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 40th of the 50 sports icons is Adrienne Hundemer. Hundemer is one of the most accomplished track and field athletes in Kentucky high school history.
ADRIENNE HUNDEMER
Adrienne Hundemer Johnson, a 1994 Dayton alumna, is the most decorated track athlete in state high school history. She won 20 titles in sprints and hurdles – four in the 300-meter hurdles and four each in the 100 hurdles and 400 dash.
Johnson’s list of relay titles is equally impressive. From 1989-94, she helped the Greendevils to six consecutive 4×400 wins and two 4×200 gold medals.
Johnson is also a member of six halls of fame: Kentucky High School Athletic Association (2015), Northern Kentucky Athletic Directors, Kentucky Sports Legend (2004), Dayton High School (2007), Northern Kentucky High School (2013) and Buddy LaRosa’s (2013).
“Adrienne was not a silver-spooned student/athlete,” Johnson’s coach at Dayton, the late Barry Binkley, wrote in a KHSAA nominating letter in 2013. “She worked hard to make herself successful, realizing at a young age that she could possibly rise above her situation and get a college education.”
May 28, 1994 was a memorable day at the Class A state meet at the University of Kentucky. Less than an hour after winning the 300 hurdles, Dayton trailed the 4×400 field by about 100 meters when Johnson received the baton for the anchor leg.
It didn’t matter – Johnson ran down the field and won by about 15 meters.
After high school, Johnson received a scholarship to Marshall University and ran for the Thundering Herd for four years. She graduated in 1999 with a Bachelor of Liberal Arts degree in Criminal Justice.
Johnson is a licensed massage therapist. She coached cheerleading at Dayton (2011-18) and track & field at Newport Central Catholic (2015-19) and Highlands (2020-21).
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