As three illustrious coaches and educators present The History of the Northern Kentucky Athletic Directors Hall of Fame, the next NKY History Hour will center on the memories of the extraordinary individuals whose lives and work epitomize what it means to serve high school athletes. On Tuesday, July 1st at 6:30 p.m., the next NKY History Hour will take place virtually.
The Northern Kentucky Athletic Directors Hall of Fame has honored and preserved the history of exceptional athletic directors for many years, despite the fact that the general public is not well aware of it. Presenters Grady Brown, Charlie Coleman, and Mike Swauger—all of whom were inducted themselves—will discuss the Hall’s history, its development, and the amazing tales of some of its members.
Although attendance at NKY History Hour is free, Zoom participation requires registration.Get a Zoom link by registering online.After the lecture, there is a Q&A period where attendees can join the discussion and ask questions.
Additionally, BCM’s Facebook page will broadcast the event live. You can watch all of the recordings of previous episodes at www.bcmuseum.org.
Programs for NKY History Hour are free and take place every other Tuesday from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Join BCM to support NKY History Hour and gain free access to a variety of other engaging and thought-provoking events. We accept donations to help fund the museum’s educational initiatives.
Grady Brown’s passion for sports started early in life when his parents took him to Silver Grove high school games. He watched the players and wanted to play someday. Grady’s interest and talent for sports persisted throughout his boyhood, from wiffleball to his own creation, Dice Baseball. He went on to play basketball and baseball on the varsity teams at Silver Grove High School, Brewton-Parker College in Mount Vernon, Georgia, and Northern Kentucky University, where he was the school’s first junior college baseball recruit. Later, he spent over 40 years as a baseball coach at Newport High School. The Northern Kentucky Sports Hall of Fame, the Northern Kentucky Athletic Directors Hall of Fame, the Kentucky Baseball Hall of Fame, the Newport High School Hall of Fame (twice), the Northern Kentucky Umpires Hall of Fame, the Kentucky Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame, and the Brewton Parker College Hall of Fame in Southeast Georgia are among the eight Halls of Fame in which he is a member. In his honor, Newport Baseball Field bears his name.
Sports greats like Bob Vanderpool, Sherrill Morgan, Charlie True, and Stan Arnzen inspired Charlie Coleman’s lifelong love of the game while he was growing up in Newport. He attended Newport High School, graduated from Eastern Kentucky University with a B.A. in History and Government in 1970, Northern Kentucky University with an M.Ed. in 1978, and Xavier University with a Rank I in 1983.
He worked as a teacher, assistant principal, athletic director, and head football coach at Bellevue High School for a large portion of his career, when he set a school record with 91 victories. Later, from 2012 to 2016, Coleman was a Campbell County Commissioner.
In addition to serving on the board of the NKY Sports Hall of Fame, he is a member of several halls of fame, including the Bellevue High School Hall of Fame, the NKY Athletic Directors Hall of Fame, the NKY Sports Hall of Fame, and the Kentucky Veterans Hall of Fame.
Northern Kentucky Sports Legends of the 1950s, edited by James C. Claypool, was written by Coleman. The book, which can be purchased in the BCM gift shop, served as the inspiration for a current museum display. He has three children and nine grandchildren with his wife, Cheryl.
Mike Swauger, a native of Bellevue, graduated from Bellevue High School in 1965 with ten athletic letters in baseball, basketball, and football. He received his BA in 1972 and his MEd from Xavier University in 1977 while playing and coaching baseball at Northern Kentucky State College (now NKU). With 23 years as head basketball coach—the longest tenure in school history—and a school record of 285 varsity victories, Swauger devoted his 30-year coaching career to Bellevue High School. His teams participated in ten regional tournaments, won three conference titles, and made two appearances at the All-A Classic Championship.
Swauger was not only a coach but also a public address announcer for Bellevue football for 35 seasons and other prominent regional league games. As a member of its board of directors, he was instrumental in setting up the 9th Region All-A Classic Tournament and the statewide All-A Classic. Among his many accolades are inductions into the Bellevue High School Hall of Fame, Northern Kentucky Sports Hall of Fame, and Northern Kentucky Athletic Directors Hall of Fame. Since 2019, Swauger, who is well-known for his involvement in the community, has contributed frequently to the Bellevue Community News and served as master of ceremonies at a number of athletic banquets.
A well-liked person in Bellevue, Swauger was given the Key to the City upon his retirement and two city proclamations of Mike Swauger Day in his honor. Northern Kentucky athletics has been forever changed by his love of sports, leadership, and mentoring.
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