History of the All "A" Classic

The groundwork for the Kentucky All-A-Classic was formed in 1980 through the efforts of coaches like Stan Steidel of Dayton, Father Ed Heile of Covington Latin, Bill Frey of Covington Holy Cross and others.  The inception of a small school basketball tournament began in January of 1980.  The first Class "A" Tournament was held at Holy Cross High School in Latonia with eight teams.  In 1981 it moved to Bellevue with ten teams, all from Northern Kentucky.

The 1982 to 1989 Classic went statewide by inviting six Class A schools from around the state to compete with the ten northern Kentucky schools.  In 1990 the All "A" Classic experienced a dream come true: A statewide championship tournament with sixteen boys' regional tournament winners competing in Lexington in February.  Then in 1991 the All "A" Classic expanded to include the field of 16 boys' regional winners and included four girls' sectional winners competing in the statewide finals.  In 1992, the statewide tournament again expanded to include eight girls' teams and in 1993 included the full complement of 16 boys and 16 girls’ teams.

The Classic is certainly much more than athletic events for basketball teams.   Presently governed by the Classic Board of Control comprised from representatives of each region, statewide competitions are now held in art, academics, and cheerleading.  In 2000 over $40,000 was presented to students at "A" schools in the form of scholarships through the diligent efforts of the Classic and its Board of Directors.  The art competition is headed by Kevin Sullivan of Kentucky Country Day in Louisville and has drawn between 50 and 100 participants each of the past three years.

The other aspect of the academic dream of the Classic is that of scholarship awards.  In 2001-2002 a total of 51 recipients received $1,000 each to assist them in their endeavor to obtain a college education.  This was awarded by the Classic toward individual scholarships.  Over 400 applicants applied for theses scholarships in 2001-2002.  In 2015-2016 $103,000 in scholarships were awarded.  The chairperson for the scholarship committee is Dave Cowden of Hancock County High School. 

Cheerleading has also become an integral part of the Classic.  All 32 Sweet Sixteen squads competed during the statewide tournament held at the Frankfort Convention Center.