After 150 Kentucky Derbys, Louisville Knows Sports

Pete Browning, Anna May Hutchison, Clarence Wilson Comprise Class of 2020

Louisville, Ky. – Feb. 4, 2021 – Three native Kentuckians from the bygone era have been selected as the 2020 class of the Kentucky Sports Hall of Fame fueled by the Kentucky Lottery (KSHOF). Comprising the 43^rd KSHOF class are: Pete Browning, one of the most dominant hitters in the early days of major league baseball in the late 1800s and namesake of the Louisville Slugger baseball bat; Anna May Hutchison, a record-setting sidearm pitcher in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL) during the World War II era; and Clarence “Cave” Wilson, a prep and collegiate basketball star at all-black schools and at the time, the longest-tenured player-coach for the Harlem Globetrotters in the 1950-60s.

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Award Presented Annually Since 2010 to Most Versatile Player in Major College Football

Louisville, Ky. – Jan. 5, 2021 – Alabama senior wide receiver / return specialist DeVonta Smith, a prolific pass catcher and standout on special teams who scored touchdowns receiving, rushing and returning punts, has been named winner of the 11^th annual Paul Hornung Award presented by Texas Roadhouse.

The announcement was made today by the Louisville Sports Commission (LSC), owners and operators of the Paul Hornung Award, presented to the most versatile player in major college football. The LSC created the award in 2011 along with football legend and Louisville native Paul Hornung, who passed away on Nov. 13, 2020, at age 84.

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I remember asking my mom how she and my four oldest siblings coped during World War II with rationing, uncertainty in the war effort and my father away serving in the Navy. She said, “We learned to make do.”

Louisville’s hospitality and travel and tourism industries have been forced to “make do” during the pandemic while operating in fits and starts for much of 2020 due to COVID-19. And while many sports activities also have been affected, our segment of the industry has been fortunate to fill a critical void and provide a sense of normalcy in an abnormal time.

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Runner nominations and runner votes decided the Best Races in America for the decade

Louisville, Ky. – December 2, 2020 – BibRave, an online running community that provides race-related information to running race participants worldwide, announced that the Louisville Sports Commission’s Urban Bourbon Half Marathon presented by Jim Beam® (UBHM) was named the number two best half marathon in the country as part of The BibRave 100: A Definitive List of the Best Races in America. The UBHM also was listed among the races with the best bites and bevvies, and best medals and swag.

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Louisville, Ky. – Nov. 13, 2020 – Paul Vernon Hornung, one of the all-time great college and pro football players from the 1950s and 60s, passed away today in his hometown of Louisville, Ky., at age 84 after a long battle with dementia.

Hornung is survived by his wife of 41 years, Angela Hornung.

Legendary Green Bay Packer Football Coach Vince Lombardi once called Hornung, “The most versatile man ever to play the game.” Nicknamed “The Golden Boy” due to his blond hair and handsome features, Hornung won the 1956 Heisman Trophy at Notre Dame as a quarterback, then was a star halfback and placekicker for the Green Bay Packers team that ruled the NFL in the 1960s. Hornung is a member of the college and pro football halls of fame and the namesake of the Paul Hornung Award, presented annually to the most versatile player in major college football.

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