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.Â
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.Â
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.Â
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! Â
1954 Newport Central Catholic baseball
During the first decade of Kentucky state baseball competition, few programs enjoyed more success than Newport Central Catholic. The 1954 Thoroughbreds continued that tradition with another state championship under Jim Connor.
NewCath’s title run was a dominant one. The Thoroughbreds outscored opponents 18-4 during the state tournament and recorded two shutouts along the way. Their championship game was perhaps their most impressive performance, a 6-0 victory over Male that secured the state crown. The title was NewCath’s third state championship and one of four won during a remarkable 10-year span that also included championships in 1946, 1950, and 1956.
The Thoroughbreds featured a talented roster led by Frank Pangallo, Jack Woods, Larry Uebel, Dave Brockman, and Jim Weyer. Ralph Carr, Dick Hehman, Carl Volpenheim, and Paul Meyer earned All-Tournament Team honors for their performances throughout the state tournament.
Several members of the team would go on to leave lasting impacts on Northern Kentucky athletics. Pangallo later joined Connor in the 9th Region Baseball Hall of Fame, while Weyer spent nearly four decades coaching baseball and men’s basketball at Thomas More. Carr continued his athletic career at Villa Madonna College, where he played both baseball and basketball.
At the center of it all was Connor, one of the most accomplished coaches in Kentucky sports history. A World War II veteran who participated in the D-Day operation, Connor built a coaching career that spanned more than four decades across the high school and collegiate ranks. His success at NewCath included three state baseball championships in 1950, 1954, and 1956, helping establish the Thoroughbreds as one of Kentucky’s premier programs during the sport’s formative years.
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