Contributor
Born May 17, 1939 to parents Elizabeth Wilson Ford and John Stout, Cynthiana, KY, native Louis Stout rose to the top in every sports and leadership endeavor he pursued. A three-time All-State basketball player, Mr. Stout totaled 1,922 career points for the Cynthiana High School Bulldogs, averaging 31 points and 24 rebounds a game his senior year in 1959. He was also named to the KHSAA All State Tournament team, played on the Kentucky All-Star team, and was a high school All-American. He played college ball for fellow Cynthiana native and former University of Kentucky Basketball Coach Joe B. Hall while Hall was head coach at The Regis College in Denver, CO. Mr. Stout was a small college All-American while at Regis.
After successful high school and college basketball careers, Mr. Stout pursued his dream of teaching and coaching young children. He officiated high school and college baseball and softball, and he coached basketball at the original Paul Laurence Dunbar High School, followed by a stint as head coach at Tates Creek High School. His tenure at Tates Creek made him the first African-American to coach at a predominantly white high school in Kentucky.
Mr. Stout was an American Softball Association umpire, and he officiated baseball and basketball at the college level. He was also named the first Great Lakes Valley Conference Commissioner in 1978 and is believed to be the first African-American conference commissioner in NCAA Division II outside the historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs).
After those successful stints in officiating and serving as conference commissioner, Mr. Stout then worked his way up the ranks of the Kentucky High School Athletic Association to become the first African-American to serve as its commissioner. During more than 20 years at the KHSAA, Mr. Stout was instrumental in implementing Title IX requirements at schools throughout the state. He also served as president of the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU).
Mr. Stout received numerous accolades for his contributions to sports in Lexington, in Kentucky, and across the nation. He has been inducted into the following halls of fame: Dawahares K.H.S.A.A Hall of Fame, National Federation of High School Athletic Associations Hall of Fame, AAU Hall of Fame, Kentucky Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame, American Softball Association Umpires Hall of Fame, and The Regis College Athletics Hall of Fame. He also authored a book, Shadows of the Past, chronicling the experiences of black high schools prior to integration.
Mr. Stout and his widow, Mrs. Anna Stout, have one son, Juan Stout of Marysville, WA. Following Mr. Stout’s death in 2012, The Louis Stout Memorial Fund for Students was established in his honor in conjunction with the KHSAA to honor students who excel in athletics, academics, school service, and community service.
