Ex-Cats dominate 2021 Ky Sports Hall of Fame induction class

Figures with ties to the Kentucky Wildcats will be a dominant presence in the 2021 induction class of the Kentucky Sports Hall of Fame.

Detroit Pistons Coach Dwane Casey, a former UK basketball player and assistant coach; ex-Kentucky Wildcats swim star Rachel Komisarz-Baugh; and former UK baseball coach Keith Madison will form half of the 2021 inductees into the state of Kentucky’s sports hall.

Also chosen were: the late John Asher, the longtime Churchill Downs public relations official; Romeo Crennel, the former Western Kentucky University football player who has earned five Super Bowl rings as an NFL assistant coach; and Elmore Smith, the former Kentucky State University basketball star who played nine seasons in the NBA.

Inductees for the Kentucky Sports Hall of Fame were chosen based on votes from a 15-member selection committee comprised of media members from around the commonwealth.

In alphabetical order, a closer look at the 2021 inductees into the Kentucky Sports Hall of Fame fueled by the Kentucky Lottery:

▪ John Asher. Before his death in August 2018, at age 62, the longtime Churchill Downs, Inc., public relations executive had become a Kentucky Derby staple. Prior to joining Churchill Downs in 1997, Asher, a Leitchfield native, had a successful career as a radio news reporter, including stints at Louisville’s WAVE and WHAS. As a newsman, Asher earned five Eclipse Awards recognizing his reporting on the Thoroughbred industry.

▪ Dwane Casey. Casey, 64, was a standout guard at Union County High School before playing four seasons (1975-79) for Joe B. Hall at Kentucky. After working as an assistant at both Western Kentucky and UK, Casey has enjoyed a long career (454-446 overall) as an NBA head coach with Minnesota, Toronto and, now, Detroit. Casey was an assistant with the 2010-11 NBA champion Dallas Mavericks and was voted NBA Coach of the Year in 2017-18 after leading Toronto to a 59-23 record.

▪ Romeo Crennel. A graduate of Fort Knox High School, Crennel walked on to the football team at Western Kentucky University in 1965 and, after a redshirt season, became a four-year starter for Coach Jimmy Feix’s Hilltoppers. In a long career as an NFL coach, Crennel has won five Super Bowl rings as an assistant (two with the New York Giants, three with the New England Patriots). Crennel, 74, has also served as head coach for Cleveland, Kansas City and the Houston Texans, leading the Browns to a 10-6 record in 2007.

▪ Rachel Commissioner-Baugh. One of the most-decorated swimmers in UK history, Komisarz-Baugh won SEC championships in three different events, the 200 butterfly, 500 freestyle, and 1650 freestyle. A versatile performer, Komisarz-Baugh earned All-America honors six times over five different events at Kentucky. In 2004, Komisarz-Baugh was part of the U.S. team that won the Olympics gold medal in the 800 freestyle relay and the silver medal in the 400 medley relay.

▪ Keith Madison. A native of Brownsville in Edmonson County, Madison, 69, coached the University of Kentucky baseball program to 735 wins from 1979 through 2003. Madison’s 1988 team fell one victory short of qualifying for the College World Series, the closest a UK team has ever come to advancing to Omaha. Madison coached 17 players at Kentucky who went on to play in Major League Baseball, including 2006 National League Cy Young Award winner Brandon Webb.

▪ Elmore Smith. A 7-foot center from Macon, Ga., Smith, now 72, was one of the stars of Kentucky State University’s 1970 and 1971 NAIA national championship teams. At KSU, Smith averaged a whopping 24.2 rebounds a game in 1970-71. Chosen No. 3 overall in the 1971 NBA Draft by the Buffalo Braves, Smith played nine seasons in the NBA and averaged a career double-double (13.4 ppg, 10.6 rpg). In 1973-74, while playing for the L.A. Lakers, Smith — whose nickname was “The Rejector” due to his prowess at blocking shots — swatted away 17 Portland shot attempts in one game, a league record.

The 2021 Kentucky Sports Hall of Fame Induction Banquet will be held at the Galt House Hotel in Louisville on a date not yet announced.

For ticket and other information, call (502) 587-6742.