Hall of Fame inductions Saturday at 11 a.m.
January 20, 2010
PIKEVILLE, Ky. – Three standout student-athletes will be inducted into the Pikeville College Athletics Hall of Fame Saturday morning, while three others will be honored for their outstanding contributions and another group will be recognized for what they’ve meant to the school as well as the athletics department.
All of this will take place in Booth Auditorium on Saturday morning at 11 a.m., preceding the Bears and Lady Bears doubleheader with the teams of St. Catharine College at the East Kentucky Expo Center beginning at 2 p.m.
Former basketball player Jeff Campbell, tennis standout Todd Kitchen and baseball star Robert Taylor will be inducted into the hall of fame. Former athletics department secretary Carole Ward and the companies Appalachian Wireless and Community Trust Bank will join the honorary wing of the hall, while the group of former football players who referred to themselves as the Elite Nine will also be honored during the ceremony.
Jeff Campbell came to Pikeville College from M.C. Napier High School in Perry County and brought with him an amazingly accurate shooting touch from essentially anywhere in the gymnasium. During his time as a Bear, Campbell finished with 1,100 points.
Campbell’s scoring ability is amplified by the fact that he shared the floor with three other scoring machines also in the Hall of Fame. Teammates Brian Johnson, Jody Thompson and Rodney Fuller combined to score more than 5,300 points, yet Campbell also joined the 1,000-point club. Not surprisingly, the Bears were pretty good during Campbell’s career – his teams won a total of 47 games during his junior and senior seasons.
Todd Kitchen’s credentials as a collegiate tennis player are jaw-dropping. After playing No. 1 as a freshman at Union College, Todd was the two-time conference player of the year in three seasons at Pikeville College. He played No. 1 for two seasons at Pikeville before playing No. 3 as a senior, and played No. 1 doubles for three years where his teams were the best in the conference and region.
Todd made two national-tournament appearances, and during the final season where the NAIA played its national tournament on an individual basis, he was the only Bear to advance past the first round. In three seasons as a Bear, Todd compiled a record of 48-3 as a singles player, including a 19-0 mark as a senior. In addition, he played one season of junior varsity basketball.
After playing his freshman campaign at Liberty University, Robert Taylor had a terrific career as the starting catcher for the Pikeville College Bears. A three-time All-KIAC player, Rob was his team’s MVP as a junior when he led the team in hitting with a .385 batting average, and home runs with 11. The Johns Creek High School product led the Bears in runs batted in all three years and was chosen by his teammates as team captain for both his junior and senior seasons.
After finishing his playing career and earning his degree from Pikeville College in 1993, Rob signed a professional contract and played one year for the Kentucky Longrifles. During his time as a Rifle, Rob played for managers Roy Cutright and Johnnie LeMaster, both of whom are also members of the Pikeville College Athletics Hall of Fame.
Carole Ward was secretary for the office of student services before her retirement last summer. During her time, Carole handled much of the day-to-day operations of the athletics department. “In many ways, Carole made the department run smoothly,” said Ron Damron, vice-president for student services, women’s bowling coach and former athletics director. “She made all of our lives much easier every day. Nobody deserves this honor as much as Carole.”
Community Trust Bank has been a longtime supporter of Pikeville College and the athletics department. “Both times we’ve hosted the Mid-South Conference basketball tournament, they’ve stepped up and been our title sponsor,” said Robert Staggs, athletics director. “They are involved in our community in many ways, as a local company should be, and we’re thankful for the relationship with have with them here at the college.”
Appalachian Wireless has been very active in its support of Pikeville College Athletics. “Without Danny VanHoose and Appalachian Wireless, we wouldn’t be able to do many of the things we do now,” said Kelly Wells, men’s basketball coach. “They’ve played a vital role in our move to the Expo Center for our games this year, and we’re very thankful for that.”
The Elite Nine were on the first football team to ever play at Pikeville College. That team compiled a 7-1 record against a club schedule in 2000. These nine players were the only members of that team who stayed at Pikeville for their entire career and received their bachelor’s degree together in May of 2005.
“Those nine players came to Pikeville College and truly became local boys,” said Charlie Pinson, who did the television broadcast of every game those nine men played at Pikeville College. “Probably eight of those nine had never heard of Pikeville before they came here, and now it’s in their blood and their soul. They became the faces of the program as it grew and blossomed and to this day they remain Pikeville boys – or, should I say, Pikeville men.”
PC
PIKEVILLE, Ky. – Three standout student-athletes will be inducted into the Pikeville College Athletics Hall of Fame Saturday morning, while three others will be honored for their outstanding contributions and another group will be recognized for what they’ve meant to the school as well as the athletics department.
All of this will take place in Booth Auditorium on Saturday morning at 11 a.m., preceding the Bears and Lady Bears doubleheader with the teams of St. Catharine College at the East Kentucky Expo Center beginning at 2 p.m.
Former basketball player Jeff Campbell, tennis standout Todd Kitchen and baseball star Robert Taylor will be inducted into the hall of fame. Former athletics department secretary Carole Ward and the companies Appalachian Wireless and Community Trust Bank will join the honorary wing of the hall, while the group of former football players who referred to themselves as the Elite Nine will also be honored during the ceremony.
Jeff Campbell came to Pikeville College from M.C. Napier High School in Perry County and brought with him an amazingly accurate shooting touch from essentially anywhere in the gymnasium. During his time as a Bear, Campbell finished with 1,100 points.
Campbell’s scoring ability is amplified by the fact that he shared the floor with three other scoring machines also in the Hall of Fame. Teammates Brian Johnson, Jody Thompson and Rodney Fuller combined to score more than 5,300 points, yet Campbell also joined the 1,000-point club. Not surprisingly, the Bears were pretty good during Campbell’s career – his teams won a total of 47 games during his junior and senior seasons.
Todd Kitchen’s credentials as a collegiate tennis player are jaw-dropping. After playing No. 1 as a freshman at Union College, Todd was the two-time conference player of the year in three seasons at Pikeville College. He played No. 1 for two seasons at Pikeville before playing No. 3 as a senior, and played No. 1 doubles for three years where his teams were the best in the conference and region.
Todd made two national-tournament appearances, and during the final season where the NAIA played its national tournament on an individual basis, he was the only Bear to advance past the first round. In three seasons as a Bear, Todd compiled a record of 48-3 as a singles player, including a 19-0 mark as a senior. In addition, he played one season of junior varsity basketball.
After playing his freshman campaign at Liberty University, Robert Taylor had a terrific career as the starting catcher for the Pikeville College Bears. A three-time All-KIAC player, Rob was his team’s MVP as a junior when he led the team in hitting with a .385 batting average, and home runs with 11. The Johns Creek High School product led the Bears in runs batted in all three years and was chosen by his teammates as team captain for both his junior and senior seasons.
After finishing his playing career and earning his degree from Pikeville College in 1993, Rob signed a professional contract and played one year for the Kentucky Longrifles. During his time as a Rifle, Rob played for managers Roy Cutright and Johnnie LeMaster, both of whom are also members of the Pikeville College Athletics Hall of Fame.
Carole Ward was secretary for the office of student services before her retirement last summer. During her time, Carole handled much of the day-to-day operations of the athletics department. “In many ways, Carole made the department run smoothly,” said Ron Damron, vice-president for student services, women’s bowling coach and former athletics director. “She made all of our lives much easier every day. Nobody deserves this honor as much as Carole.”
Community Trust Bank has been a longtime supporter of Pikeville College and the athletics department. “Both times we’ve hosted the Mid-South Conference basketball tournament, they’ve stepped up and been our title sponsor,” said Robert Staggs, athletics director. “They are involved in our community in many ways, as a local company should be, and we’re thankful for the relationship with have with them here at the college.”
Appalachian Wireless has been very active in its support of Pikeville College Athletics. “Without Danny VanHoose and Appalachian Wireless, we wouldn’t be able to do many of the things we do now,” said Kelly Wells, men’s basketball coach. “They’ve played a vital role in our move to the Expo Center for our games this year, and we’re very thankful for that.”
The Elite Nine were on the first football team to ever play at Pikeville College. That team compiled a 7-1 record against a club schedule in 2000. These nine players were the only members of that team who stayed at Pikeville for their entire career and received their bachelor’s degree together in May of 2005.
“Those nine players came to Pikeville College and truly became local boys,” said Charlie Pinson, who did the television broadcast of every game those nine men played at Pikeville College. “Probably eight of those nine had never heard of Pikeville before they came here, and now it’s in their blood and their soul. They became the faces of the program as it grew and blossomed and to this day they remain Pikeville boys – or, should I say, Pikeville men.”
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