Lafayette High School (Lexington, Kentucky)
Encyclopedia
Lafayette Senior High School (LHS) is a public high school located in Lexington, Kentucky
's Picadome
neighborhood. The school is one of five high schools in the Fayette County Public Schools
district. It is among the largest high schools in Kentucky.
Lafayette High School opened in 1939 to replace Picadome High School. The school was named for the Marquis de Lafayette, the French general who became famous during and after the Revolutionary War. The family of the Marquis de Lafayette granted the school permission to use their family Coat of Arms.
, or SCAPA, is associated with Lafayette. Its facilities are located on Lafayette's campus.
, Gay Brewer
, Austin Kearns
) have gone on to successful amateur and professional athletic careers. Lafayette/Picadome has been a member of KHSAA since 1924.
Lafayette has won more than 1,200 games in its history, ranking high on Kentucky's all-time list. Through January 11, 2001, the boys' basketball team had a 1,252-658 all-time record. Through 2011, Lafayette has a 28-5 record (84.8 winning percentage) in the Sweet Sixteen tournament - good for fifth best all-time.
Many former Lafayette basketball stars have gone on to play in college and the NBA. Lafayette standouts that have matriculated to the nearby University of Kentucky include Vernon Hatton, Ed Lander and Billy Ray Lickert.
The Lafayette girl's team was runner-up to the state championship in 1979.
Mr. Basketball
Three Lafayette standouts have been named Mr. Basketball, Kentucky's highest prep honor. They are:
Billy Ray Lickert (1957), Jeff Mullins (1960) and Dirk Minniefield
(1979)
Several former Lafayette baseball stars have enjoyed successful college and professional careers, including 1998 Kentucky Mr. Baseball winner and current Cleveland Indians
left fielder
Austin Kearns
.
. The school holds state track and field records in the following events:
Boys’ 100 Meter Dash - KY (AAA) Tyson Gay, Lafayette, 2001, 10.46; Boys’ 400 Meter Relay - KY (AAA) Lafayette, 1985, 42.06
played for the school and won three consecutive state titles from 1949-51. Bryan Griffith won in 1967; Mike Quammen in 1984.
The girl's team has also claimed five individual titles. Myra Van Hoose, currently the women's golf coach for the University of Kentucky
, won four consecutive championships from 1970-73. Lafayette won girl's team titles in 1972 and 1973.
Coach Rick Kazee led the boys team to a state championship in 1990.
Recent years have seen an improvement in the program. In 2006, Lafayette finished the regular season undefeated, posting a 10-0 record. It was the program's best finish since the 1960s (the team fell to Woodford County (8-4) in the first round of the district playoffs).
Lafayette plays its home football games at James D. Ishmael Stadium. Originally built in 1953, the facility has been expanded several times and seats more than 4,000, making it among the largest stadiums in the state.
Lafayette's oldest rival is crosstown high school Henry Clay, with the most prominent one today being Paul Laurence Dunbar.
(BOA) Grand National Championships four times: in 1995, 2004, 2009 and 2010, making the finals twice ('95 and '04). In 2009, the band was the class 3A National runner-up, placing 14th overall, in 2010, the band was a semi-finalist and placed 20th overall.
The band has also competed at several BOA Regional contests, reaching the finals at least once every year since 1995. In 1996 and 1997, the band was named Champion at the BOA Regional in Johnson City, Tenn. The band has also claimed the Grand Champion title at the famed Contest of Champions in Murfreesboro, Tenn. nine times (1975–76, 1978–79, 1990–94).
In addition, the band has performed twice at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
in New York City, N.Y. (1991, 2002). The band will be performing in the 2013 Tournament of Roses Parade
.
The band started to grow initially in the mid-1950s under the direction of William Walter Hall.
While the Lafayette Band has always enjoyed a successful reputation, it was not known well until the program reached its pinnacle during the early 1990s. Under the direction of Steve Moore, the band claimed numerous marching contest titles, winning several consecutive state championships.
The 1991 band received the Suddler Shield award for Marching Excellence.
The 1993 season produced what many regard as the finest marching band show in Kentucky history, "Polovetzian Dances". The band finished the season undefeated and beat rival McGavock High School (Nashville, Tenn.) by nearly 10 whole points at the Contest of Champions. The 4A class state championship was never in doubt and Lafayette easily claimed the title.
The band's 1994 rendition of "Les Miserables" is also highly regarded and often lauded among band enthusiasts.
The band is well known for their distinctive uniforms. The old uniforms were designed to resemble French infantry uniforms, like those worn by Lafayette's soldiers around the time of the American Revolution. The uniforms were replaced after the 2005 season after the band did a show in tribute to the school, and the influence the band has had on the community.
Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region...
's Picadome
Picadome, Lexington
Picadome is a neighborhood in southwestern Lexington, Kentucky, United States. Its boundaries are Waller Avenue to the north, Harrodsburg Road to the west, a combination of Lane Allen Road and Southland Drive to the south, and the Norfolk Southern railroad tracks to the east.Saint Joseph Hospital...
neighborhood. The school is one of five high schools in the Fayette County Public Schools
Fayette County Public Schools (Kentucky)
Fayette County Public Schools is a school district based in Lexington, Kentucky, United States.The district serves all of Fayette County, which is coextensive with the city of Lexington.-Board of Education:...
district. It is among the largest high schools in Kentucky.
Lafayette High School opened in 1939 to replace Picadome High School. The school was named for the Marquis de Lafayette, the French general who became famous during and after the Revolutionary War. The family of the Marquis de Lafayette granted the school permission to use their family Coat of Arms.
SCAPA at Lafayette High School
Fayette County's art magnet program, the School for the Creative and Performing ArtsSchool for the Creative and Performing Arts
The School for the Creative and Performing Arts or SCAPA is an arts-oriented school in Fayette County Public Schools in Lexington, Kentucky which provides students who are especially talented and/or interested in the arts the opportunity to further develop and enhance their abilities...
, or SCAPA, is associated with Lafayette. Its facilities are located on Lafayette's campus.
Academic achievement
Lafayette has been widely recognized for a high level of academic achievement. The school has produced scores of National Merit Finalists. Students representing Lafayette have had repeated success in speech, debate, drama, and music competitions. The Lafayette Times and the Marquis have won many awards for excellence in student journalism. In 1986 and 1987 Lafayette won the Kentucky Governor's Cup, often seen as tantamount to the state academic championship.Athletics
Lafayette's athletic teams have been among the most successful in Kentucky high school history. The school has claimed more than 50 Kentucky High School Athletic Association (KHSAA) titles, including championships in boys basketball, baseball, boys and girls soccer, boys track, boys cross country, boys and girls gymnastics, boys and girls swimming, boys and girls golf, and boys and girls tennis. Several graduates (including Tyson GayTyson Gay
Tyson Gay is an American track and field sprinter. His primary events are the 100 meters and 200 meters. His personal bests establish him as the second fastest athlete in the 100 meters and the fifth fastest athlete in the history of the 200 meters, with times of 9.69 and...
, Gay Brewer
Gay Brewer
Gay Robert Brewer, Jr. was an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour and won the 1967 Masters Tournament....
, Austin Kearns
Austin Kearns
Austin Ryan Kearns is a Major League Baseball outfielder who is currently a free agent.-Cincinnati Reds:...
) have gone on to successful amateur and professional athletic careers. Lafayette/Picadome has been a member of KHSAA since 1924.
Basketball
Lafayette's boys basketball team is generally regarded as one of the best programs in Kentucky prep history. LHS has claimed six Kentucky Sweet Sixteen state championships (1941, 1950, 1953, 1957, 1979, 2001) - a record matched only by arch-rival Henry Clay. Lafayette's championship coaches include Maurice Jackson (1942), Ralph Carlisle (1950, 1953, 1957), Jock Sutherland (1979) and Don Adkins (2001).Lafayette has won more than 1,200 games in its history, ranking high on Kentucky's all-time list. Through January 11, 2001, the boys' basketball team had a 1,252-658 all-time record. Through 2011, Lafayette has a 28-5 record (84.8 winning percentage) in the Sweet Sixteen tournament - good for fifth best all-time.
Many former Lafayette basketball stars have gone on to play in college and the NBA. Lafayette standouts that have matriculated to the nearby University of Kentucky include Vernon Hatton, Ed Lander and Billy Ray Lickert.
The Lafayette girl's team was runner-up to the state championship in 1979.
Mr. Basketball
Three Lafayette standouts have been named Mr. Basketball, Kentucky's highest prep honor. They are:
Billy Ray Lickert (1957), Jeff Mullins (1960) and Dirk Minniefield
Dirk Minniefield
Dirk DeWayne Minniefield is a retired American professional basketball player who is currently the Employee Assistance Professional for the NBA, managing drug aftercare programs for the league's players. While at Lafayette High School in Lexington, he was named the 1979 Kentucky "Mr...
(1979)
Baseball
Lafayette has also had great success in baseball, winning three state championships (1988–89, 1992). Its teams have benefited greatly from the quality of youth feeder organizations, namely South Lexington (SLYB) and Dixie Youth Baseball.Several former Lafayette baseball stars have enjoyed successful college and professional careers, including 1998 Kentucky Mr. Baseball winner and current Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
left fielder
Left fielder
In baseball, a left fielder is an outfielder who plays defense in left field. Left field is the area of the outfield to the left of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound...
Austin Kearns
Austin Kearns
Austin Ryan Kearns is a Major League Baseball outfielder who is currently a free agent.-Cincinnati Reds:...
.
Track
Lafayette holds a total of seven boy's track team championships: 1953, 1954, 1963(tie), 1964; Class AA 1970, 1978; Class AAA 1985. Lafayette's success is punctuated by the performance of acclaimed runner and graduate Tyson GayTyson Gay
Tyson Gay is an American track and field sprinter. His primary events are the 100 meters and 200 meters. His personal bests establish him as the second fastest athlete in the 100 meters and the fifth fastest athlete in the history of the 200 meters, with times of 9.69 and...
. The school holds state track and field records in the following events:
Boys’ 100 Meter Dash - KY (AAA) Tyson Gay, Lafayette, 2001, 10.46; Boys’ 400 Meter Relay - KY (AAA) Lafayette, 1985, 42.06
Golf
Lafayette has claimed three boy's team golf championships and five individual titles. Former professional golfer Gay BrewerGay Brewer
Gay Robert Brewer, Jr. was an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour and won the 1967 Masters Tournament....
played for the school and won three consecutive state titles from 1949-51. Bryan Griffith won in 1967; Mike Quammen in 1984.
The girl's team has also claimed five individual titles. Myra Van Hoose, currently the women's golf coach for the University of Kentucky
University of Kentucky
The University of Kentucky, also known as UK, is a public co-educational university and is one of the state's two land-grant universities, located in Lexington, Kentucky...
, won four consecutive championships from 1970-73. Lafayette won girl's team titles in 1972 and 1973.
Soccer
Lafayette's boys and girls soccer teams have also achieved at a high level. The girls soccer team won a state championship in 1992, defeating northern Kentucky powerhouse Notre Dame. Lafayette was state runner-up to the girls title in 1994.Coach Rick Kazee led the boys team to a state championship in 1990.
Football
Lafayette's football team has not excelled on the same level as its other sports programs although several players have gone on to distinction at the college and professional levels. Lafayette football did have a run of success in the mid-1980s; the 1984 and 1985 teams won district, region and area titles. The 1985 squad finished as state 4A Division Runner-Up, losing the championship game to Louisville powerhouse Trinity.Recent years have seen an improvement in the program. In 2006, Lafayette finished the regular season undefeated, posting a 10-0 record. It was the program's best finish since the 1960s (the team fell to Woodford County (8-4) in the first round of the district playoffs).
Lafayette plays its home football games at James D. Ishmael Stadium. Originally built in 1953, the facility has been expanded several times and seats more than 4,000, making it among the largest stadiums in the state.
Lafayette's oldest rival is crosstown high school Henry Clay, with the most prominent one today being Paul Laurence Dunbar.
Band
The Lafayette Band is generally regarded as one of the premier music performance groups in the state of Kentucky; the program has won national acclaim.Marching band
The Lafayette Marching Band has won 16 Kentucky Music Educators Association (KMEA) http://www.kmea.org state titles (1990–2002, 2006, 2008–09), all in the largest class. The marching band has competed at the Bands of AmericaBands of America
Bands of America , a division of Music for All, Inc., is an organization that promotes and organizes marching band competitions for high school students. Competitions include both Regional and Super Regional Championships as well as the Grand National Championships...
(BOA) Grand National Championships four times: in 1995, 2004, 2009 and 2010, making the finals twice ('95 and '04). In 2009, the band was the class 3A National runner-up, placing 14th overall, in 2010, the band was a semi-finalist and placed 20th overall.
The band has also competed at several BOA Regional contests, reaching the finals at least once every year since 1995. In 1996 and 1997, the band was named Champion at the BOA Regional in Johnson City, Tenn. The band has also claimed the Grand Champion title at the famed Contest of Champions in Murfreesboro, Tenn. nine times (1975–76, 1978–79, 1990–94).
In addition, the band has performed twice at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, often shortened to Macy's Day Parade, is an annual parade presented by Macy's. The tradition started in 1924, tying it for the second-oldest Thanksgiving parade in the United States along with America's Thanksgiving Parade in Detroit, and four years younger than...
in New York City, N.Y. (1991, 2002). The band will be performing in the 2013 Tournament of Roses Parade
Tournament of Roses Parade
The Tournament of Roses Parade, better known as the Rose Parade, is "America's New Year Celebration", a festival of flower-covered floats, marching bands, equestrians and a college football game on New Year's Day , produced by the non-profit Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association.The annual...
.
The band started to grow initially in the mid-1950s under the direction of William Walter Hall.
While the Lafayette Band has always enjoyed a successful reputation, it was not known well until the program reached its pinnacle during the early 1990s. Under the direction of Steve Moore, the band claimed numerous marching contest titles, winning several consecutive state championships.
The 1991 band received the Suddler Shield award for Marching Excellence.
The 1993 season produced what many regard as the finest marching band show in Kentucky history, "Polovetzian Dances". The band finished the season undefeated and beat rival McGavock High School (Nashville, Tenn.) by nearly 10 whole points at the Contest of Champions. The 4A class state championship was never in doubt and Lafayette easily claimed the title.
The band's 1994 rendition of "Les Miserables" is also highly regarded and often lauded among band enthusiasts.
The band is well known for their distinctive uniforms. The old uniforms were designed to resemble French infantry uniforms, like those worn by Lafayette's soldiers around the time of the American Revolution. The uniforms were replaced after the 2005 season after the band did a show in tribute to the school, and the influence the band has had on the community.
Notable alumni
- Kentucky Governor Ernie FletcherErnie FletcherErnest Lee "Ernie" Fletcher is a Republican politician from the U.S. state of Kentucky. In 1999, he was elected to the first of three consecutive terms in the United States House of Representatives; he resigned in 2003 after being elected the 60th governor of Kentucky and served in that office...
- Kentucky Governor John Y. Brown, Jr.John Y. Brown, Jr.This article is about one of four John Young Browns, from Kentucky, that have served political office. For others see: John Young Brown ...
- Gatewood GalbraithGatewood GalbraithLouis Gatewood Galbraith is an American lawyer and author from the U.S. state of Kentucky. He has been a perennial candidate for governor of Kentucky as an outspoken proponent of education as well as privacy rights and other civil liberties...
- Sports broadcaster Tom HammondTom HammondTom Hammond is an American sportscaster for NBC Sports television. Hammond is one of the network's staple on-air presenters, along with Bob Costas and Dan Hicks...
- Actor Harry Dean StantonHarry Dean StantonHarry Dean Stanton is an American actor, musician, and singer. Stanton's career has spanned over fifty years, which has seen him star in such films as Paris, Texas, Kelly's Heroes, Dillinger, Alien, Repo Man, The Last Temptation of Christ, Wild at Heart, The Green Mile and The Pledge...
- Actor Jim VarneyJim VarneyJames Albert "Jim" Varney, Jr. was an American stand-up comedian, actor, musician, writer, voice artist, and comedian, best known for his role as Ernest P...
- Professional golfer Gay BrewerGay BrewerGay Robert Brewer, Jr. was an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour and won the 1967 Masters Tournament....
- Major League Baseball player Austin KearnsAustin KearnsAustin Ryan Kearns is a Major League Baseball outfielder who is currently a free agent.-Cincinnati Reds:...
- Tyson GayTyson GayTyson Gay is an American track and field sprinter. His primary events are the 100 meters and 200 meters. His personal bests establish him as the second fastest athlete in the 100 meters and the fifth fastest athlete in the history of the 200 meters, with times of 9.69 and...
, sprinter; 2007 world championIAAF World Championships in AthleticsThe World Championships in Athletics is an event organized by the International Association of Athletics Federations . Originally, it was organised every four years, but this changed in 1991, and it has since been organised biennially.-History:...
at 100 and 200 meters - Dirk MinniefieldDirk MinniefieldDirk DeWayne Minniefield is a retired American professional basketball player who is currently the Employee Assistance Professional for the NBA, managing drug aftercare programs for the league's players. While at Lafayette High School in Lexington, he was named the 1979 Kentucky "Mr...
, former NBA player and current NBA drug treatment program manager - Brian PoeBrian PoeBrian Christopher Poe is an American businessman most commonly known for his pioneering of second chance opportunities for American citizens with a criminal record. He is currently the majority shareholder and Chairman of the Board for Corrisoft, LLC.-Early life:Poe was born in Maysville,...
CEO of EAS Technologies, LLC - Actress Farah FathFarah FathFarah LeeAllen Fath is an American actress. She has portrayed Gigi Morasco on the ABC Daytime soap opera One Life to Live since Fall 2007 and then took over the role of what is believed to be Gigi's sister Stacy Morasco in October 2011, and is most notable for playing Mimi Lockhart Brady from 1999...
- Author Tucker MaxTucker MaxTucker Max is an American author and public speaker. He chronicles his drunken and sexual encounters in the form of short stories on his website TuckerMax.com, which has received millions of visitors since Max launched it for a bet in 2002, making him an Internet celebrity.Max's book I Hope They...
(attended but transferred prior to graduation) - FarkFarkFark is a community website created by Drew Curtis that allows members to comment on a daily batch of news articles and other items from various websites. As of June 2009, the site boasts approximately four million unique visitors per month, which puts it among the top 100 English language websites...
founder Drew CurtisDrew CurtisDrew Curtis is the founder and an administrator of Fark.com, an Internet link dump site. He is also the author of It's Not News, It's FARK: How Mass Media Tries to Pass off Crap as News in May 2007.-Bio:...
External links
- http://www.thelafayettetimes.com/
- http://www.lafayette.fcps.net/
- http://www.fcps.net/
- http://lafayette-orchestra.tripod.com/
- http://www.lafayetteband.org/
- http://www.lafayettegenerals.com/