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BOZICH | More than a football coach, Dennis Lampley was Mr. Trinity

  • Updated
  • 4 min to read

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — When the University of Louisville organized the introductory press conference for Jeff Brohm’s arrival as the head football coach in December 2022, Brohm did not make many special requests.

But he did make one:

He wanted a row near the front of the room at Cardinal Stadium reserved for the family of Dennis Lampley, the man who coached Brohm and his older brother, Greg, at Trinity High School. Brohm recognized Lampley and wrapped him in a big hug on his big day.

“Both Jeff and Greg would do anything for Dennis,” said Oscar Brohm, the father of both Trinity and U of L players.

“Including run through a wall. To them, Dennis wasn’t only their coach. He was their mentor and friend.

“And as a father, if you asked me to draw up the ideal man to coach your sons, you’d draw up Dennis Lampley.”

That sentiment echoed across St. Matthews and Jefferson County with the news that Lampley, Trinity’s Hall of Fame coach and athletic director, died Tuesday evening after battling Alzheimer’s Disease.

Lampley was 80. He is survived by his wife, Brenda; son, Brad; daughter, Brandee; and four grandchildren.

“Dennis was Mr. Trinity,” Oscar Brohm said. “He consistently got his teams to achieve and usually to play over their heads. He embodied the Trinity spirit.”

Jim Kennedy was the coach for the first of the 28 Kentucky state football titles at Trinity. Dennis Lampley is the guy who made Trinity a brand.

And the brand was unmistakable: Physical, punishing, persistent energy and non-negotiable determination.

“Trinity was good when Dennis got there, but he took it to the next level,” said Bob Redman, who battled with Lampley while Redman excelled at three public schools — Ballard, Waggener and Male.

“Dennis was a warrior in every sense of the word. Dennis was a football genius. Dennis was playing chess when a lot of coaches were playing checkers.

“When you went against one his teams you knew that if you made a move, Dennis would quickly counter and force you to make another move.

“We had plenty of battles and most of the time he beat me to death. After we were both finished coaching we did a radio show together for two hours and became friends. It’s a big loss for our community. I respected the heck out of Dennis.”

Everybody did. The man invested 47 years at Trinity. He coached football. Then he stepped away to coach golf and track. Then he returned and won more state titles and launched the program on a 50-game winning streak, earning national coach of the year recognition.

When Lampley finally transitioned into the job as athletic director, his winning percentage was nearly 87% (138-21).

My introduction to Lampley came in 1979. I’d covered high school football in central and southern Indiana but that was my first season as the preps writer for the Louisville Times.

And my first look at Trinity. It was unlike any high school football game I had covered in my career.

The organization. The intensity. The atmosphere.

And the roster.

Lampley, who led Trinity to five state championships, died Tuesday night at 80 after a battle with Alzheimer's.

Trinity players kept coming. And coming. And coming. It seemed as if there were 300 of them.

“Dennis liked every student to be involved,” said Oscar Brohm, who started his career as Trinity’s quarterbacks coach under Lampley.

“If you wanted to be part of the program, he made a place for you. Every player was important.”

Redman remembers the numbers advantage Trinity had — and how Lampley liked to employ it.

“They’d come out with all those guys and circle the entire field two or three times and some teams would be intimidated before the game even started,” Redman said.

Redman said one season his team played Trinity in a playoff game at old Cardinal Stadium at the Kentucky Fairgrounds. Redman ordered his players to remain in the locker room behind the third base dugout until the Shamrocks took the field first. No intimidation allowed.

With his team in the locker room on the first base side, Lampley stood on the top step of the dugout and kept his team inside, too. Redman said he sent his guys into the horse stall area to stretch and warm up out of sight of the Shamrocks.

The stare-down between the coaches would be ongoing if game officials had not intervened and ordered both teams on the field.

“After that season, the KHSAA changed the rules,” Redman said. “Both teams had to be on the field 30 minutes before the game. Dennis was a fierce competitor. You learned to love going against him because he made your team better.”

And Lampley’s players loved him, too, not simply because of the state championships, the 50-game winning streak, the college scholarships they earned or the work that Lampley later did as Trinity’s athletic director.

“One of the greatest things you can say about Dennis is his players made a point to come back to visit and talk to him long after they had finished playing,” Oscar Brohm said.

“That tells you a lot about what kind of mentor that Dennis was. Greg and Jeff loved him.”

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