Jared Lorenzen, Dave Cowens are among 5 local inductees to 2023 KHSAA Hall of Fame

A few of Northern Kentucky’s most legendary athletic figures will be inducted into the next class of the Dawahares/KHSAA Hall of Fame, the Kentucky High School Athletic Association announced Friday.

The Kentucky High School Athletic Association will induct its Class of 2023 into the Dawahares/KHSAA Hall of Fame presented by Roberts Insurance on Sunday, April 30, at the Central Bank Center Ballroom in Lexington.

With the addition of this year’s 14-member class, the Dawahares/KHSAA Hall of Fame will surpass the half-century mark with 505 all-time members.

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The class includes Highlands teammates Jared Lorenzen and Derek Smith, who led the Fort Thomas school to rare heights in both football and basketball.

Also inducted is pro basketball legend Dave Cowens from Newport Central Catholic. The court at NewCath honors him with a mural on one wall.

Two football coaches who spent part of their career in Northern Kentucky will be inducted: Randy Reese, who led Ludlow to a state championship in football during four decades of coaching; and Dan Goble, who led Lloyd Memorial to a school record 12 wins.

Lorenzen and Smith led Highlands to a dominant season in 1998. Lorenzen, who died in 2019 at age 38, was named Kentucky Mr. Football for the 1998 season when he led the Bluebirds to a 15-0 record and a state championship. He threw for 3,392 yards and 45 touchdowns that season, helping the Bluebirds average more than 53 points and 493 yards per game that season. Highlands’ 801 points in 1998 were a state record until the Bluebirds posted 849 in 2011.

Both were top basketball players, helping the Bluebirds to three straight Ninth Region championships from 1997-99. They were named all-tournament in the 1997 Sweet 16, leading Highlands to the state final.

Lorenzen was named first-team all-state in hoops after the 1999 season. He went on to a record-setting career at the University of Kentucky and won a Super Bowl as a backup QB with the New York Giants.

Tickets to the 2023 Dawahares/KHSAA Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will be available for purchase beginning Feb. 6.

Here are the official bios for the local inductees:

Dave Cowens, athlete, Newport Central Catholic

Dave Cowens played two seasons for Newport Central Catholic, guiding the Thoroughbreds to a 50-11 record by way of back-to-back district championships and one region title.

Cowens went on to play for Florida State University, where he remains the program’s all-time leading rebounder and a top-10 all-time scorer. Cowens was selected fourth overall by the Boston Celtics in the 1970 NBA Draft, leading the Celtics to two NBA championships over 13 years.

Cowens was the 1973 NBA Most Valuable Player, the 1971 Rookie of the Year and an eight-time All-Star. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1991 and had his jersey retired by both the Celtics and the Seminoles.

Dan Goble, coach, Lloyd Memorial, Shelby County, Atherton, Christian County

Dan Goble spent 37 years as a football coach and 14 years as a baseball coach across multiple Kentucky high schools. He guided Lloyd Memorial (12-1), Shelby County (10-1), Atherton (9-1) and Christian County (14-1) to the best respective records in school history at the time during his tenure on the sidelines.

Goble won a KHSAA Football Class 1A state title as an assistant coach and guided Christian County to two Class 4A state championships as a head coach.

The Colonels won 12 Western Kentucky Conference titles and six district titles under Goble, who earned Coach of the Year honors four times from three different organizations and has previously been inducted into four Halls of Fame while never posting a losing record in baseball. A three-time Kentucky Colonel, Goble has been recognized by three different Governors of Kentucky for his achievements.

Jared Lorenzen, athlete, Highlands

Jared Lorenzen, named 1998’s “Kentucky Mr. Football,” quarterbacked Highlands to the 1998 KHSAA Football Class 3A state title behind a perfect 15-0 record.

Lorenzen completed 169 of 270 passes that season, racking up 3,392 passing yards, 42 passing touchdowns, 904 rushing yards and 15 rushing touchdowns. He continued his football career at the University of Kentucky, where he still holds the all-time passing record of 10,354 yards.

Lorenzen was a Super Bowl XLII champion with the NFL’s New York Giants in 2008 and was inducted into the UK Athletics Hall of Fame in 2015.

Randy Reese, coach, Ludlow, Paris, Henderson County, Warren East

Randy Reese spent four decades as a football coach across multiple Kentucky high schools after beginning his career in his home state of Ohio. Reese earned his first KHSAA Football Class 1A state championship during his first season as Ludlow head coach in 1975.

He went on to add back-to-back state titles at Paris in 1981 and 1982, as well as a runner-up finish in 1984 and a 38-game winning streak. His teams won more than 20 district titles, earning Reese Coach of the Year honors during each of his championship seasons. Reese has previously been inducted into the Paris Greyhound Hall of Fame, as well as the Norwood High School (Ohio) Athletic Hall of Fame, earning a spot on the Marietta College (Ohio) All-Decade Team for his accomplishments as a player.

Derek Smith, athlete, Highlands

Derek Smith starred for Highlands in football and boys basketball, finishing as the 1999 Kentucky Mr. Basketball runner-up. Smith was a four-year starter in basketball and the Ninth Region Player of the Year, earning first-team all-state honors in each of his final three seasons en route to scoring 2,229 career points.

As a football player, Smith led Highlands to two state championships and twice earned first-team all-state honors as an upperclassman. He was named the Gatorade Kentucky State Football Player of the Year, News Media Kentucky High School Football Player of the Year, Paul Hornung Kentucky High School Football Player of the Year and the Kentucky Mr. Football runner-up in 1999. He continued his football career at the University of Kentucky, earning All-Southeastern Conference honors at tight end before playing one NFL season for the Cincinnati Bengals.

The rest of the class is Carolyn Alexander (Hazard), Candy Berry (Greenup County), Greg Brohm (Trinity), Jermaine Brown (Fairdale), Megan Gearhart (West Carter), Barry King (Knott County Central, Letcher County Central, Breathitt County), Randy Napier (MC Napier, Perry County Central), Charlie Tyra (Atherton), George Unseld (Seneca).

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Jared Lorenzen, Dave Cowens among inductees to 2023 KHSAA Hall of Fame