We gave you the 50 greatest sports icons from NKY last summer. Since we had so much fun with that, we’re bringing you another list of the 50 greatest things this summer…The 50 greatest prep sports teams from NKY.
Each day for the next 50 days, we’ll release one of the area’s 50 greatest prep sports teams. It starts June 22 and runs into August. This is not a ranking 1-50, it’s just a collection of the 50 best sports teams ever assembled.
We’ll preface this by saying you may or may not agree with all 50 and that’s fine. Sports editor Evan Dennison assembled a panel of dedicated and longly-tenured NKY sports fans to weigh in and give their takes on who should be on the list. I trust those people because of their history and knowledge of the game in NKY. We compiled numerous lists and identified the most certain candidates for inclusion.
Some of the traits we sought in these teams were state championships (almost certainly a requirement), dominance, and standout players and coaches. We may have cheated a little by lumping some dominant teams together that achieved numerous consecutive state titles, but that gives a few more teams an opportunity to be recognized.
I hope you enjoy this, as sports are slow in the summer. This list serves as a way to remember the past a little and keep you entertained daily as it continues.
Another note, while we respect and give coverage to golf, tennis, wrestling, bowling, track and field and cross country, we consider those individual sports, so any teams from those sports will not make the list.
Here we go!
1977 Bellevue football
The 1977 Bellevue Tigers turned a season of redemption into the first football state championship in school history.
After falling 22-0 to Fort Campbell in the 1976 state finals, Bellevue returned the following season with a mission, finishing 13-1 and defeating Frankfort 21-0 for the Class A state championship at Eastern Kentucky University’s Hanger Field.
Bellevue was one of the state’s most dominant teams. Running the old-fashioned single-wing offense, the Tigers relied on a bruising rushing attack behind a physical offensive line. They averaged 27 points per game while allowing just six points per game, recorded six shutouts, won by an average of 23.1 points, and outscored playoff opponents 77-18. They also defeated larger-school opponents Covington Catholic and Campbell County, proving they could compete with anyone.
The championship game produced one of the most memorable plays in Kentucky high school football history. Senior Jack Hurtt, playing with a broken thumb protected by a specially designed fiberglass cast, returned a blocked Frankfort field goal 96 yards for the game’s first touchdown. Mike McGurn then rushed for 112 yards on 17 carries and scored two touchdowns, while Jon Sutkamp added 53 rushing yards. Sutkamp later rushed for more than 4,000 career yards at Bellevue, including a then-Northern Kentucky-record 2,033-yard senior season, before signing with Eastern Kentucky University.
Head coach Bill Baldridge built the Tigers into champions in just his second season. His Bellevue teams went 24-5 over two years, and he later enjoyed a distinguished college coaching career, serving as head coach at Morehead State while hiring future Baltimore Ravens and New York Giants head coach John Harbaugh and future Atlanta Falcons head coach Mike Smith.
Bellevue’s breakthrough championship sparked a remarkable era, leading to another state title in 1979 and state runner-up finishes in 1980, 1981, and 1990.
Here’s the rundown of the 50 greatest NKY prep sports teams day by day:
Day 1: 1998 Highlands Football
Day 2: 1963 Holmes Baseball
Day 3: 2019 Covington Catholic football
Day 4: 2021 Notre Dame Academy Girls Soccer
Day 5: 1960 Highlands Football
Day 6: 1980 Villa Madonna Volleyball
Day 7: 1976 Lloyd Memorial Football
Day 8: 2009 Holmes Boys Basketball
Day 9: 1991 Beechwood Football
Day 10: 1954 Newport Catholic Baseball
Day 11: 1982 Highlands Football
Day 12: 2019 Ryle Girls Basketball
Day 13: 1987 Boone County Football
Day 14: 1981 St. Henry Volleyball
Day 15: 2021 Beechwood Football
Day 16: 2002 Covington Catholic Baseball
Day 17: 1957 Highlands Football
Day 18: 2006 Ryle Softball
Day 19: 1975 Ludlow Football
Day 20: 1979 Notre Dame Volleyball
Day 21: 1977 Bellevue Football
Day 22: 2015 Holy Cross Girls Basketball
Day 23: 1970 Highlands Football
Day 24: 2013 Notre Dame Soccer
Day 25: 2011 Highlands Football
Day 26: 2015 Covington Catholic Soccer
Day 27: 1997 Beechwood Football
Day 28: 1994 Highlands Girls Basketball
Day 29: 2017 Covington Catholic Football
Day 30: 1978 Holmes Boys Basketball
Day 31: 1996 Highlands Football
Day 32: 1981 Simon Kenton Boys Basketball
Day 33: 1946 Holmes Football
Day 34: 2014 Covington Catholic Basketball
Day 35: 1951 Bellevue Football
Day 36: 2021 Highlands Boys Basketball
Day 37: 1940 Newport Baseball
Day 38: 2018 Covington Catholic Basketball
Day 39: 2022 Notre Dame Volleyball
Day 40: 2005-06 Highlands Girls Soccer
Day 41: 2007-08 Holmes boys basketball
Day 42: 1994 Notre Dame Volleyball
Day 43: 2010 St. Henry Girls Soccer
Day 44: 2016-17 Cooper boys basketball
Day 45: 1964-65 Holy Cros boys basketball
Day 46: 1956 Newport Catholic baseball
Day 47: 1996-97 Highlands boys basketball
Day 48: 1993 Covington Catholic football
Day 49: 2006 Beechwood baseball
Day 50: 1953-54 Newport boys basketball
