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 44th of the 50 sports icons is Allen Feldhaus. The Boone County grad was an accomplished player and coach in basketball, baseball and football.
ALLEN FELDHAUS
Allen Feldhaus Sr. left a profound mark on Kentucky sports—as a player, coach, mentor, and father. A three-sport standout at Boone County High School, Feldhaus played basketball and baseball at the University of Kentucky from 1958-62. He was a rugged forward under legendary coach Adolph Rupp, scoring 299 points and pulling down 320 rebounds in his Wildcats career. As a catcher, he captained the baseball team and later played three seasons in the Washington Senators’ minor league system.
Once his playing career was over, Feldhaus began his coaching career at Russell County before transforming Mason County into a regional basketball powerhouse. Over 27 years, he compiled a 512-210 career record—including 325 wins at Mason County—guiding the Royals to nine district titles, four regional championships, and a state runner-up finish in 1981 to Simon Kenton. His 1982 squad went undefeated in the regular season. Feldhaus had nine consecutive 20-win seasons and three 30-win campaigns, coaching four teams to the KHSAA Sweet 16. He also served as Mason County’s athletic director and baseball coach.
His accolades include induction into the Dawahares KHSAA Hall of Fame (1995), the Courier Journal Hall of Fame, Boone County Hall of Fame, Mason County Hall of Fame, and the 10th Region Hall of Fame. He was a three-time Kentucky Coach of the Year.
Perhaps Feldhaus’s greatest pride was his family. He coached all three sons—Allen Jr., Willie, and Deron—at Mason County, each of whom played in the state tournament. Together, the Feldhaus family has totaled more than 1,300 coaching victories in Kentucky basketball.
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