LOUISVILLE, Ky. – University of Kentucky men's basketball All-American and 1996 Final Four Most Valuable Player Tony Delk and college sports reporting innovator Oscar Combs were inducted into the Kentucky Sports Hall of Fame (KSHOF) on Monday night.
The event was presented at Freedom Hall in Louisville by the Louisville Sports Commission, owners and operators of KSHOF.
Delk was one of the top five scorers in UK basketball's storied history and was a first-team All-America selection as he led the Wildcats to an NCAA championship in 1996. Combs founded The Cats' Pause in 1976, the first independent publication dedicated solely to covering a single college athletics program.
In addition to Delk and Combs, the 47th KSHOF class also includes standout quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, who played nine seasons in the NFL at the University of Louisville, and Roy Pickerill, who worked in Kentucky Wesleyan University's sports information office for more than 53 years.
This year's class was selected by a selection committee of 16 sports media professionals from across the state and the Bygone Era selection team. All votes by the KSHOF selection committee were independently tabulated by regional accounting firm Dean Dorton, Kentucky's largest accounting and consulting firm with offices in Louisville, Lexington and Raleigh, North Carolina.
“The KSHOF Class of 2024 recognizes four outstanding individuals who represent a wide range of sports and professions – individuals who have made a significant impact on sports in our state and on the national stage,” said Greg Fante, president and CEO of the Louisville Sports Commission. “This year's inductees have worked diligently to make a difference in their fields, and we are pleased to honor them and their accomplishments in Freedom Hall, KSHOF's official Hall of Fame gallery.”
KSHOF was established in 1963 to recognize athletes and sportspeople from Kentucky, as well as individuals who have participated in their respective sports or made a significant impact in a sports-related field in Kentucky. The Louisville Sports Commission, a Kentucky-based non-profit organization whose mission is to attract, create, host and operate sporting events and activities that enhance the quality of life in the state, has owned and operated KSHOF since 2018.
KSHOF Class of 2024:
Teddy Bridgewater. Miami native Teddy Bridgewater was a standout quarterback at the University of Louisville (UofL) who played nine seasons in the NFL. A three-year starter at UofL, Bridgewater passed for 9,817 yards and 83 touchdowns, leading the Cardinals to a 33-22 win over No. 2 Florida in the 2013 BCS Orange Bowl where he was named MVP. The following season, he passed for 447 yards and three touchdowns in Louisville's Russell Athletic Bowl win over Miami. He was a first-round draft pick out of the University of Minnesota and played nine seasons in the NFL with the Vikings, Panthers, Broncos, Dolphins and Lions. Bridgewater was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2015 and has a career total of 15,120 passing yards, 75 touchdowns and 1,114 rushing yards.
Oscar Combs. Hazard native Oscar Combs began covering UK sports for the Hazard Herald in 1965, pioneering coverage of major college sports. In 1976, Combs launched The Cats' Pause, the first independent publication to cover a major sports program (UK) in the United States, and the beginning of a national industry. From 1998 to 20 years later, he co-hosted pregame coverage on the UK Radio Network, helping to build and grow the Wildcats' fanbase in football and basketball. Combs has received numerous awards from the Kentucky Press Association, including the 1977 Feature of the Year Award from the Basketball Writers Association of America. Combs was inducted into the Kentucky Journalism Hall of Fame in 2000.
Tony Delk. A native of Brownsville, Tennessee, Tony Delk was an All-American and NCAA Final Four MVP at the University of Kentucky (UK) before playing 10 years in the NBA. A guard with a good shooting ability, Delk led UK in scoring for three seasons (1994-95-96) with 1,890 points. He also holds the school record for three-pointers made (283) and is second in steals (201). During Delk's time at UK, the Wildcats compiled a 119-18 record, won three SEC championships, reached two Final Fours and won the 1996 championship. Delk was named SEC Player of the Year in 1996 and was selected 16th overall by Charlotte in the 1996 NBA Draft. Delk appeared in 545 games for eight teams, posting career averages of 9.1 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.9 assists and making seven playoff appearances.
Roy Pickerill. Louisville native Roy Pickerill has been involved with the Kentucky Wesleyan University Sports Information Office for 53 years, starting as a student assistant and serving as Sports Information Director (SID) for nearly 30 years, now in the position of emeritus. Pickerill was inducted into the College Sports Information Directors Association (now known as College Sports Communicators) Hall of Fame in 1999, the Great Lakes Valley Conference Hall of Fame in 2008, and received CoSIDA's Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016. His Kentucky Wesleyan publications have also won 30 national awards, including 20 “Best in the Nation” awards. In 2022, CoSIDA Division II SID created an outstanding service award in Pickerill's name.
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About the Louisville Sports Commission
The Louisville Sports Commission (LSC) is a 501(c)(3) organization based in Louisville, Kentucky with a mission to build a legacy of economic and social vitality through sports. LSC attracts and hosts sporting events and activities that create a positive economic impact in Louisville, enhance the region's image as a premier sports destination and promote active lifestyles that improve the quality of life for community members of all ages. For more information, visit louisvillesports.org and www.facebook.com/louisvillesportscommission.
About the Kentucky Sports Hall of Fame
The Kentucky Sports Hall of Fame (KSHOF) was established in 1963 to recognize athletes and sports figures who were born in Kentucky or who have made a significant impact in their respective sports-related fields in the state. Each inductee is recognized with a bronze plaque that is displayed in the official Hall of Fame Gallery in the Kentucky Exposition Center's iconic Freedom Hall in Louisville, Kentucky. After a hiatus in the 1970s and 1980s, KSHOF was resurrected. In 2018, the Louisville Sports Commission assumed responsibility for oversight and administration of all aspects of KSHOF.
