LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) – As 2025 winds down, it’s time to look back. Sports offer no shortage of big moments, but it’s the people behind them who make the memories stick. Whether by accomplishment or example, these are some names that helped define the year in Kentuckiana sports.
We’ll have a separate rundown of top sports stories of the year in a few days. But this is something different. This is about the people — the coaches, athletes and voices who inspired and amazed us, and made our sports landscape richer.
There’s no ranking here. They all made their mark. And while no list can be exhaustive, these names top mine.
THE HEADLINERS
CURT CIGNETTI, Indiana football coach
People will be studying Curt Cignetti’s first two years at Indiana for years to come — leadership experts, coaching clinics, maybe even MBA programs. The 62-year-old took over the Hoosiers with no Power 4 experience, and turned them into a national force.
In two seasons, he has led Indiana to a 24-2 record, its first Big Ten title since 1967, its first-ever No. 1 ranking, and back-to-back College Football Playoff appearances. The Hoosiers enter this year’s playoff as the No. 1 seed.
He says there’s no secret. Just proven fundamentals, executed with discipline by a veteran staff and a bought-in team.
Google him. It’s working.
PAT KELSEY, Louisville basketball coach
The spark Pat Kelsey reignited in Louisville basketball hasn’t dimmed. Less than halfway into his second season, the Cardinals are a Top 25 mainstay again — and the buzz is real.
Kelsey was named ACC Coach of the Year after his debut campaign and has posted a 28-5 record in the 2025 calendar year. The crowds are back. The identity is back. And the hard-hat culture he preaches has already become part of the city’s sports lexicon.
In a town that still speaks in basketball metaphors, Kelsey gave fans a reason to believe again.
BEV YANEZ, Racing Louisville FC coach
The coach who got Racing Louisville over the hump and into the NWSL playoffs also got them through something harder. Yanez guided her team through the trauma of Savanna DeMelo’s on-field collapse in Seattle — and her own heartbreak of an in-season miscarriage.
But Racing responded, finally reaching the postseason after four years of falling just short. And Yanez became the first American woman — and first former NWSL player — to win NWSL Coach of the Year.
The joy was earned. The resilience was real. And the timing was perfect.
ZaKIYAH JOHNSON, Sacred Heart / LSU
One of the most accomplished high school athletes Kentucky has ever seen, Johnson led Sacred Heart Academy to an unprecedented fourth consecutive KHSAA state championship in 2025. The 5-foot-9 guard from Shelbyville was a four-time Gatorade Player of the Year and four-time MaxPreps Kentucky Player of the Year. She finished her prep career with 3,870 points, over 1,000 rebounds and 500 assists — all school records — and a gold medal with Team USA at the U18 FIBA Women’s AmeriCup.
Now a freshman at LSU, Johnson has cracked the starting lineup and is averaging 12.1 points and nearly six rebounds per game. New level, same trajectory.
FERNANDO MENDOZA, Indiana quarterback
In his first season at Indiana after transferring from Cal, Mendoza authored one of the most remarkable campaigns in college football history. The junior quarterback led the Hoosiers to a perfect 13-0 record and a Big Ten title — their first in over half a century. He completed 71.5 percent of his passes (sixth-best in the nation) for 2,980 yards, 33 touchdowns, and just six interceptions.
Then came the Heisman.
But Mendoza’s story reached far beyond the numbers. He captured hearts with his humility, grace, and steady devotion to his family — especially his mother, who battles multiple sclerosis. A lightly recruited quarterback from Miami who just hoped for a shot, Mendoza used his Heisman moment to deliver a message of faith, perseverance, and gratitude. In a year full of bold stories, none felt more meaningful.
THE REST OF THE BEST
EVA HUDSON, Kentucky volleyball
A Purdue transfer with sky-high expectations, Hudson didn’t just live up to the hype — she elevated it.
The high-flying outside hitter powered Kentucky to its second NCAA Championship match appearance and emerged as a leading candidate for National Player of the Year. Her 29-kill performance in the Wildcats’ five-set semifinal comeback win over Wisconsin — capped by the match-clinching swing — was one of the most dominant displays in tournament history.
Hudson brought fire, flair and big-stage brilliance to a program on the rise — and etched herself into UK volleyball lore.
RICK BOZICH, journalist
Bozich retired in 2025 after a 50-year sports journalism career that began in Southern Indiana and spanned the globe — from Muhammad Ali fights to Olympic Games, 47 Kentucky Derbies, 34 Final Fours, 15 Super Bowls and 11 World Series.
His final 13 years were spent with WDRB.com, where he transitioned seamlessly into television and won two Emmys. His work was honored by induction into the Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame, the Indiana Sportswriters and Sportscasters Hall of Fame, and earlier, the U.S. Basketball Writers Hall of Fame.
His retirement was even noted in the U.S. Senate. The soundtrack of Louisville sports has quieted — but the echoes will linger.
LEE CORSO, ESPN College GameDay
The former Louisville and Indiana coach signed off for the final time after 38 years as the animated heart of ESPN’s College GameDay. He made his final headgear pick this fall, at age 90, and offered a tearful farewell to fans who’d welcomed him into their homes every Saturday for nearly four decades.
The time went by too fast, my friend.
SCOTT DAVENPORT, Bellarmine basketball coach
Davenport retired after a 46-year coaching journey, 45 of them in Louisville, from local grade schools to the University of Louisville and eventually Bellarmine, where he built a powerhouse.
He led Bellarmine to a Division II national title in 2011 and became the first coach to guide a reclassifying team to a conference title in its second year of Division I play. No coach taught more — or loved his city harder.
CHUCKY HEPBURN, Louisville basketball
The star point guard transferred in and became the emotional and strategic centerpiece of Louisville’s resurgence under Kelsey. Hepburn averaged 16.4 points, 5.8 assists and 2.4 steals per game and was named ACC Defensive Player of the Year.
On Senior Day, he kissed the Dunking Cardinal logo at midcourt and walked off to a standing ovation. The crowd knew what he meant — and what he helped restore.
WILL SMITH, Los Angeles Dodgers
The former Kentucky Country Day and Louisville Cardinal catcher made World Series history again — this time with an exclamation point.
Smith hit an extra-inning home run in Game 7 to seal a second straight championship for the Dodgers, his third title with the club. One of the game’s most consistent big-stage performers, he’s become a model of championship poise — with Kentucky roots.
KEVIN WALLACE, St. Xavier football coach
Wallace retired after the 2025 season, closing the book on one of the great coaching careers in Kentucky high school football. He led St. X to the 2021 Class 6A title, adding it to the five championships he won at Bowling Green.
Over four decades and 371 career victories, Wallace built programs defined by toughness, discipline and player development — and elevated every stop he touched, from Warren East to Bowling Green to St. X.
BRILEY MERCER, Floyds Knobs softball
The 12-year-old ace pitched every game of the Little League Softball World Series for Floyds Knobs, allowing just one earned run across the entire tournament in Greenville, N.C.
Her team finished runner-up, but Mercer’s arm and presence were pure championship.
Who did we miss? Drop me a line at ecrawford@wdrb.com and we’ll revisit the discussion — after all, no one captures a city’s sports soul like the people living it.
More sports coverage:
CRAWFORD | Collapse, then Classic: Kentucky storms past Wisconsin into NCAA championship
Coffee with Crawford | Bozich's Senate tribute, Valvano and the NBA Cup, Davenport's book
CRAWFORD | Sloppy start, strong finish: Louisville runs away from EKU 76-51 in Mbuga's debut
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