LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) - — The 19th class of the Kentucky Pro Football Hall of Fame was announced Friday morning with six players from all across the Commonwealth.
Those inductees include Leeman Bennett, Bob Fry, Elois Grooms, Cletidus Hunt, Glenn Presnel and Eric Wood.
Kentucky is the only state in the country to have a hall of fame for professional football athletes and the Kentucky Pro Football Hall of Fame benefits the Salvation Army Boys and Girls Club of the Bluegrass.
"We're using their notoriety, and their history, to help the youth of today here in central Kentucky," explained Franky Minnifield, the executive director of the Kentucky Pro Football Hall of Fame.
On Friday, the 2020 Blanton Collier Award for integrity was also announced. Anthony Munzo who played 13 seasons for the Cincinnati Bengals was the lucky recipient.
Minnifield wants the community to understand Kentucky is not just a basketball state.
"We like to put our players up against what we've done in basketball in the NBA. Our number will dwarf, the number of players, great players that come out of Kentucky, that was born here in Kentucky and went on to do great things in the NBA. Our numbers are up in the hundreds of players that was born in the state of Kentucky and went on to do great things," Minnifield said. "Just like Leeman Bennett. Lemon Bennett born in Western Kentucky, ends up being the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. I mean how many people get to do that. Coming again from from Paducah, Kentucky."
Read on for more on each of the inductees in the 2020 class:
- Leeman Bennett of Paducah, Kentucky. He attended Tilghman Paducah High School and later the University of Kentucky. He went on to play in the NFL for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 1985-1986 and then was the head coach for the Atlanta Falcons from 1977-1982.
- Bob Fry from Cincinnati, Ohio. He went to Elder High School and the University of Kentucky. His professional career started with the Los Angeles Rams in 1953 then from 1956 through 1959. He then went on to play for the Dallas Cowboys in 1960 through 1964 and finished is career with the Cleveland Browns in 1965.
- Elois Grooms of Tompkinsville, Kentucky. He attended Monroe County High School and later attended Tennessee Tech University. He started in the NFL with the New Orleans Saints in 1975 through 1981, then to the St. Louis Cardinals from 1982 through 1985 and finished with the Philadelphia Eagles in 1987.
- Cletidus Hunt from Memphis, Tennessee. He went to Whitehaven High School and attended Kentucky State University. He stared his career with the Green Bay Packers in 1999 through 2004 and then finished his career with the New York Dragons in 2007.
- Glenn Presnell of Gilead, Nebraska. He attended Dewitt High School and later the University of Nebraska and Eastern Kentucky University. He started with the Ironton Tanks from 1925 through 1930, then to the Portsmouth Spartans from 1931 through 16933 and then finished his career with the Detroit Lions from 1934 through 1936.
- Eric Wood from Cincinnati, Ohio. He also attended Elder High School and later the University of Louisville. He played for the Buffalo Bills from 2009 through 2017.
For more information about the Kentucky Pro Football Hall of Fame's upcoming events for the new class and for the public, visit their website: kyprofootballhof.org
