1976 State Championship Team Honored for 50 Year Anniversary: ECHS Designated as "Glory Road" Location

Members of the 1976 State KHSAA Basketball Champion Wildcat Basketball team and cheerleaders.

Darren Doyle, story: Gabe DeArmond, photos:
Members of the 1976 KHSAA Boys' Basketball Edmonson County Wildcat State Championship team were honored last night at ECHS in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of their monumental achievement.

Along with former players, cheerleaders, management, and the wife of former Head Coach Bo Davenport, Mary Frances Davenport was also recognized. 

The team is said to have "saved the Sweet Sixteen," by being a small school to win a single class, statewide tournament format. Kentucky is only one of two states in America to still have a single class system. The other, Delaware, is changing formats to a multi-class system after next season, which will leave Kentucky as the sole state to continue the format.

The 1976 State Championship trophy.

L-R: Scott Lindsey, Barry Rich, Jonathan Williams, and Mary Frances Davenport.

A reception was also held in their honor at ECHS, sponsored by Rafferty's. 

In addition, Edmonson County High School was designated as a "Glory Road" location, which recognizes and honors the many gymnasiums and games across Kentucky that have historical significance in the development of the cultural phenomenon of Kentucky high school basketball.

The Glory Road designation was made available much in part from Edmonson County native Scott Lindsey, Vice President of Rafferty's Restaurants. Lindsey paved the way for a similar memorial plaque as pictured above to be placed at Edmonson County High School.

A plaque was presented to Edmonson County High School by Raffery's Vice President and Edmonson native Scott Lindsey and received by ECHS Principal Jonathan Williams, Barry Rich, former board member that made the call to Coach Davenport to let him know of his Edmonson hiring, and Mrs. Davenport, in honor of Coach. 

The project honors iconic gymnasiums along with the schools and communities that built them and are designed to highlight longstanding rivalries across Kentucky, along with notable teams throughout the history of high school basketball teams in Kentucky. 

Even though the current gym at ECHS was not the home site for the 1976 KY State Champion Wildcats, Edmonson County received the honor due to the impact of not only the '76 team, but also other state powerhouse teams from Edmonson County in previous years.