King Kelly Coleman passed away yesterday at the age of 80.
Here is the report from Kentucky.com:
“King” Kelly Coleman, Kentucky’s first Mr. Basketball and the all-time leading scorer in state high school boys’ basketball history, died Sunday at Noreen and Greg Wells Hospice Care Center in Hazard. He was 80.
Coleman was a star for Wayland High School, a small school in Floyd County that was a member of the 15th Region before consolidating into Allen Central in 1972 (Allen Central consolidated into Floyd Central in 2017). As a senior he set multiple state records that still stand and led the Wasps to their deepest run ever in the Kentucky High School Athletic Association’s annual Sweet Sixteen.
“The expression larger than life is probably used too often, but he really was such a giant of a man, personality-wise,” KHSAA Commissioner Julian Tackett said. “When I first met him he was still very strong, and he dominated a room when he came in. … To be from coal country, an area that has lived through so many economic challenges, and to have been a hero there, it’s no wonder that they just adored him.”
Rest in Peace King!
