Derrick Barnes
— Day 23: Dale Mueller
— Day 24: Dave Faust
— Day 25: Kirsten Allen
— Day 26: The Oldendick family
— Day 27: Martin “Mote” Hils
— Day 28: Nell Fookes
— Day 29: Owen Hauck
— Day 30: Becky Ruehl
— Day 31: Tom Thacker
— Day 32: Sydney Moss
— Day 33: Bob Schneider
— Day 34: The Walz family
— Day 35: John Toebben
— Day 36: Pat Scott
— Day 37: Bob Arnzen
— Day 38: Joan Mazzaro
— Day 39: Frank Jacobs
— Day 40: Adrienne Hundemer
— Day 41: The Draud family
— Day 42: Bill Krumpelbeck
— Day 43: The Molony family
— Day 44: Allen Feldhaus
— Day 45: The Maile family
— Day 46: Maureen Egan Corl
— Day 47: Bill Aker
— Day 48: Maureen Kaiser
— Day 49: John Brannen
— Day 50: Mike Bankemper