Tom Leach named to Kentucky Sports Hall of Fame

The Voice of the Wildcats just received a very cool honor. Tom Leach is one of five inductees to the Kentucky Sports Hall of Fame (KSHOF). Leach has served as the play-by-play announcer for Kentucky Football since 1997 and men’s basketball since 2001. The 2023 KSHOF class also includes journalist Rick Bozich, former UK diving coach and KHSAA commissioner Brigid DeVries, former Mason County standout and Tennessee star Chris Lofton, and Louisville native and three-time Super Bowl champion Bubba Paris.

The KSHOF was founded in 1963 to recognize athletes and sports figures who are Kentucky natives as well as individuals who participated in their respective sport or made a significant impact in their sport in Kentucky. Recent inductees include Mitch Barnhart (2022), Keith Madison (2021), Dwane Casey (2021), Derek Anderson (2019), Ralph Hacker (2019), and Nate Northington (2019). The 2023 class will be honored in September in Louisville and their plaques will hang in Freedom Hall.

The Kentucky Sports Hall of Fame announces its Class of 2023.
Rick Bozich
Brigid DeVries
Chris Lofton
Bubba Paris
And the Voice of @UKAthletics Tom Leach.
The plaques will hang in Freedom Hall. pic.twitter.com/zYWfyE1Upk

— Keith Farmer (@KeithFarmer18) May 24, 2023

Leach shares favorite Kentucky Football memories

In addition to calling UK games, Leach also hosts a daily radio show, “The Leach Report,” and produces “Sunday Morning Sportstalk” on WLAP. He also covers horse racing and has authored two books, “Rich Tradition” in 2009, telling the story of Rich Brooks’ revival of the UK football program, and “Two Decades Behind the Scenes,” which he co-wrote with his late broadcasting partner Mike Pratt about their 20-year run of calling UK games together. Leach is a 1979 graduate of Bourbon County High School and a 1983 graduate of the University of Kentucky.

Now seems like a great time to share this clip from Leach’s recent appearance on “11 Personnel” in which he discussed the top Kentucky Football moments he’s called. With over 25 years in the booth, he’s got a lot of them.

Congrats, Tom. Let’s celebrate with some of his best calls.

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