By Jonathan L. Smith
The second Lincoln County High School Athletic Hall of Fame class will be inducted during the PBK Bank/WPBK-FM Death Valley Bowl on August 21st, putting some of the school’s greatest athletes on center stage in front of each year’s largest football crowd.
This class consists of two football coaches, five contributors, six girls’ cross-country runners, two boys’ cross-country runners, seventeen girls’ golf players, six boys’ golf players, eighteen football players, and two football teams. The committee made the athlete selections based on an objective set of criteria for athletes prior to the year 2000, such as qualifying for state meets (golf and cross country) or being first team all-state selections or 1,000-yard season performers (for football).
Hall of Fame committee chairman Billy Harris stated that the criteria made the selection process easy, “We thought these inductees were pretty easy fall sport choices for the first half of the school’s existence. There are many more great athletes, and they will be included over time. In fact, there will be a similar objective-standard class inducted for winter and spring sports during the upcoming basketball season.”
Letters of notification were sent to the individual inductees, or in the case of deceased inductees, their families. Members of the two teams being inducted are also invited to the ceremony, including the private reception in the school cafeteria on August 21, 2026, at 5:00 PM. The public induction ceremony recognition will take place between the double-header Death Valley Bowl games. To RSVP the private reception please contact Martha Dee Bastin at (606) 669-8552 or Susan Goodwin Harris at (606) 879-2190.
The full list of inductees:
Teams
- 1988 Football Team, first team to win 13 games in a season and first to win a regional championship
- 1993 Football Team, also a 13-game winner and second team in school history to play in state championship
Coaches
- Donald Wooldrige, assistant football coach for five seasons (1974-1978) and head coach for four seasons (1979-1982). Highest winning percentage among all former head coaches and won the school’s first playoff game and district championship. Was also the head baseball coach for four seasons (1976-1979).
- Larry Phillips, head football coach for seven seasons (1984-1990). Longest-tenured football coach in school history, winningest coach number of games in school history, took first team to state championship, and was voted the AP Coach of the Year in 1988.
Contributors
- Jack Denny Johnson (McKinney ’47) posthumously, superintendent when LCHS first opened in 1974. Lifelong supporter of athletics in Lincoln County (including sponsorship of the Death Valley Bowl by PBK Bank where he was the largest shareholder).
- Shannon Hatter, first athletic director in school history and was instrumental in getting the programs started.
- Henry Rowan “Short” Saufley (Stanford ’53), supporter and booster of the school’s athletic programs from the inception.
- Dr. Rod Bates, team doctor for many years, provided in-game treatment for injuries and provided pre-season physical examinations.
- Stuart Underwood, football team videographer from 1979 to present. He was an original member of the faculty in 1974 and was the last of the original teachers to retire at LCHS.
Girls Cross Country
- Connie Oliver (’78), three-time state qualifier and individual regional champion, also five-sport letter winner at Transylvania University where she is a member of their Hall of Fame
- Christy Cave Karwatt (’77), two-time state qualifier
- Debby Severance Carter (’79), state qualifier
- Sue Jones (’79), state qualifier
- Anna Camenisch (’76), state qualifier
- Linda Kelley Dewees (’94), two-time state qualifier
Boys Cross Country
- Robert Rankin (’76), state qualifier
- Bill Severance (’76), state qualifier
Girls Golf (became a fall sport in 1990)
- Martha Bastin (’81), six-time state qualifier and individual region winner
- Jennifer Burton Tilley (’77), two-time state qualifier
- Anne Caldwell Marsee (’90), two-time state qualifier
- Carrie Cornelius Wilson (’94), five-time state qualifier
- Amanda Hester Foster (’98), state qualifier
- Emilie Hester (’00) posthumously, state qualifier
- Tami Hester Releford Lynn (’97), state qualifier
- Karen “Kay” Holtzclaw Hardin (’79), five-time state qualifier
- Laura Michellle “Shelly” Holtzclaw Otte (’83), three-time state qualifier
- Tamra Johnson (’82), four-time state qualifier
- Teresa Johnson (’78) posthumously, four-time state qualifier and cross-country state qualifier
- Martha Jo Marshbanks Withrow (’76) posthumously, two-time state qualifier, individual region winner, and qualified for state two times for Stanford High School prior to consolidation
- Heather McKenzie Vance (’99), two-time state qualifier
- Stephanie Nunemaker (’97), two-time state qualifier
- Kim Rogers Hartlage (Elizabethtown High School ’85), two-time state qualifier at LCHS
- Kim Sears (’82), state qualifier
- Stefanie Young Brown (’88), state qualifier
Boys Golf (became a fall sport in 1990)
- Danny Withrow (’76), two-time state qualifier
- Scott Young (’80), state qualifier
- Tommy Hastie (’81) posthumously, state qualifier
- Chris Caldwell (’87), three-time state qualifier
- Wes Folger (’95), state qualifier
- Keith Withrow (’01), state qualifier in 1998 and is also in the 1,000-point club in basketball
Football
- Steve Coleman (’78) posthumously, member of Eastern Kentucky University NCAA I-AA national championship team in 1979. Multi-sport athlete at LCHS in football, basketball, and baseball.
- David Francis (’96), 1,000-yard rushing season and individual state track champion in pole vault
- Eric Givens (’82), 1st team all-state and member of 1980 basketball regional champion team
- Kelvin Givens (’90), two-time football 1st team all-state and most-recruited player in school history
- Tevin McElroy (’87), 1,000-yard passing season
- Scott Montgomery (’83), 1,000-yard passing season
- Josh Morgan (’00), 1000-yard rushing season
- Maurice Napier (’99), individual state track champion in 200 meters. Played college football on a full scholarship at Kentucky State University.
- Scott Newcomb (’93), two 1,000-yard rushing seasons, leading career rusher in school history, holds single-game touchdown record, and is third on the school’s all-time scoring list
- Michael Penman (’89), 2,000+ yard rushing season, school records in rushing attempts in a game and for career rushing touchdowns, second on the school’s all-time scoring list, 1st team all-state, Mr. Football finalist, played a significant role as tailback at Eastern Kentucky University after high school.
- Kenny Phoenix (’84), 1st team all-state, was Advocate-Messenger leading area scorer in 1983, holds school records for longest punt return for a touchdown and career punt returns for touchdowns. Played college football at Georgetown College.
- Brian Robbins (’89), 1st team all-state and named an All-American by Bigger, Faster, Stronger magazine
- Aaron Simpson (’96), two 1,000-yard rushing seasons
- J Smith (’94), 1,000-yard passing season, quarterback of state championship finals team
- Jason Todd (’88), 1,000-yard passing season, 1st team all-state punter and played as punter at University of Kentucky. Multi-sport athlete named the Advocate-Messenger Male Athlete of the Year in 1988.
- Brian Turpin (’92), 1st team all-state, state powerlifting champion
- Chris Vanhook (’92), 1,000-yard rushing season
- Ronnie Wilkerson (’80), 1,000-yard passing season, attended Eastern Kentucky University on full scholarship as quarterback, was starting member of 1980 region basketball championship, multi-sport athlete in football, basketball and baseball (was a winning pitcher in a varsity baseball game as an 8th grader).
This past winter, there were five members inducted in the inaugural Athletic Hall of Fame class, consisting of three teams and two individuals:
- (1) 1974-75 boys basketball team, the first to play in the Sweet Sixteen
- (2) the 2000-2001 girls basket team which was the first girls team to play in the state tournament
- (3) the 1990 football team which was the first to play in a state championship
- (4) Jeremy Simpson (’94), Kentucky’s 1993 Mr. Football
- (5) Jeff Jackson, the current boys basketball coach, who is the winningest and longest-tenured coach in school history.
The LCHS Athletic Hall of Fame Committee was created by Principal Matthew Willoughby in December 2025 and consists of seven alumni of Lincoln County High School: Billy Harris, Chairman ’86; Steve Ralston ’76; Mack Dunn ’80; Martha Dee Bastin ’81; Jonathan L. Smith ’83; Susan Goodwin Harris ’86; and Brad Petrey ’95.
