With 116 years of athletic history, Hopkinsville High School has announced its inaugural athletic hall of fame class that includes 15 people.
Five of the 15 are coaches — Fleming Thorton, Jerry Claiborne, Jim Ploesser, Rick Cohn, and Darryl Hallmark.
Several in the first class were multi-sport standouts and All-State selections. They include Curtis Pulley, Miguel Merritt, and Livingston Merritt.
Players on Hopkinsville’s back-to-back state championship football teams of 1965 and 1966 are also represented in the first class. They include Pete Moore, Herb Covington, Lawrence Brame, and John Fuqua.
All-State basketball player Bird Averitt, All-State and NFL player Artose Pinner, and Tommy Gray, who starred for the Tiger football program in the late 1930s and early 1940s are also part of the inaugural class.
Hopkinsville High School Athletic Director Blake Leach said a website will be constructed for the community to view and preserve the history of the players, coaches, and teams. He also said more details will be announced later.
