Bluegrassrivals

As I have been compiling records for a database I have come across a lot of teams that have been lost to history. The list is growing by the day but I wanted to have a little fun and give these teams recognition. Because the list is so long I will do several different posts over the next week or so to get them all in. Today I will cover those teams starting with A or B. While some of these schools are still active but no longer field KHSAA football squads others history has been relegated to memories and newspapers.

The most heartbreaking of the schools listed below is probably Black Star.

Allen Central Rebels (1972-2016) – Allen Central was the product of consolidation (Martin, Maytown, Garett, and Wayland (later in the list)) in 1972. The Rebels fielded a Football team from 1987-2016. The Rebels had 4 winning seasons and went 2-10 in the playoffs. In 2017 Allen Central merged with South Floyd to become Floyd Central

Anchorage Anchors’(1914-Present) - the first record I could find of Anchorage fielding a team was 1921. The Anchors’ fielded a team until the 1950s when kids began to attend the newer, larger Eastern High opened in Middletown. Anchorage decided to convert to K-9 and remain an independent School district ending high school sports at Anchorage. Side Note: Future Male Basketball Coach Pap Glenn got his start coaching football and basketball for the Anchors

Catholic Country Day(1957-1961)/Aquinas Prep (1962-1967) – Tangled up in the messy origins of Kentucky Country Day, the school began as Catholic Country Day in 1957 with it’s first Football team taking to the gridiron in 1960, by 1964 the school was known as Aquinas Prep and had fielded a team under that name in 1962 and 1963 under that name. They would not field a team again until they merged with Louisville Country Day and the Kentucky Home School for Girls to become Kentucky Country Day.

Attucks (Hopkinsville) (1916-1988) – Crispus-Attucks converted to an integrated Middle School in 1968, Attucks spent the first par of it’s existence as a public school for blacks. Attucks appears in the state-wide high school standings from 1961-1964 though they likely had a team before ’61 racial issues as they were at the time kept them separated. Hopkinsville Schools integrated in 1962 and many of the players from Attucks began to attend Hopkinsville. This infusion of Attucks Players and a new head coach propelled Hoptown to great success. The site of Attucks is now on the National Register of Historic Places.

Barbourville Tigers (1900-Present) – The Barbourville independent schools are still in operation today. The last football team to compete in organized state play appears to have been in 1965.

Beth Haven (1971-Present) – The Bearcats fielded teams from 1971-1982 and again from 1996-2008, going 9-1 in 1978 and 8-0 in 2005-2006 (outside district play).

Benham Tigers (1926-1992) – Served as a high school until 1961, when it converted to K-8. Located in Harlan County, Benham like many schools sprung up in a coal town. The school is now known as the Benham Schoolhouse Inn. Benham appears to have fielded a football team until it switched to K-8 with its last season on the gridiron being 1960.

Black Star Eagles (-1960) – Another school that sprung up from a Harlan County coal town. Black Star ceased coal operations in 1960 and the entire town disappeared over time. Black Star students were ordered to attend Hall High (later in the list) in 1961 but protested by sitting on the steps of the closed Black Star High in Sept of 1961. James A. Cawood was superintendent at the time and Black Star students would attend the school with his name on it few years later.

Bishop David Falcons (1960-1984) – The Falcons, fielded by an all-boys school until it merged with an all-girls school in 1984 to become Holy Cross-Louisville that we have today. Battling year in and year out with St. X, Trinity and Flaget, they held their own and from 1971 to 1980 could be considered among the Jefferson County powerhouses. You can see a 1971 game between Bishop David and a school later in the list here

Buckhorn Wildcats (Present) – It appears the Buckhorn Wildcats last fielded a team in 1961. The Perry County school is still active today and plays in other sports.

Burgin Bulldogs (Present) – Burgin Independent is another small school who once fielded a football team but no longer do. The Bulldogs fielded teams from 1963-1972 before folding their football program.

Many More coming soon!

Aside from being the saddest on the list, Black Star May be one of the coolest names for a high school ever.

Your ability to have the most interesting threads on here is 2nd to none and its not close. Very interesting to me

Very cool and interesting! Very cool find!

Absolutely love this stuff. :Cheerlead

I’ll post another 10-15 tomorrow.

Thanks for posting! Very interesting read!

I can't get to the machine that has my list on it so I am going to instead post some photos from the teams above.

Bishop David
I think the history of Bishop David football is tightly wound with the history of long time head coach Denny Nash who spent 20 years as the Head Coach of the Falcons 1964-1983. While Nash never won a state title his Falcons were considered a threat throughout the 1970s.


Nash in his first year in 1964


1968 against Flaget


1973

The 'Glee Club' in 1973


1976 Masot Big Daddy Bird without his head


1976 Running Back Tom Spencer


1976 Spencer and Nash


1980


1983 Article on Nash not having a new contract at the new school, Holy Cross.

Allen Central Rebels


2009

2015 Pig Skin Preview WYMT


2016 Mountain Top News In The Huddle


2016 Final Game Youtube video



2016 Final Team Photo

Newspapers.com >>>

Black Star Eagles - from the amazing blackstarcoalcamp.com


1932 Black Star Eagles










1953 Team Roster

Attucks

The only photo I can find is of a team from 1927, would love to see more.

Lynch is another one of those Harlan County schools. They were a powerhouse

E's Army Wrote:Lynch is another one of those Harlan County schools. They were a powerhouse

Yep, I’ve got a big list I’m working through. Lots of old Harlan schools in it

Granny could probably help you find some stuff on everts, Cumberland, and I forget the other one that used to be up there.

Kentucky Military Academy, which I believe is one of the various schools considered to have "merged" into Kentucky Country Day. Jim Backus, John Y. Brown, Fred Willard and Victor Mature are all alumni.

Millersburg Military Institute fielded football teams in the past as well, if I'm not mistaken.

Burlington High School is another school in northern Kentucky that disappeared a product of consolidation. Highlands/Boone County coach Owen Hauck is an alum.

I'm going to do some looking AtlPirate!!

Black Star was also the name of that little community. Interestingly enough, to get there you have to travel from Harlan Co into Bell Co, then turn left and travel up a holler so far that you go BACK into Harlan Co. The kids that staged that Sit-Down had valid reasons for it. Back then (in MY opinion) were the worst days for school politics that have ever existed.

TheOracle Wrote:Kentucky Military Academy, which I believe is one of the various schools considered to have "merged" into Kentucky Country Day. Jim Backus, John Y. Brown, Fred Willard and Victor Mature are all alumni.

Millersburg Military Institute fielded football teams in the past as well, if I'm not mistaken.

Both of these are definitely on my list

AtlPirateFan Wrote:Both of these are definitely on my list

My apologies...somehow or other I missed the "A-B" portion of your thread title, Atl. I like it though!!

I think Black Star actually closed in 1961. They had an elementary school until around 1985.

Granny Bear Wrote:I'm going to do some looking AtlPirate!!

Black Star was also the name of that little community. Interestingly enough, to get there you have to travel from Harlan Co into Bell Co, then turn left and travel up a holler so far that you go BACK into Harlan Co. The kids that staged that Sit-Down had valid reasons for it. Back then (in MY opinion) were the worst days for school politics that have ever existed.

The biggest problem, I think, was KY 72 was never connected between Pathfork and Liggett as it was supposed to have been many years earlier. The trip to Hall would have been cut in half, I'm guessing. If you look at a map, the two parts of KY 72 head toward each other and then stop.