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Announcing the Passing of
Ben Pumphrey
Sign or view the
Herald-Leader
Guestbook for Ben
 CARLISLE, KY - Ben H. Pumphrey, 82, high school football and track coaching legend,
husband of Viola Ballard Pumphrey, died Thurs., Apr. 11, 2006 while working in his garden. He was born Feb. 23, 1924, in Nicholas Co. to the late Bennie and Laura Ellen Hardin Pumphrey.
He was a graduate of Carlisle High School and the University of KY where he was a member of Phi Sigma Kappa Fraternity and was First Chair Trumpet in the marching band. He was a First
Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Air Corps, flying 26 bombing missions over Japan in World War II.
He was well known around the state having coached football and track at 11 Kentucky high
schools from 1955 through 1999. He coaching career began at Carlisle High School and Millersburg Military Academy. Along the way he also coached at Paris, Lexington Dunbar,
Bellevue, Fleming Co., Nicholas Co., Mason Co., Montgomery Co., and Harrison Co. His Bellevue teams won 2 state track titles.
As a head football coach he achieved 165 victories, a noteworthy achievement as many of the wins were at schools
not known for their football tradition. He was inducted into the Kentucky High School Athletic Association Hall of
Fame in 2004. One of his football charges, Bill Clark of Carlisle, led an effort to name the Nicholas Co. football field
after Coach Pumphrey last fall. He had a dream for every kid he ever coached and taught. He told 'em how great
they were, big or fast, slow or fat, and they believed him. He was a master motivator. He was also a respected mathematics teacher.
Other survivors include a son, Ben (Terri) Pumphrey, Carlisle, a daughter Laura (Pat) Conley, Paris, 2 sister, Mary
Ellen Lucas, Petersburg and Jean Romo, Alexandria and 5 grandchildren, Elizabeth Conley, Lexington, Cater
Conley, Klagenfurt, Austria, Sara Pumphrey, Cincinnati, Joseph Ballard Conley, Centre College and Rachel
Pumphrey, East Stroudsburg, PA. Services will be 2 pm, Thurs. at the Carlisle First Christian Church by Rev. Tony Smith and Rev. Jeff Earwood.
Burial with military honors will follow in Carlisle Cemetery. Visitation will be after 5 pm, today at Mathers-Gaunce Funeral Home and after Noon, Thurs. at the church.
Loss of a Mentor
Last night Lt. Governor Steve Henry called to tell me that Coach Ben Pumphrey had died yesterday. Coach
Pumphrey was my football and track my junior and senior years at Fleming County High School. The news
brought a flash back of memories of adolescence and high school. The first of which was of my late friend Paul
Grannis. Paul was coach Pumphrey's first Fleming County track team athlete to qualify for the State Track Meet
. Paul won the regional championship in the hundred yard dash. In 1986 as a Social Worker in Fleming County, Paul was murdered while doing his job. 
Ben Pumphrey was no ordinary coach. He was an extraordinary coach! Not just in his win loss record. Among his talents was his
ability to instill in his students a belief in their ability. Long before the modern sports psychiatrists, he inspired the boys and girls on
his teams to prepare, train and visualize winning performances. He was a master motivator, a self help guru and perhaps most important, a caring decent man.
All of us who had the good fortune to call him coach were blessed. The success lessons and character education Ben Pumphrey taught remain with those he taught.
Before each game and track meet, Coach Pumphrey would pray for us. His was not prayer for victory. He prayed for us to
exhibit good sportsmanship, for the courage to give our all and for our well being. In memory of Coach Pumphrey, today I have offered my prayer of thanks for this good man and for the gifts he
shared with us.
Dale Emmons
FCHS 1970
FRIDAY FOCUS
April 21, 2006
Influence
With the school year rapidly drawing to a close, we naturally reflect on how successful our school year has been. Have we achieved the goals we envisioned at the start of school in August? While we should be able to
objectively measure some specific standards, some more difficult-to-define successes may be impossible to evaluate.
Last night I spoke with a former English student whom I hadn't seen for twenty-five years. He introduced me to
his daughter, a sophomore in college with plans to teach high school English. Although Jeffrey himself is not a
teacher, or even a college graduate, he reminded me of what has rewarded me most as an educator.
Jeffrey told me that he thought of me quite often. That statement itself stunned me. I don't expect former
students to "think of me" at all. Then he went on to say, "I looked forward to your class every day. Having you for a teacher made me want to come to school. You made me love school."
A couple of weeks ago, Ben Pumphrey, a former high school geometry teacher and athletic coach died at the age
of eighty-two. My brother Dale was fortunate enough to have Ben Pumphrey for a high school teacher and
coach. Dale recently wrote a tribute for our local hometown weekly newspaper in which he credited Coach
Pumphrey with being "the difference in his life"—that one person without whom career success might not have ever been realized.
While Ben Pumphrey was a great math teacher, he communicated the same message to all of his classes at the
beginning of each new school year: "We're going to learn a little bit about geometry in this class, and a whole lot
about life." Coach Pumphrey wasn't being totally honest—they were going to learn a whole lot about geometry too!
Coach Pumphrey was a realist, who didn't sugar coat anything he said. He was a master psychologist, who
knew when to yell at students and criticize their efforts and when to only speak words of positive reinforcement.
He could make his students hate him one minute and love him the next. Whichever approach he was using, his
intent was the same—to motivate his students to achieve their best. Ben Pumphrey was not perfect, but he did make the difference in many students' lives.
One of our former students, now serving with the military in Iraq, stopped by school for a visit this week. During
our conversation, Andy expressed a sincere appreciation for his time as student here at Highlands and the how
some of his teachers influenced him. His gratitude made me thankful to be associated with such fine colleagues.
On the wall of my office hangs a print, given to me by three former colleagues in the school where I worked
before coming to Highlands. Included in the caption at the bottom are these words: "…The world may be different because I was important in the life of a child."
Unquestionably every teacher in our building is important in the lives of lots of children. Let's not try to measure
too soon the level of our success. Sometimes we may find after many years what a difference we have made.
Most of the time we will probably never know. Regardless of whether we know or not, we are making a difference!
By my brother Elgin Emmons,
Principal Ft. Thomas Highlands High School in Ft. Thomas, KY
Elgin.Emmons@Fortthomas.kyschools.us
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