Kentucky High School Athletic Association Tournament, After Integration, 1957-1963
Basketball teams at African American schools in Kentucky had competed in the KHSAL (Kentucky High School Athletic League) that was formed in 1932 and continued until 1958. The end of the KHSAL tournament overlapped by a year or so with the trial integration of the KHSAA (Kentucky High School Athletic Association) Tournament in 1957. The KHSAA tournament had been held since 1917 as a whites-only event. In 1957, seven of the eleven African American member teams announced their intention to play in the 1957 KHSAA Basketball Tournament: Louisville Central, Covington Grant, Danville Bate, Ashland Booker T. Washington, Lexington Douglass, Mt. Sterling DuBois, and Lexington Dunbar.- In 1957, Lafayette High School in Lexington was the KHSAA Basketball Champion. Eastern High School in Louisville was the runner-up team. Both teams had white players.
- In 1958, Xavier High School in Louisville, with an all-white team, was the KHSAA Basketball Champion. Daviess County was the runner-up team.
- In 1959, North Marshall High School was the KHSAA Basketball Champion. It was an all-white team. Manual in Louisville was the runner-up team with both African Americans and whites on the team. Lexington Dunbar High School was the third-place winner. It was an all-African American team.
- In 1960, Flaget High School in Louisville was the KHSAA Basketball Champion. Monticello was the runner-up team. Both teams had African American and white players. The third-place winner was Owensboro High School. There were no African American players on the team.
- In 1961, Ashland High School was the KHSAA Basketball Champion. There were no African Americans on the team. Lexington Dunbar High School was the runner-up. There were no whites on the team. Wheelwright High School was the third-place winner. There were no African Americans on the team.
- In 1962, Xavier High School from Louisville was again the KHSAA Basketball Champion. Ashland High School was the runner-up. Breathitt County High School was the semifinalist. There were no African Americans on any of the teams.
- 1963 Sweet Sixteen Teams: Paducah Tilghman, Princeton Dotson, Owensboro, Hancock County, Allen County, Taylor County, Louisville Seneca, Oldham County, Newport Catholic, Maysville, Lexington Dunbar, Somerset, Clay County, Breathitt County, Garrett County, Breckinridge Training
- 1963 All-Tournament Team: James Smith & George Wilson (Lexington Dunbar), Danny Shearer (Oldham County), Dwight Smith (Princeton Dotson), Charles Taylor (Owensboro), Pearl Hicks (Clay County), Clem Haskins (Taylor County), Wes Unseld & Mike Redd (Louisville Seneca), George Davis (Maysville)
- In 1963, Seneca High School in Louisville was the KHSAA Basketball Champion. The team had both African American and white players. Dunbar High School in Lexington was the runner-up team and had all African American players. A link to the video of the 1963 KHSAA Championship game is attached to this entry (no sound). The video also includes shots of the cheerleaders for both schools. Owensboro High School was the semifinalist team with both African American and white players.
Sources: "Negro cage teams scheduled to play in Kentucky meet," The Jackson Sun, 01/23/1957, p.9; "Sportstalk by James Elkins," The Paducah Sun-Democrat, 03/10/1958, p.8; Faulconer Glass, "St. X-Beaver Dam meet in opening state play. Three Negro quints gain berths here for state tourney," The Sunday Herald-Leader, 03/16/1958, p.10; Kentucky High School Athlete, April 1958, cover; "Bill Carter: UK like high school making its first state tourney trip: Stars are underclassman," The Paducah Sun-Democrat, 03/21/1958, p.16B; The Kentucky High School Athlete, April 1959; The Kentucky High School Athlete, April 1960; The Kentucky High School Athlete, April 1961; The Kentucky High School Athlete, April 1962; "Here are homebases of Sweet Sixteen," The Courier-Journal, 03/10/1963, section 2, p.8; "Russell Rice's Sporting Trails: Sweet Success (John Will "Scoop" Brown)," The Lexington Leader, 03/13/1963, p.13.
Billy Reed, "A Proud witness to history: Integration in '58 made Sweet Sixteen experience complete," Lexington Herald-Leader, 03/03/2008, p.D2; "And Sports shall show the way?", The Courier-Journal, 03/16/1963, p.8; "White Line by Tom White: Raids continue for Kentucky prep cagers," The Lexington Leader, 01/25/1963, p.8; "Snap Shots Next Door: Muhlenberg County faced with total integration this fall.," Auburn News (Russellville, KY), 07/16/1963, p.2; Kentucky High School Athlete, April 1963, cover and p.1; Kelso Sturgeon, "SWC integration plans may pave Rupp's path to sign Negro cagers," The Lexington Herald, 12/07/1963, p.7.