LOUISVILLE, Ky. — University of Kentucky Wildcats Mitch Barnhart and Sue Feamster are half of the Class of 2022 for the Kentucky Sports Hall of Fame. The announcement was made Thursday at the Kentucky Sports Exposition Center in Louisville.
Barnhart is wrapping up his 20th year as the Athletics Director at UK. He's led the programs on campus with over $300 million in facility upgrades while hiring some of the best coaches in their respective sports. That includes brand new facilities for basketball, football, soccer, softball, baseball and golf with many others getting upgrades. There have been National Championships won in basketball, volleyball, rifle and track & field. There have been multiple Southeastern Conference titles won including the first for the women's swimming and diving program in February of 2021. The football team has earned six straight bowl games and has won the last four in a row. And for 20 consecutive semesters the Wildcats have met the goal of a 3.0 or higher grade point average among all athletes. Barnhart also spent a five-year term on the Men’s Basketball Tournament Committee, including as the Chairman. He is also a new member of the College Football Playoff Committee and has been chair of the NCAA Competition Oversight Committee and a member of the NCAA Division I Baseball Committee.
Feamster was a leader in Kentucky Athletics and Title IX. That was federal legislation signed into law by President Richard Nixon in 1972 stating, "No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance." Feamster was the first women's athletics director at the University of Kentucky where she created a women's varsity sports program from scratch. Feamster was also the first women's basketball coach after the new law came into effect. This is the 50th anniversary of Title IX and UK will be celebrating throughout the year.
Joining Barnhart and Feamster in the Kentucky Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2022 are former University of Louisville and NFL running back, Michael Bush and former Kentucky Wesleyan and NBA player Dallas Thornton. Both are natives of Louisville and attended Male High School.
The induction for the Kentucky Sports Hall of Fame will take place at a dinner on August 22nd at the Galt House in downtown Louisville.
