Tom Leach, long-time play-by-play voice for Wildcats, named to Kentucky Sports Hall of Fame
By Keith Farner
Published:
Tom Leach, a long-time voice for Kentucky athletics, including football and men’s basketball, was named to the Kentucky Sports Hall of Fame on Wednesday.
The announcement was made at a press briefing at Freedom Hall by the Louisville Sports Commission, owners and operators of the KSHOF.
Leach is in his 46th year of sports radio broadcasting in his home state of Kentucky, including 34 years on the UK broadcast teams with the past 26 seasons calling play-by-play for UK football and 22 seasons calling UK men’s basketball, according to his Hall of Fame bio.
A native of Paris, Leach began his career at age 17 as the voice for Paris and Bourbon County high school sports. He has won two Eclipse Awards for his coverage of thoroughbred racing, 6 times has been selected by his peers as Kentucky Sportscaster of the Year, and for 24 years he was a news and sports reporter/director in Lexington, first for WVLK and then WLAP.
Leach has written 2 books: “Rich Tradition” that chronicles the turnaround of UK football under Rich Brooks; and “Kentucky Basketball, 20 Years Behind the Scenes” co-authored with Mike Pratt.
Congratulations to Tom Leach, longtime play-by-play voice of @UKFootball and @KentuckyMBB and Brigid DeVries, one of the founding administrators/coaches of @universityofky women’s varsity sports, who have been selected for the Kentucky Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2023!
— Kentucky Athletics (@UKAthletics) May 24, 2023
It’s official!! Another (3rd) Hall of Fame for our @rickbozich Joined by Bridget DeVries, Tom Leach, Chris Lofton and Bubba Paris in the this year’s Ky Athletic Hall of Fame class of ‘23. @WDRBNews pic.twitter.com/amUIfxahFE
— Tom Lane (@TomLaneWDRB) May 24, 2023
A former newspaper veteran, Keith Farner is a news manager for Saturday Down South.
