Press release: William Grant Night at Holmes High School: Honoring the 1964 9th Region Basketball Championship Team – William Grant High School

The Tom Ellis Athletic Memorial Foundation is proud to announce that they, along with the Covington Independent Public Schools, will be recognizing the 1964 William Grant High School 9th Region boys basketball championship team on Monday February 12th, 2024 during this year’s “William Grant Night”. At 7:30, the Holmes boys basketball team will host Villa Madonna Academy and during halftime the 1964 Grant team will be honored along with the unveiling of a new regional championship banner. This year marks the 60th anniversary of the Grant Warriors victory over Holy Cross in the 9th Region championship game.

All past team members, alumni, and family of Grant are invited to attend. Two representatives for each player and coach will receive free admission to the game. At 5:30 all honorees and guests are welcome to attend a reception, including dinner, that will be located in the cafeteria of the senior building. Those that plan to attend are asked to contact Renata Watts, renata.watts@covington.kyschools.us or Nadine Long, nadine.long@covington.kyschools.us, or 859-392-1100 to rsvp.

In 1866 a school was founded in Covington to educate the newly emancipated and previously free Black children of the city, and in 1876, under the Covington City Charter, William Grant High School was established as a Black public high school. African American students from Kenton, Campbell, and Boone counties were eligible to travel to Grant to obtain their high school education. In 1965 all Black high school students from Covington were integrated into Holmes High School and Grant’s doors were closed.

Throughout the storied history of Grant, their student-athletes excelled in the Kentucky High School Athletic League (KHSAL), a league for Black high schools in the state of Kentucky. During the 1956-57 school year Grant became a member of the KHSAA and won the 1957 34th district basketball championship, the first African American High School in the state to win a district championship. Four 9th Region Championships were won by the Warriors (1958, 1959, 1961, and 1964) and two Warrior alumni went on to further their basketball careers professionally, Tom Thacker and George Stone.

The new regional championship banner will remain on display in the Evans Fieldhouse, along with the other championship banners that recognize the many achievements of past Covington Independent Public School student-athletes, coaches, and administrators. Covington has a long and rich history of basketball excellence and the TEAM Foundation is honored to acknowledge Grant for their outstanding accomplishments during the 1963-64 season.

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For more information about this event please contact TEAM Foundation Board Member,
Diana Siffel: diana.m.siffel@gmail.com

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