WDRB's Rick Bozich among 5 elected to Kentucky Sports Hall of Fame

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The year 2023 has brought an embarrassment of Hall of Fame riches for WDRB sports journalist Rick Bozich.

A month after being inducted into the Indiana Sportswriters and Sportscasters Hall of Fame, the longtime Louisville journalist was voted into the Kentucky Sports Hall of Fame. He was also voted into the U.S. Basketball Writers Hall of Fame in 2009.

Bozich is part of a five-member class announced Wednesday afternoon at Freedom Hall. He’s joined in the class by longtime Kentucky broadcaster Tom Leach, veteran NFL left tackle and Louisville native Bubba Paris, former Kentucky Mr. Basketball and Tennessee standout Chris Lofton and longtime UK women’s coach and administrator Brigid DeVries.

The honorees will be inducted during a ceremony later this summer.

More on the new Hall of Famers:

Rick Bozich

A native of Gary, Ind., and graduate of Indiana University, Bozich has forged an award-winning career as a local sports columnist at The Louisville Times, The Courier-Journal and WDRB Television. Bozich spent more than three decades at the C-J before moving to WDRB.com. He has covered 31 NCAA Final Fours, 11 World Series, 3 Summer Olympic Games and countless U of L, UK and IU men’s and women’s games. He’s won numerous first-place awards from the Associated Press for his columns, features and game stories, and is a multi-time winner of the Red Smith Award for coverage of the Kentucky Derby. Bozich was inducted into the U.S. Basketball Writers Hall of Fame in 2009, and in April of this year was inducted into the Indiana Sportswriters and Sportscasters Hall of Fame.

Brigid DeVries

She was a trailblazer and innovator for women’s and girls’ sports in Kentucky. Devries served as coach and administrator during UK’s transition to NCAA from club sports and was named the first assistant AD for women at UK. She joined the KHSAA staff in 1980 as one of the first females in a leadership role at a high school sports oversight body and served for 31 years, including eight years as commissioner (2000-2008). She implemented the KHSAA’s Title IX program and was the first female board member of the national high school athletic association.

Tom Leach

He is in his 48th year of sports radio broadcasting in his home state of Kentucky, including 34 years on the UK broadcast teams with the past 25 seasons calling play-by-play for UK football and 21 seasons calling UK men’s basketball. A native of Paris, Leach began his career at age 17 as the voice for Paris and Bourbon County high school sports. He’s won two Eclipse Awards for his coverage of Thoroughbred racing, six times has been selected by his peers as Kentucky Sportscaster of the Year, for nearly 20 years was a sports and news reporter then director at WVLK radio in Lexington and has authored two books on UK athletics.

Chris Lofton

The Mayville native led Mason County HS to three state tournament appearances, including a state title in 2003 and a runner-up spot in 2004; he was named to the all-tournament team three times. A prolific scorer at the University of Tennessee, Lofton was named third-team All-America as a freshman and second-team as a sophomore. As a junior, he averaged 20.8 points per game and was named SEC Player-of-the-Year. Lofton played 10 seasons of professional ball in Europe, earning several all-star honors, and now is playing in the Korean Basketball League.

Bubba Paris

A Louisville native and DeSales High School graduate, William H “Bubba” Paris played nine years in the NFL as a starting offensive left tackle (1983-91), including eight seasons in San Francisco when the 49ers won three Super Bowls, eight Western Division Titles and played in five NFC Championship games. Paris came from humble beginnings in Louisville’s West End, worked his way through high school and earned team captain and MVP as a senior. He was an All-American and Academic All-American at Michigan where he played on two Big Ten title teams and Rose Bowl championship. Paris was the 49ers’ no. 1 pick in the 1983 NFL draft. Since retiring, he has launched a successful sports media career on radio and TV in the Bay area and is an ordained minister and accomplished public speaker.