Oscar Comb, center, with Tom Hammond and Larry Conley, two of many sports personalities he interacted with during his time covering UK sports. (The Cats’ Pause Photo)
I cannot think of a more deserving person to go into the Kentucky Sports Hall of Fame than Oscar Combs.
Combs along with former UK basketball star Tony Deli, former Louisville quarterback Teddy Bridgewater and long-time Kentucky Wesleyan sports information director Roy Pickerell compose the 2024 Hall of Fame Class.
Combs changed coverage of collegiate athletics long before there was an internet or social media. The Hazard native covered UK sports for the Hazard Herald starting in 1965 but had the courage in 1976 to move to Lexington and found The Cats’ Pause, the first independent publication to cover a major athletic program in the United States.
His weekly publication was a must-read for any UK fan and provided badly needed Kentucky news, especially for out of state subscribers. He had the blessing and cooperation of basketball coach Joe Hall and football coach Fran Church because they understood what this type of nationwide coverage could mean to UK athletics.
Combs became a Kentucky/national celebrity and in 1998 started a popular 20-year run as co-host of the UK Radio Network pregame coverage.
He won numerous awards from the Kentucky Press Association and in 1977 won the U.S. Basketball Writers Association feature of the year.
Combs was inducted into the Kentucky Journalism Hall of Fame in 2000 and I’ve always thought he should be in the UK Athletics Hall of Fame because no one impacted the promotion of Kentucky athletics more than him.
A selection committee of 16 sports media professionals from throughout the Commonwealth chose this year’s class, along with the Bygone Era Selection Team.
“The KSHOF Class of 2024 recognizes four outstanding individuals who represent a broad spectrum of sports and occupations – individuals who had a major impact on sports in the Commonwealth and on the national stage,” said Louisville Sports Commission President and CEO Greg Fante. “This year’s inductees have worked diligently to make a difference in their specific areas. And we are thrilled to honor them and their accomplishments in Freedom Hall, the KSHOF’s official enshrinement gallery.”
“It is with immense pride that we at Kentucky Venues, along with the passionate crowds at Churchill Downs and our colleagues at the Louisville Sports Commission, applaud the induction of four distinguished sports legends into the Kentucky Sports Hall of Fame. Their legacies will be enshrined within Freedom Hall, serving as a place of inspiration for generations of Kentuckians who will walk these grounds,” said David S. Beck, President & CEO of Kentucky Venues.
The announcement was made Wednesday at a media briefing as part of Champions Day at Churchill Downs by the Louisville Sports Commission, the owners and operators of the KSHOF.
The KSHOF Class of 2024:
Teddy Bridgewater. Miami native Teddy Bridgewater was a dominant quarterback at the University of Louisville (UofL) who played nine seasons in the NFL. A three-year starter at UofL who threw for 9,817 career yards and 83 touchdowns, Bridgewater earned MVP honors leading the Cardinals to a 33-22 win over no. 2 Florida in the 2013 BCS Orange Bowl. The next season, he passed for 447 yards and three touchdowns in UofL’s Russell Athletic Bowl win over Miami. He was drafted in the first round by Minnesota and played nine seasons in the NFL with the Vikings, Panthers, Broncos, Dolphins and Lions. Bridgewater was named to the Pro Bowl in 2015; his career passing numbers are 15,120 yards, 75 touchdowns and 1,114 rushing yards.
Tony Delk. Brownsville, Tenn., native Tony Delk was an All-American and NCAA Final Four MVP at the University of Kentucky (UK) who went on to a 10-year career in the NBA. A sharpshooting guard, Delk led UK in scoring three seasons (1994-95-96), scored 1,890 points and still owns the school record for three-pointers (283) and is second in steals (201). During his time at UK, the Wildcats were 119-18, won three SEC Championships, went to two Final Fours and won the 1996 championship. Delk earned SEC Player of the Year in 1996 and was the 16th overall pick in the 1996 NBA draft by Charlotte. Delk played for eight teams, played in 545 games, averaging 9.1 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.9 assists in his career, and went to the playoffs seven times.
Roy Pickerill. Louisville native Roy Pickerill has been associated with the sports information office at Kentucky Wesleyan College for 53 years, starting as a student assistant, serving as the sports information director (SID) for nearly 30 years and currently serving in an emeritus role. Pickerill was inducted into the CoSIDA Hall-of-Fame in 1999, inducted into the Great Lakes Valley Conference Hall of Fame in 2008, earned CoSIDA’s lifetime achievement award in 2016 and his Kentucky Wesleyan publications earned 30 national awards, including 20 “Best in the Nation” awards. In 2022, the CoSIDA Division II SIDs created a distinguished service award in Pickerill’s name.
