UK Hall of Fame will honor new class next week

By Kyle Graham

The 2009 UK Hall of Fame class will be honored Saturday at the football game at Commonwealth Stadium.

The 2009 Hall of Fame class was announced in April during the 2009 CATSPY Awards. The class includes former volleyball coach Kathy DeBoer, football player Wilbur Hackett, baseball player and contributor Jim Host, swimmer Rachel Komisarz, basketball player and current men’s basketball radio announcer Mike Pratt, CyYoung winning pitcher Brandon Webb and diver Tina Johnson Ybarra.

The 2009 class will join the previous  Hall of Fame classes that include UK legends such as Paul “Bear” Bryant, Sam Bowie and Richie Farmer.

“This is a tremendous honor and I am thrilled to death,” Pratt said. “It’s a very humbling experience to join so many other talented athletes in the Hall of Fame.”

The 2009 inductees, as well as 20 current UK Hall of Famers, will be honored on the field at Commonwealth Stadium at halftime Saturday. Before the game, the 2009 class will be available for an autograph signing session at 5:45 p.m. that will be held at Wildcat Refuge.

The UK Athletics Hall of Fame was started in 2005.  The inaugural class included 88 individuals who previously had their jersey retired by UK.  The Hall of Fame committee consists of Hall of Famers, media members, campus representatives and current coaches and administrators elect new inductees each year, according to a UK athletics press release.