Hazard native inducted into Kentucky Sports Hall of Fame

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WYMT) – On Monday, the Kentucky Sports Hall of Fame inducted its newest class. The 2024 Kentucky Sports Hall of Fame has ties to Eastern Kentucky through Hazard native Oscar Combs.

“It’s a long time dream,” Combs said. “I never thought it would happen. I had no idea it would happen at Freedom Hall.”

In 1976, Combs founded The Cats’ Pause which was the first independent publication fully devoted to covering the athletics program at one university. Combs got his start writing for the Courier-Journal.

“For me, to be a sophomore, junior, senior in high school in Hazard, Kentucky, to have a byline in the Courier-Journal, that’s as good as it gets. At least I thought it was. This tops it,” Combs said about being inducted into the KSHOF.

The Hazard native enters the Hall of Fame alongside a close friend, Louisville native Roy Pickerill.

“You don’t even dream of going into the Hall of Fame and then you find out you’re going in it with your best friends,” Combs said. “Then, you find out you’re going [to be inducted] in Freedom Hall. Freedom Hall has an iconic nature about it that Rupp Arena doesn’t have.”

A longtime friend of more than 40 years, Pickerill refers to fellow inductees Combs, Tony Delk and Teddy Bridgewater as “three legends.”

“They were legends way before anything,” Pickerill said. “I am so proud to be associated with them, especially Oscar. We’ve been together a long time, more than 40 years and I know what he did when he started The Cats’ Pause.”

Along with joining a longtime friend, Combs enters the Hall of Fame with Kentucky basketball All-American Tony Delk.

“When you get to Tony Delk, you get home with me,” Combs said.

Delk said while he is honored to join the Hall of Fame with such great men, joining it with Combs makes it even more special.

“Cats’ Pause was something my brothers kept on with, especially before I got to Kentucky and afterward,” Delk said. “He was a pioneer of putting out recruiting trails to let guys know how good players were.”

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