32 Allen Feldhaus

Allen Feldhaus was born Allen Lowell Feldhaus on July 15, 1940, in Burlington, Kentucky, to William “Bill” and Elizabeth “Lib” Stephens Feldhaus.  Feldhaus was appropriately tagged with the nickname “Horse” by his teammates for his rugged workmanship on the basketball floor and the baseball diamond.  He played forward for Adolph Rupp from 1958-62 and was a starting catcher for the UK baseball team.

Feldhaus was a graduate of Boone County High School where he lettered in basketball, football, and baseball. He was a second-team All-State pick in basketball and scored 624 points in his senior schoolboy year.

After graduation, he attended the University of Kentucky, where he lettered in basketball and baseball for three years.

As a freshman at Kentucky, Feldhaus played in and started all 9 games.  He scored 112 points on the season giving him a 12.7 points per game average.  He was the team’s third-leading scorer.  Feldhaus also led the freshman baseball team in hitting with a .400 mark.

As a sophomore, Feldhaus played in 20 games, starting two.  He averaged nine minutes and 2.2 points per game.  He was a record-breaking slugger in baseball with 29 RBI’s as the Wildcats’ regular catcher before suffering a broken elbow.

While his sophomore credentials hardly seemed sufficient to warrant optimistic speculation on his cage future, the fact remained that he was one of the real surprises of pre-season practice sessions going into his junior year. Although he picked up weight in the off-season, Feldhaus showed tremendous improvement in his speed as well as a better eye for the basket—or a better knowledge of the most opportune time to fire at the bucket. He recaptured a starting job at forward during practice. His hustle had been impressive.  The rugged Feldhaus wasn’t a brilliant basketball player but, said Rupp, he’s always busy, sincere and hard working.  “I told Allen, ‘You remind me of a blacksmith in a watch factory’, but he’s always doing something and he’s the best
I’ve got,” said Rupp.  He played in 26 games as a junior scoring 91 points on the season giving him a 3.5 per game average. He ranked 7th in scoring on the team.  Horse helped carry the Wildcats during the troubled first half of the season by starting at forward in 11 of the first 15 games and his final accumulation of 114 rebounds was the fifth highest on the team. All told, the Burlington “fireman” saw better than 400 minutes of action in 26 games and quenched the flames of many a foe’s hot streak. His season high in point making was a 10-point effort against Notre Dame at Louisville that tied his varsity best mark as a sophomore against Colorado State.

As a senior, standing at 6’5″, Feldhaus was the tallest man on the varsity squad and Rupp’s top reserve.  He played in 26 games and scored 164 points on the season.  He averaged 6.8 points per game and ranked 6th on the team in scoring.  He was the team’s top rebounder with 6.2 per game.  On February 2, 1962, Feldhaus scored a career-high 16 points in a win over Florida.  He was 7-of-9 from the field and connected on 2 of 5 free-throws.  Feldhaus was the captain of the baseball team his senior year.

On September 8, 1962, Feldhaus married Dottie Lou Goins, of Frankfort, Kentucky, at the First Baptist Church in Frankfort.

Following graduation from Kentucky in January of 1963, Feldhaus went on to play professional baseball with the Washington Senators for 3 years.

Feldhaus began his basketball coaching career at Russell County, Russell Springs, Kentucky, then moved to Mason County in Maysville, Kentucky, where he put the Royals on the basketball map, winning 9 District titles, 4 Regional championships, and a 1981 State Runner-up trophy in the Sweet 16. The following year his squad was undefeated during the regular season. He had 9 consecutive 20-win seasons, 3 seasons of 30 or more victories, and coached 4 teams to the State Tournament. He retired in 1991 as the winningest coach at Mason County with a 325-136 record, and finished his career with an overall record of 512-210, while teaching, serving as baseball coach, and Athletic Director.

Included in his many awards and recognitions for basketball coach are induction into the Dawahare’s KHSAA Hall of Fame in 1995, Courier Journal Hall of Fame, Boone Co. Hall of Fame, Mason County Hall of Fame, Kentucky 10th Region Men’s Basketball Hall of Fame, Kentucky Coach of the Year 1981-82, 1985-86, 1986-87, 10th Region Coach of the Year 1985-86, Burley Belt Conference Coach of the Year 1986-87, and Kentucky State Softball Hall of Fame.

He owned and operated the Kenton Station Golf Course with his wife, Lee Anne, and son, Deron, who was one of the four “Unforgettables” on the 1991-92 University of Kentucky men’s basketball team, which also included Richie Farmer, John Pelphrey, and Sean Woods. That team played the regional final against Duke that is considered one of the greatest college games ever played and ended with Christian Laettner’s last-second game-winning shot at the buzzer.  Feldhaus was a member of East Bend Baptist Church, Burlington, and the Loyal Order of the Moose, Maysville, KY. His hobbies included golf, horseracing, basketball, and watching grandchildren play basketball, volleyball, track, football, golf, and cheerleading.

Feldhaus battled cancer for the last nine years of his life, but he tried his best not to let his sons know the seriousness of his condition.

“How in the word he made it as long as he did, I’ll never know,” Allen Jr. said. “He didn’t want us to know how much he was suffering. He didn’t want us to worry about him or feel sorry for him.”

Feldhaus, 77, died early October 28, 2018, near Kenton Station, the golf course he owned in Maysville.

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