DAWAHARES/KHSAA HALL OF FAME CLASS OF 2013 INDUCTEES
LEXINGTON - Nine former high school coaches, athletes, officials, administrators or contributors make up the
26th class to be inducted into the Dawahares/KHSAA Hall of Fame.
The class of 2013 will be inducted in ceremonies scheduled for Saturday, April 13, 2013, at the Lexington
Convention Center;s Bluegrass Ballroom. The induction and banquet begin at 6:30 PM with a social hour from 5:30-6:30.
Reservations are $60 and can be made by calling the KHSAA office 859-299-KHSA. Tables of 10 can be purchased for $500.
Deadline for reservations is April 7. Following April 7, reservations will be pending availability.
The induction of the nine will bring the total number of individuals honored to 412.
Tyson Gay – Long before he became America’s fastest man, Gay was Kentucky’s fastest student-athlete. Gay
won three state championships in the 100 meters competing for Lafayette High School, including a record time
of 10.46 in 2001. Gay later became a three-time world champion and represented the United States Olympic
team in 2008 and 2012.
Frank Miklavcic – Miklavcic’s contributions to the sports of track and field and cross country are an important
reason why the sports enjoy the nationwide level of respect among their peers. A longtime coach at first
Paintsville and later Frankfort, Miklavcic consistently fielded squads that were among the top of its division.
After retiring from coaching, Miklavcic continues to serve with numerous meets at all levels and serves as the
executive director of the Kentucky Track and Cross Country Coaches Association. In addition to his work on the
track, he has also designed several cross country courses throughout the state.
Pascal Benson – One of the most well-rounded athletes in Western Kentucky, Benson starred for Henderson
High School in the mid-1950s. Benson starred in baseball, basketball and football, earning All-State honors in
all three sports.
Julie Ditty – A three-time state high school singles champion, Ditty is one of Kentucky’s all-time tennis greats.
Ditty won her first championship as an eighth-grader at Lexington Christian Academy in 1993. Ditty later starred
at Russell High School, taking home singles championships in 1996 and 1997. Ditty later played two years for
the U.S. National Junior Team and enjoyed a standout career at Vanderbilt University, where she was a threetime
All-American.
Burney Jenkins – One of Kentucky’s most decorated officials, Jenkins has dedicated more than 35 years to
Kentucky high school sports as a referee, an umpire and later as an assigning secretary. During that time
Jenkins has called four state football championships, five state basketball finals and five state baseball
championships.
Roger Klein – One of the pioneers of Kentucky high school tennis, Klein’s contributions during more than
three decades as a coach and contributor cannot be understated. Klein built a power at Bellevue High School,
where he served from 1942-1974. His perseverance led to the establishment of the first state tennis tournament
in 1945. Over the years his players included three state singles champions, five singles finalists, four doubles
champions and six doubles finalists.
Ron Myers – Myers enjoyed a distinguished 31-year baseball coaching career at Elizabethtown High School.
During his time in charge of the Panthers, Myers won 727 games and state championships in 1970 and 1975. In
all, his Panthers won 21 districts, 18 regional and five semi-state championships and finished as state runner-up
on two other occasions.
Jaime Walz Richey – Perhaps the most decorated girls’ basketball player in state history, Walz Richey set
records in her career at Highlands in the early 1990s that still have not been approached. In all, Walz Richey set
12 state records and was twice named the Kentucky Female Athlete of the Year. By the time her career ended in
1996, Walz Richey earned a spot in the Gatorade Circle of Champions, Parade Magazine National Player of the
Year and Kentucky Miss Basketball. She remains the state’s all-time leading scorer with 4,948 points.
John Dee Wilson – The personification of the words sportsman and teacher, Wilson has dedicated nearly four
decades of service at Cawood, Webster County and later at Red Bird Mission School. Wilson took over a
Cawood team in 1974 that had never enjoyed a winning season and won four district titles in five years. Once
he retired from the public school system, Wilson breathed new life into the boys’ basketball program at Red
Bird. Often showing up in time to sweep the floor and pop the popcorn in the concession stand while his team
warmed up, Wilson has provided opportunities to scores of student-athletes who may not have otherwise
gotten a chance.
