After 150 Kentucky Derbys, Louisville Knows Sports

Louisville, Ky. – June 17, 2018 – The Louisville Sports Commission (LSC) announced the appointment of six new members to its board of directors and re-election of two members. The new and re-elected board members will be serving a three-year term of July 1, 2019 through June 30, 2022. The LSC also welcomes a new slate of officers, including John Willmoth, managing partner of Poplar Ventures, who was elected as chairman of the board.

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Group consists of Olympic Champion, Super Bowl MVP, NBA Champion, Sports Trailerblazers

Louisville, Ky. – June 12, 2019 – Six individuals who have made outstanding contributions to sports – dating back nearly a century through recent times – have been selected as the 2019 class of the Kentucky Sports Hall of Fame fueled by the Kentucky Lottery (KSHOF).

Comprising the 42nd KSHOF class are: Derek Anderson, (Louisville) member of a University of Kentucky basketball national championship, 11-year NBA veteran and NBA champion; Deion Branch, University of Louisville all-conference wide receiver, 13-year NFL career and Super Bowl MVP; William Exum, trailblazer as the long-time athletic director and multiple sports coach at Kentucky State University and USA Olympic Track & Field Manager; Ralph Hacker (Richmond), long-time radio color analyst and play-by-play for University of Kentucky, innovator in sports radio networks and programming; Willis Augustus Lee (Natlee), one of the most decorated U.S. Olympians ever who won seven medals in shooting events at the 1920 Olympics; and Nate Northington (Louisville), an all-state high school football player who played at the University of Kentucky and was the first African-American ever to play in an SEC football game.

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by: Karl F. Schmitt Jr., president and CEO, Louisville Sports Commission

The garland of roses has been awarded, the grandstand emptied and the infield cleaned up.  And while the 145^th running of the Kentucky Derby is behind us, Louisville’s focus on hosting top-quality sporting events remains in full-stride.

The famed Run for the Roses is our greatest opportunity to showcase Louisville’s many attributes to tens of thousands of guests from around the world who visit and experience what makes our community special.

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Selection Made by Event Experts at National Association of Sports Commissions Annual Conference

Louisville, Ky. – May 9, 2019 – The Louisville Sports Commission’s (LSC) 2018 Urban Bourbon Half Marathon presented by Jim Beam® was named Event of the Year by the National Association of Sports Commissions (NASC). The announcement was made yesterday by NASC President & CEO Al Kidd at the organization’s annual conference in Knoxville.

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By Karl F. Schmitt, Jr.
President and CEO, Louisville Sports Commission

Louisville, it’s time to get the hat just right and straighten that bow tie. Our community is rounding the clubhouse turn and heading into the home stretch toward the 145^th running of the Kentucky Derby.

Preparations at Churchill Downs are reaching fever pitch, from the trainers readying the thoroughbreds for the starting gate, to the kitchen and bar managers gearing up to serve all those slices of Derby Pie® and mint juleps.

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