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 29th of the 50 sports icons is Owen Hauck, a longtime football coach who may have tallied 284 wins, but instilled toughness and values that shaped young men’s careers and lives.
OWEN HAUCK
Owen Hauck’s name is etched into the history of Northern Kentucky football, not just for his 284 career wins and championship pedigree, but for the example he set as a coach, mentor, and advocate. A Ludlow native and graduate of Eastern Kentucky University, Hauck coached with passion and purpose across four decades, leading programs at Highlands, Mt. Healthy, and Boone County.
At Highlands, he followed Homer Rice and compiled a 48-8-1 record, winning a state title and finishing runner-up twice. He also spent four seasons at Mt. Healthy before taking over Boone County’s program in 1973. Over 25 seasons there, he went 210-101 and led the Rebels to four state championship games. His most notable player, Shaun Alexander, became a record-setting running back at Alabama and later the NFL’s Most Valuable Player in 2005. Alexander credited Hauck for instilling the toughness and values that shaped his career and life.
While Hauck was known for hard-nosed, tailback-driven football, he was just as revered for his kindness and commitment to others. After his son Glenn was diagnosed with intellectual developmental disabilities, Owen and his wife Shirley became leaders in advocating for better resources and opportunities for children with special needs. Their work helped launch schools and support systems that made lasting change in the region.
Hauck retired in 1997 and was inducted into the Dawahares/KHSAA Hall of Fame in 1999. Boone County named its football stadium in his honor in 2003. He passed away in 2016 at age 88, leaving behind a legacy built on heart, discipline, and service.
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