Whitley County announces Athletic HOF Class of 2018

The second class of Whitley County High School’s Athletic Hall of Fame is a strong one.

The Hall of Fame committee voted earlier this year to induct the maximum of five into the Hall. Committee chairperson and Whitley County School Superintendent John Siler said, “We had many deserving nominees and are excited about the five being honored.”

“We are delighted that we can continue to recognize those that have made significant contributions to our athletic history. Their enshrinement in our Hall of Fame will ensure that their accomplishments will always be remembered.”

The 2018 Hall of Fame Class will be presented Friday September 21 at halftime of the Whitley County vs East Jessamine football game. The Hall of Fame banquet is on Saturday September 22.

Nominations for 2019 are currently being accepted. Those wishing to nominate someone can pick up a form at the Whitley County Board of Education or download one off the school’s website.

Daryl Bowman – Class of 1990
Daryl is considered one of the best receivers to ever wear a Colonel Uniform. In a time before high-octane passing offenses, Daryl still managed to haul in 89 receptions for 1,601 yards in his career, both of which were Colonel records for over a quarter century.
His 971 yards receiving and 14 receiving touchdowns in a single season and 22 career receiving touchdowns are still Colonel records.
Daryl excelled on the defensive side of the football as well and set a Colonel record returning 3 interceptions for touchdowns in a single game vs McCreary Central in 1988.
Daryl was named as one of the top 50 Seniors in the state in the fall of 1989 by the Lexington Herald Leader and went on to a four-year football career at then Cumberland College.

Kayla Peace – Class of 2006
Whitley County became a regional power during Kayla’s time as a Lady Colonel golfer. She won 10 Junior Events while regularly shooting in the 70’s during her high school career.
A five-year letter winner, Kayla played in three state tournaments helping her team advance to the state tournament as regional champs in both 2005, finishing 9th, and in 2006, when the team finished 10th.
In the 2006 season, she won Whitley’s only individual golf regional tournament shooting a 78.

Jamie Gambrell – Class of 1993
Jamie left Whitley County as one of the winningest players in Colonel history contributing to 72 victories during his high school career.
A five-year letter winner and a starter as a freshman, Jamie was the career scoring leader until this past season, tallying nearly 2,000 career points. His career high is still one of the Colonels’ all time bests, tossing in 42 against Corbin his Senior year, nailing a remarkable 26 of 28 from the charity stripe.
During his senior season he helped lead the Colonels to 21 victories, which is still one of only three twenty-win seasons in program history.
He won numerous awards and honors including being named All-SEKC, All-District, All-Region, and Honorable Mention All-State. He signed to play college hoops with Abraham Baldwin College.

Bobby Gibbs – Class of 1999
During a time in the football program’s history when Whitley was known for producing great linemen, Bobby Gibbs is considered one of the best to ever suit up.
Bobby was a four-year starter on both offense and defense on teams that went 33-12. While statistics for linemen don’t exist, he was the anchor of a line that had a 1,000-yard rusher each season. He was also a key member of the only offensive line in Colonel history that produced two 1,000-yard rushers in the same season.
He was named All-State his senior season and is the only player to represent Whitley in the now defunct Kentucky-Tennessee All-Star game that was played at UK’s Commonwealth Stadium.
He went on to excel at NCAA FCS Wofford College after his high school days. He was a four-year letter winner, named second Team All-Conference in 2002, and first Team All-Conference as well as third Team All-American in 2003. He later returned to Whitley County as a coach and was the Offensive Coordinator on the 2008 Regional Title team.

1967 Whitley County Colonel Baseball Team
Just four years after consolidation, the 1967 squad became the first team of any kind to capture a district title, going 17-2. The ‘67 team stormed through the district tournament, beating Middlesboro in the opening round 6-4, out dueling Corbin in the semifinals 3-2 before routing Lone Jack 17-4 to claim the program’s an school’s first district title.
They bowed out of the post season falling to powerhouse Somerset 4-1 in the first round of the regional tournament.
Their 15-game winning streak is likely the longest in school history. Regular players on the team included Hall of Famer Donnie “Burr” Haynes, Larry Richardson, Oscar Davenport, Jerry Moses, E.J. Haar, Jerry Lankster, Harry Jones, Jimmy Jarboe, Bill Perkins, and Arthur Croley; the team was coached by Paul Rice.