Twenty-four players, three teams
BY MIKE MUNCY
FOR THE MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
INEZ — Martin County has a long, illustrious history when it comes to sports.
Dwayne Sweeney and the Martin County All-Sports Hall of Fame board of directors are cementing that legacy with the first induction ceremony hosted at the Roy F. Collier Community Center this past Saturday.
The HOF’s first class includes 24 individuals and three teams.
According to Sweeney, over 100 people attended the ceremony celebrating some of Martin County’s greatest athletes from the Inez and Warfield high schools era.
Living legends such as Omar Fannin and Everette Horn Jr. from the 1954 Inez High School state championship team attended, as did family and friends of inductees who have passed on.
HOF board member Jack Ward emceed the event and Sweeney gave the opening address.
Guest speaker Martin County Judge/Executive Lon Lafferty opened and spoke of Martin County’s rich history.
“The preservation of people’s history and accomplishments is very important,” Lafferty said. “Yes, to remember and applaud the accomplishments of individuals or teams, but it is equally important to make that history available to those of us living here today and for future generations. It helps us define ourselves for who we are.”
John Phillip Cassady – Inez
John Phillip Cassady played on the first-ever Martin County basketball team and was captain of the Inez team that went to state in 1934, the first team in the county’s history to make the state tournament. At the state tournament, he boasted the stat of leading scorer for Inez. He continued his basketball career at Morehead State and was all-conference there. After his playing days, Cassady enjoyed a very successful coaching career for Inez High School. Cassady won district titles and made the regional finals in all his seasons as coach.
“He was very good at teaching players how to play defense,” said Ward. “He produced some very good teams and developed young athletes, pushing them to reach their potential.”
Paul Johnson – Inez
Johnson played on the first-ever Martin County team as well. He was on the 1934 team that made it to the state tournament. Johnson was voted best defensive guard in the 1934 Regional Tournament.
Frank B. Slone – Inez
Frank B. Slone played on the first Martin County team to go to the state tournament and was Martin County’s first all-state player. Slone is a member of the Kentucky Sweet Sixteen Hall of Fame.
Bob Allen – Inez
Bob Allen is one of the few players to go to the state tournament all four years of high school. He played on the 1937 Inez High state runner-up team. He was voted the best player in the regional conference and received a Medal of Honor. He is a member of the Kentucky Sweet Sixteen Hall of Fame. When Allen was 18 years old, he was hospitalized with appendicitis and underwent a procedure for removal.
Ben Goble – Inez
Ben Goble was one of Martin County’s best guards and was adept at handling the basketball. An all-state team member in his playing days, he later became a member of the Kentucky Sweet Sixteen Hall of Fame.
Jack Kirk – Inez
Jack Kirk is among the few players to go to the state tournament all four years of high school. He was a member of the 1937 state runner-up. Kirk was one of, if not the first, to shoot a jump shot in the state tournament. After playing for Inez he received a scholarship from Morehead State University. Kirk later became a member of the Kentucky Sweet Sixteen Hall of Fame.
Ollie Ward – Inez
Ollie Ward is another player from Inez who went to the state tournament all four years of high school. He was a member of the 1937 state runner-up. After high school, Ward received a scholarship from the University of Kentucky. Later in life he was inducted into the Kentucky Sweet Sixteen Hall of Fame.
Tom Williamson – Inez
Tom Williamson was one of the few players to go to the state tournament all four years of high school. He was a member of the 1937 state runner-up team and received a basketball scholarship to Morehead State University.
Bob Cooper – Inez
Cooper was a member of the 1941 state championship team. He was all-district and all-area and was named the best defensive player of the state tournament. He was also named a Kentucky player for the Kentucky-Indiana All-Star game. He received a scholarship from Eastern Kentucky University.
Alex Harmon – Inez
Alex Harmon was all-district, all-area and all-state. He was a member of the 1941 state championship team and played in the Kentucky-Indiana All-Star game. Harmon went on to play basketball at Pikeville College and set many scoring records there. He is a Kentucky Sweet Sixteen Hall of Fame inductee.
Charles Kirk – Inez
Charles Kirk was a member of the 1941 state championship team. As team captain he was all-district, all-area and all-state. Kirk also played in the Kentucky-Indiana All-Star game. Kirk played basketball at the collegiate level for Wake Forest University and Pikeville College.
Bill Taylor – Inez
Bill Taylor was a member of the 1941 state championship team. He was all-district, all-area and all-state. He played in the Kentucky-Indiana game and received a scholarship from Western Kentucky University.
Lester West – Inez
Lester West was key in the success of Inez High School winning the 1941 state championship knocking down five of the 35 points the Indians scored against St. Xavier. West received all-district, all-area, all-state and all-tournament honors. West played in the Kentucky-Indiana All-Star game and was awarded a scholarship to Murray State University before being drafted into the US Military.
Russell Williamson – Inez
Russell Williamson is possibly the biggest legend known to Martin County.
His accomplishments as a coach in the state of Kentucky are unmatched. Williamson became the basketball coach in 1930 and amassed a winning percentage of 90%. He is the only coach in Kentucky basketball history to have all five starts on the Kentucky All-Star team. Coach Williamson was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame and has been referred to as the “Adolph Rupp” of Kentucky high school basketball, having been on a first-name basis with the legendary University of Kentucky basketball coach.
Johnny Williams – Inez
Johnny Williams was an All-area and honorable mention all-state. He was also captain of the East Squad in the Kentucky East-West All-Star game. After graduation he continued his playing career at Pikeville College for four years. Williams later became a successful coach and teacher at Warfield High School and Sheldon Clark High School. As a coach, Williams led Sheldon Clark to the Sweet 16 in 1983 throttling Taylor County 81-65 in the first round and losing a close 62-58 quarterfinal to Ballard.
Billy Ray Cassady – Inez
Perhaps no other player to play for Inez High School received more accolades than Billy Ray Cassady. He was all-district, all-area, All-area and all-state. Cassady is also a member of the Kentucky Sweet Sixteen Hall of Fame. As a senior he helped lead the Indians to the championship in the Louisville Invitational Tournament. He played in the Kentucky-Indiana All-Star game and was voted “Star of the Stars.” He was selected for the Chuck Taylor All-American High School team. Cassady played for the University of Kentucky and Adolph Rupp. He was also a member of the 1958 NCAA Kentucky Wildcats National Championship team. After his playing days he became a coach at Inez High School from 1966-71.
Omar Fannin – Inez
Omar Fannin was a member of the 1954 state championship team that also won the Louisville Invitational Tournament. He was selected to the all-state team and played college ball for Morehead State and Akron universities.
Herbie Triplett – Inez
Herbie Triplett was a key member of the 1954 state championship team. Triplett was selected first-team all-state as a junior. Herbie moved to Ohio his senior year and led his team to the Ohio State Basketball Tournament semi-finals. After high school he received a scholarship to Morehead State, where he was a first-team All-Ohio Valley Conference.
Dale Moore – Warfield/Inez
Dale Moore was a member of the 1954 state championship team. Before transferring to Inez, he was a member of the Warfield Red Devils. He played basketball for Eastern Kentucky University and was a first-team All-Ohio Valley Conference two years in a row and was a candidate for college All-American. Moore was invited to work out for the Cincinnati Royals but was drafted to serve his country.
Everette Horn Jr. – Inez
Everette Horn Jr. was an All-area basketball player and all-state honorable mention in his junior and senior years. He was a member of the 1954 state championship team as a freshman. Horn played college ball at Pikeville College and never lost a home game in his college career. After his playing days, Horn became coach of the Inez Indians and coached his team to the regional finals in 1962, where they lost to Virgie by one point.
Claude Mills – Inez
Coach Claude Mills took Inez High School to the top of the state basketball world in 1954, winning the state title. He also coached his team to a win in the Louisville Invitational Tournament.
Floyd McCoy – Inez
Floyd McCoy was all-district, all-area and all-state. A member of the 1962 team that went to the regional finals, losing by one point to Virgie. McCoy is considered one of the best pure shooters to ever play for Inez. After high school, he received a scholarship from Morehead State University.
Orville Stepp – Inez
Another all-district, all-area and all-state player, Orville Stepp holds the single-game scoring record for Martin County basketball with 62 points against Mayton High School. He continued his collegiate career at Marshall University, where he was a star player, earning All-Mid-American Conference honors.
Joe Alan Stepp – Warfield
Joe Alan Stepp graduated from Warfield High School in 1972. He was named to the all-area team in his junior and senior seasons and was All-American in his last year of high school. As a senior he averaged 33.6 points per game.
Along with these individuals, the following teams were inducted:
•KHSAA first runner-up – Inez 1937
•KHSAA championship team – Inez 1941
•KHSAA championship team – Inez 1954.
“I’m just overwhelmed with everyone here,” Sweeney said after the event. “This is a big process, and for things to go as well as they have, and to honor this first class, I’m just overwhelmed. It’s a great celebration of Martin County sports. The roots run deep here as far as basketball, wrestling, you name it. I’m really humbled and honored to be a small part of this. It’s a great thing for the community.”
The Martin County Hall of Fame is planning its next induction ceremony for November and will induct 24 members.
