 Neal Arntson | Neal Arntson was the first coach at Manual the school took seriously. He was hired fresh out of the University of Minnesota in 1921 for the sole purpose of beating Male High in football. He is remembered for two things: providing the impetus for the building of Manual Stadium and the 36-0 thrashing his boys gave High School in 1925. With that win the school claimed the first of two "mythical" national championships. |
 Wood E. Axton | Each year the Hall of Fame committee strives to choose a person who leaves an indelible mark simply by loving his school an entire lifetime. For 1998 Wood E. Axton seemed to fill that bill. Axton served as President of the Alumni Association in the waning days of the old Brook and Oak school. A 1932 graduate, Axton lettered in four sports while at Manual: football in ’31, basketball in ’32, baseball in both 1930 and ’31, and track in ’32. He made the saving tackle in the 1931 Male-Manual game by hauling in Mel Jerlow from 40 yards behind, and is proud of being the state track champion in the javelin for 1932. |
 Clint Bacon | Scholastic Magazine named Clint Bacon a football All-American, but he also earned All-State honors in football, All-State Honorable Mention basketball, and played in the Kentucky-Indiana All-Star game in June 1962. He also starred for the 1962 State Champion track team, winning the KHSAA long jump at 22-6 and setting a school record of 6-1 in the high jump. He also ran on two relay teams and in the 440-yard dash, helping to shore up the title. He attended Morehead State College on scholarship and served two years in Vietnam. He also played briefly for the old Louisville Raiders football team and starred in the old Kentuckiana Basketball Association (KBA). |
 Raymond Baer | Raymond Baer was born May 7, 1905 in Louisville. When he entered Manual in 1921, he began a brilliant career in high school athletics. He starred in football, earning All-State and All-Southern honors as a tackle. In basketball he was an All-State forward and the Kentucky high jump champion in track. Captain of the basketball and track teams in 1923, he also won the Yale cup for scholarship character and athletics. After graduation Baer went to the University of Michigan where he became known as one of the greatest players in Wolverine history. In 1927 Baer became the second Louisvillian to win All-American honors. He coached in Louisville 22 years, devoting his life to helping others and giving a great many boys a start in athletics. Baer died on January 19, 1968. |
 Mike Basrak | In Mike’s first season of coaching football in Louisville he led the Crimsons to the 1948 State Championship. For the next six years he went on to post a 40-21-3 record at Manual, seventh on the all-time winning list. Basrak was born of immigrant parents in Bellaire, Ohio, and in 1933 he enrolled at Pittsburgh’s Duquesne University where he played center. As a senior he was chosen captain and MVP and led his team to their finest season, including an upset of the No. 1 rated University of Pittsburgh and a victory over Mississippi State in the Orange Bowl. Later that year he was named to the College All-American football team, the first All-American in Duquesne’s history. That year the All-Stars defeated the Green Bay Packers 6-0. In 1937 he was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates (now Steelers) where he played for two years before a knee injury ended his career. His teaching and coaching career began in Altoona, PA in 1939, but when WW II broke out he enlisted in the Navy and spent 3 years there. In 1948 he moved to Manual, where his first team went from a winless season in 1947 to a perfect 11-0 and the state title. He was named Kentucky High School Coach of the Year. |
 Charlie Bentley | Charlie Bentley served Manual's football program on three different occasions, winding up as head coach of Kentucky's 1966 AAA State Champions. He first came to Manual in 1955 as an assistant under Bill Jasper. After a year he returned to his native Alabama, then coached at Jenkins High School in KY and at Virginia Tech before returning as an assistant for the 1961 and '62 seasons under Tom Harper. In '62 he was instrumental in the 13-0 upset of Male, which showcased his defensive coaching ability, and the Louisville Football Association named him Line Coach of the Year. He left after that season to become an assistant at Oklahoma State, but returned in 1966 when the head coach position opened up. In 1966 he earned Coach of the Year honors from the state, Scholastic Magazine, the Louisville Football Coaches Association, and The Courier-Journal. |
 Keenan Burton | Keenan accepted a scholarship to the University of Kentucky where he became a bona fide star in 45 games for the Wildcats, ranking 4th in school history in receptions as a wide receiver, 3rd in passing yards, 2nd in touchdowns and 3rd in all-purpose yards. At Manual he was a four-year letterman and a three-year starter in football, playing on both sides of the ball as a quarterback and safety. He also saw action as a receiver, running back and kick returner. He led the Crimsons to the 4A playoffs four consecutive seasons and was selected First Team All-State in football in 2003 by both The Associated Press and The Courier-Journal. His career stats at Manual include 274 rushes for 1,634 yards, a 6.0 yard average, and 25 touchdowns. He completed 81 of 226 passes for 1,605 yards and 17 TDs. He also had 98 tackles in his high school career along with 30 pass breakups and 10 interceptions, two of which he returned for TDs. In track he competed in the 400- and 800-meter runs and three relays plus the long jump and triple jump and qualified for each event in the state meet. He was MVP of the Kentucky-Tennessee High School All-Star football game in the summer of 2003, leading Kentucky to a 28-14 victory. In 2006 Keenan would flourish since he wasn't plagued with injuries. He led the Wildcats with 77 receptions for 1,036 yards and 12 touchdowns. He also led UK in kick returns, averaging 24.7 yards per return. He ran the kickoff for a touchdown to open the second half of the UK-U of L game (ironically at the game where Michael Bush suffered a season-ending broken leg). Keenan's kick returning stats ranked him second in the Southeastern conference. He was only the third player ever in UK history to go over 1,000 yards receiving in a single season, and his 12 TDs ranked 2nd on the single season chart for the school. In the first five games of his senior season with the Wildcats he compiled 422 receiving yards and five TDs. He was drafted by the St. Louis Rams in the fourth round of the 2008 NFL draft and was a wide receiver for them three years before injuring a knee in the 10th game of the 2009 season against New Orleans. The patella injury proved to be career-ending, although he was signed by the Virginia Destroyers of the United Football League. He officially retired in 2011 and today is in private business. |
 Butch Charmoli | Although he came to Manual in 1938 and helped coach a championship football team, it wasn’t until the early sixties that Louis Joseph "Butch" Charmoli became known as "Mr. Manual." It was Butch who invented Red and White Day. The new Manual gym was named after him, and at the time he was the fist living person in the city to have a building named after him. |
 Jim Cooksey | Jim was a three-year starter for the football Crimsons and the only junior to start for the fabled 1959 state championship team, he was chosen on The Courier-Journal's All-Academic Team the same three years. He was team captain in 1960 when he was All-City, All-State and All-Southern. He also captained the City team in the old City-County All-Star game. |
 Fred Davis | Fred Davis lettered in football all three years at his alma mater and was All-State tackle in 1935 and 1936. His senior year he captained the football team to an undefeated record and a 27-0 pounding of Male on Thanksgiving Day. He earned a scholarship to the University of Alabama and twice earned the honor of all Southeastern Conference tackle. He was named to several All-America teams and co-captained the Crimson Tide his senior year. He also earned letters in track. In 1941 he entered the Air Force and served as a physical training officer. He returned to the Washington Redskins in the NFL in 1945. He retired in 1951 from football. In 1957 he was presented with the first ever Kiwanis award for the Kentuckian making the biggest contribution to pro football. |
 Lloyd "Irish" Deddens | Deddens attended Manual from 1923 to 1927 and was not only a star athlete, but also an excellent student. As a junior quarterback, "Irish" led the Crimsons to a National Championship and an unforgettable undefeated season, culminating in a whopping 36-0 defeat of Male on Thanksgiving Day 1925. As senior captain in 1926 he led the Crimsons to an 8-1 season. He was awarded first-team All-State honors for both 1925 and 1926. He was chosen quarterback and captain for the All-Southern team in 1926. During his high school career he was a four-time, three sport letterman in football, baseball and basketball. He also earned other honors, including the Jenkins Athlete Scholarship Medal in '24, the Appel Athlete Scholarship Medal in '25, the McMeekin Medal in '25 and the Rotary Medal and Yale Cup in '27. He was awarded an athletic scholarship to St. Xavier College in Cincinnati, and later transferred to U of L, where he graduated with honors in 1931. He then attended U of L Medical School and served his residency at Emory University Medical Center in Atlanta, specializing in urology. After Emory he served in the U.S. Army as a doctor stationed at Pearl Harbor during WWII, earning the rank of captain. Afterwards Lloyd and his family moved to Jackson, MS, where practiced until his death in 1972. |
 John Voltaire Doll | John Voltaire Doll, Class of 1925 1⁄2, modestly described himself as "an average student and a pretty good athlete" when he attended duPont Manual Training High School. Doll served his class as vice president in 1923, president in 1924, and was a halfback on the 1925 football team that claimed a national championship. |
 Pete Dudgeon | As the center linebacker of the 1959 Manual Football Team, Pete was the inspirational leader that led the Crimsons to the State Championship. He was called "the heart and soul of the team," as quoted by a fellow player. Dudgeon was invited to the Courier-Journal's All-State Team and an All-American squad his senior year. He was given a scholarship and played for Purdue's Boilermakers. His junior year he was named Defensive Player of the Year in the Big Ten, and was recruited professionally, but his son quotes that Dudgeon "never had an overpowering ambition to play in the National Football League." He graduated from Purdue in 1964 and entered a Management Training Program, where he became a stockbroker. He opened two brokerage firms in Kentucky, Morgan Stanley/Dean Witter and A.G. Edwards. His five children were athletic, and his oldest daughter thinks that what he did best was "fathering us. Dad gave every spare moment to us." Sadly enough, Pete Dudgeon died of a heart attack at the early age of 53. |
 J. W. Duke | Jesse W. Duke, Jr. was the captain of Manual's football team in 1945, and was a versatile performer, playing linebacker, defensive end, and tackle. When he was 17 he was hired as a lifeguard at Lakeside Swim Club, where he met his wife, Betty Evans. After serving in the U.S. Coast Guard, he returned to the game he loved and became a three-year letterman at U of L, where he graduated in 1950. He was named to the All-Ohio Valley football team in 1947. After his playing days ended, his love for the game never waned. He coached Little League football for 8 years, and refereed high school games around town. He was later elected President of the Metro Football Officials Association. Duke was a community leader, and active in Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity, the Junior Chamber of Commerce, Commanding Officers Club, Harmony Landing Country Club and was a devout member of the Southeast Christian Church. Regrettably, Duke died in 1998 after a long illness. |
 Buddy Pfaadt | Manual has employed many successful football coaches in the past 106 years, but who compares to Coach Buddy Pfaadt. He started as a freshman at St. X, , ended up at Brook and Breck where he earned three letters in football and basketball and made All-State in both. After graduating in 1962, he played as a defensive back all four years at EKU, where he was named Little All-American. He coached at Western and in West Virginia before taking his job at Manual in 1975. His first year, the team beat Trinity, DeSales and Bishop David, although he says his best team was probably the team of '77. Like a good head coach, he gives credit for his success to many assistants, and after compiling a 46-32 won-loss record at Manual, he left coaching for 3 years, and then returned at PRP until 1987. He retired when his son, Shawn began his basketball career there. Buddy is married to Vicki Ann Gehret, a '63 Manual graduate and former model. |
 Franklin Foreman | Franklin Foreman showed signs of greatness early, winning the Hudkins Award as the Most Valuable Jayvee, and by the time he graduated in 1966 he had earned nine athletic letters at Manual, three each in football, basketball and baseball. He captained each sport his senior year and was named to the All-City and All-State teams in football and basketball. He won a football scholarship to Michigan State University, and in his senior year was picked as a pre-season All-American at tight end by The Sporting News. He graduated with a B.A. in social sciences and economics. He was selected to play in the Hula Bowl, the Football Coaches All-American Bowl, and was drafted by the Green Bay Packers. He played briefly with them, with the Atlanta Falcons and the Oakland Raiders. In 1973 Frank began a career with General Motors, then returned to school to earn a master’s degree in economics. Two years later he became a financial consultant/investmenrt counselor with Merrill-Lynch in Washington, D.C. where he worked for 20 years. He has lived in the Greater Kansas City area for a year and a half and now is the general manager of a consulting firm. |
 Clarence Frank | Clarence attended every Male-Manual football game from 1921 to 1990. Mr. Frank is said to be the most loyal supporter of Manual ever, but ironically, he never graduated. He was forced to quit when a family illness forced him to get a job and support his home. He belonged to the Manual Alumni Association and Football Boosters where he served as vice-president and was a lifelong member. He was visible at almost every football practice as well as every game. At Mr. Frank’s funeral the Manual chorus sang and the football players served as pallbearers. |
 Bill Freeman | In the late 1940s the legendary Ray Baer called Bill Freeman the best halfback in the school’s long history. High praise indeed. Freeman first tasted fame in the 1937 Male-Manual game when, coming off the bench as a sophomore, he set up Manual’s first two touchdowns. The Reds lost 25-20 that day, but he went on to dominate the next two Turkey Day games the way no Manual player has ever done. |
 Preston Gray | Preston Gray was the best at gliding over high hurdles, at least that's what the veteran observers thought. He set records that still stand after more than 17 years. He was an All-Stater on the football team, scoring touchdown after touchdown. He was also an All-American, chosen by Parade Magazine, Street and Smith's, Adidas, and the National Coaches Association. Preston Gray was a state champion hurdler and a 1982 All-American in track. He was called the best high school athlete by his former coach, Buddy Pfaadt. He also earned himself a scholarship to Michigan State. But things weren't going so well for Preston at Michigan State, so he transferred to the University of Louisville. He scored touchdowns along with Ernest Givens of Oilers fame. But a tragic car crash in August of 1985 ended his glorious football career at U of L. Preston still graduated in 1990 with a degree in education. He coached four years with Buddy Pfaadt at Pleasure Ridge Park, at Western High and New Albany High. He is now a youth counselor and head track coach at Jeffersonville High. One other thing that Preston is very proud of, is that while being an outstanding athlete, he managed to be a Prep Academic All-American. He says that was all because of his mother. His football jersey was retired at Manual, and is hanging on the wall of the first floor today. |
 Bill Gruner | Bill Gruner, Number 27, was the first of the five Gruner brothers to play football for Manual, and he now joins his brother, "Bunky", as the second brother combination in the Hall of Fame. During his football career at Manual, Bill Gruner gainged many aliases from the Courier Jounral, such as "Lightning on Legs", "Hurricane", and "Mercury Bill". He agined an ahtletic letter for football both junior and senior year, and lettered three years for Track. He captained the 1943 squad, and finished second in both the 100 ad 220 yard dashes. At STate Competition, he finished runnerup in the 100, and a muscle pull in the regional meet his senior year kept him from wualifing. After graduation he joined the Navy, and following that, he worked for kellogg's, Louisville Grocery Company and Sysco Louisville Food Services where he received numerous Salesman of the Year Awards and became an area manager. In 1992 he received Mayor Jerry Abramson's Good Neighbor Award. Beofre his death in 1999, he attended almost every Male-Manual game since 1946. His grandons now wear Number 27 in their sports endeavors to honor the fame and ability of the grandfather. |
 Bunky Gruner | A 1949 1⁄2 graduate, Harold "Bunky" Gruner is arguably the greatest all-around athlete in Manual’s long history. He lettered three years each in football, basketball and baseball; he earned All-American honors in football, leading the Crimsons to the 1948 State Championship, and was elected captain of the All-State team in both ’48 and ’49.
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