KWC's Pickerill to be inducted in Kentucky Sports HOF

With a chance to get a crowd for the occasion, the Kentucky Sports Hall of Fame named its induction class for 2024 during Champions Day at Churchill Downs. A very local connection was one of the four inductees: Roy Pickerill, the long-time former Sports Information Director at Kentucky Wesleyan College.

Pickerill will be going into the Kentucky Sports Hall of Fame as voted on by a panel of state sports broadcasters and sports writers.

Pickerill retired as the longest tenured SID in KWC history after 29 ½ years in December 2016. He also served 11 years as assistant SID before his promotion.

Currently, he is in his seventh year at KWC as Sports Information Director Emeritus and Special Assistant for College Relations.

Overall, Pickerill has been with the KWC for 53 years.

“This is the greatest honor of my career,” Pickerill said. “I consider this ‘the grandaddy’ of all my awards.”

Pickerill also has been enshrined into the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) HOF; the Great Lakes Valley Conference HOF; the Kentucky Wesleyan Athletics HOF; and the Kentucky Wesleyan Alumni HOF.

The 47th KSHOF class also features U of L and NFL quarterback Teddy Bridgewater; The Cats Pause founder Oscar Combs; and UK and NBA guard Tony Delk.

Pickerill joins fellow Panther honorees: basketball All-Americans “King” Kelly Coleman (2000); George Tinsley (2011); Dallas Thornton (2022); basketball coach Guy Strong (2002); and the Voice of the Panthers Joel Utley (2016).

The induction ceremony will be in September, at Louisville’s historic Freedom Hall.