It’s going to be an interesting and challenging year for the Kentucky High School Athletic Association after the surprise announcement this week that Commissioner Julian Tackett, who delivered the game ball for Friday’s opening of Newport Central Catholic’s new football complex, will be retiring this school year. A 42-year employee of the KHSAA with the last 16-as commissioner, Tackett won’t be going alone.
Butch Cope, the KHSAA’s senior associate commissioner, has also announced his plans to resign July 1. Between them, Tackett and Cope have spent a combined 74 years working for the KHSAA with numerous responsibilities over more than four decades that have seen immense changes in high school athletics. They are the two longest-tenured employees in KHSAA history.
And this will be happening at a time when the KHSAA is under intense pressure to fix its once unsurpassed computerized central site for all team sports that made schedules, rosters, records, history and stats available at the click of a cursor for the public, media, coaches, players, parents and fans under the system of the retired Frank Riherd.
With Riherd’s own retirement at the end of last year, the KHSAA is still trying to get its new Arbiter System up to speed but it has a long way to go in getting its school-by-school information into a convenient, accessible, all-in-one statewide site.
Riherd’s retirement shows what the departure of one key person can do. Both Tackett, a computer science major at Transylvania where he played basketball, and Cope started their KHSAA careers as the organization’s sports information director. They made it clear how important getting the word out was. How they solve this problem in their final year will be a major challenge.
As Tackett said in his announcement quoting Mark Twain, “The two most important days in a man’s life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.” And that’s what happened for Tackett, who talked of a career “blessed with trials, tribulations, challenges, and accomplishments, all the while staying focused on helping keep kids involved in this great field of school-based athletics. I will leave with nothing but gratitude for the dozens of co-workers, hundreds of event workers, thousands of officials, school administrators and coaches, and literally millions of participants who have allowed me to have a small part in their high school experience.”
Tackett, the seventh KHSAA commissioner in history, directly manages football and postseason basketball with responsibilities for upholding the KHSAA and interpreting its bylaws and constitution, while, according to the KHSAA announcement, handling “Board of Control meetings and agenda, Association finances, state event sites and contracts, working directly with the General Assembly and the Board’s advisory lobby groups, Association calendar, Sports Medicine, Hall of Fame, KHSAA Foundation, Annual Meeting, Regional Meetings, Athletic Director liaison and workshop, and strategic visioning to technology design and development.”
Cope is charged with managing girls’ and boys’ volleyball, regular-season basketball, archery, and baseball while overseeing the officials’ division and student services, including student conferences and marketing.
“A lot has changed over the years, and the opportunity for growth along the way has helped create memories that will last forever,” Cope said. Between them, Tackett and Cope leave a great deal of experience and responsibilities to be replaced.
Tackett has overseen the 109-year-old KHSAA’s greatest growth period with the addition of Bowling and Competitive Cheer in 2012, Archery and Bass Fishing in 2013, Field Hockey in 2014, Unified Sports Opportunities in Track in 2015, Dance in 2017, Esports in 2018, Indoor Track & Field in 2024, Boys’ & Girls’ Lacrosse and Boys’ Volleyball in 2025, and with the beginning of the 2027-28 school year, Pickle Ball and Girls’ Flag Football.
Under Tackett, the KHSAA also developed the first-ever statewide radio network for the Boys’ & Girls’ Sweet 16®
“On behalf of the Board of Control, I want to express our sincere appreciation to Commissioner Julian Tackett for more than four decades of dedicated service to the KHSAA, including 16 years as Commissioner,” said Damon Kelley, president of the KHSAA Board of Control.
Contact Dan Weber at dweber3440@aol.com. Follow him on X @dweber3440.