When you think of Kentucky legends, many come to name. But one that stands out towards the top tier of that list is Kentucky's own (Hyden, KY) Tim Couch. The 1 of 4 Mount. Rushmore of Kentucky Football greats.
Couch will be one of seven athletes inducted into the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) National High School Hall of Fame on Thursday, July 1 in Orlando, Florida. The ceremony will be streamed live on the NFHS Network beginning at 6 p.m. ET.
It's no surprise that he is receiving an award of this caliber, as his time spent in Leslie County were impressive as one could imagine.
Per UK Athletics release: During his football career at Leslie County High School in Hyden, Kentucky in the mid-1990s, Couch set three national career passing records – 872 completions, 12,104 yards and 133 touchdowns. He helped Leslie County to a 13-1 record as a junior while completing an amazing 75 percent of his passes – a national record that stood for 15 years. As a senior, he passed for 42 touchdowns and led his team to an 11-3 mark, and he was named Gatorade and USA Today National Player of the Year while earning Mr. Football honors in Kentucky. ESPN.com selected Couch the sixth-best high school athlete in history. Couch was equally dominant on the basketball court. He scored 3,023 points in his career, leading the state in scoring as a senior at 37 points per game. He was two-time all-state in basketball. Couch’s football prowess continued at the University of Kentucky, where he passed for 8,159 yards and 73 touchdowns in his final two seasons. He led Kentucky to the Outback Bowl after his junior season and was fourth in the Heisman Trophy voting. Couch was the No. 1 pick in the 1999 NFL draft by the Cleveland Browns and passed for more than 11,000 yards and 64 touchdowns in his five years with the Browns.
Tim Couch is a household name across the Bluegrass state and one of the select few that every signee puts in hours of hard work and dedication to strive for.