Coach – Basketball
Born in Frankfort, Ky., legendary educator and basketball coach Sanford T. Roach was at the forefront of integrating the high school game in the 1950s. Mr. Roach graduated from Danville Bate High School in 1933 in Danville, Kentucky, where he was a basketball and football star and salutatorian of his class. In 1937, Mr. Roach earned his bachelor of science degree in natural sciences from Kentucky State University, where he was the captain of the basketball team, a track and field star, editor of the student newspaper, and a student council member. In 1955, Mr. Roach earned his master of arts degree in education from the University of Kentucky.
After graduating from college, Mr. Roach returned to his old high school, Danville Bate, to teach and coach basketball. Over the course of three years, Mr. Roach’s coaching record was 98-24. In 1941, he gained notoriety for benching his five starting players the day of the district tournament for disobeying his curfew rule. Mr. Roach’s strict sense of discipline on the court caught the attention of the principal of Lexington’s Paul Laurence Dunbar High School, and he was soon hired as teacher and coach. Mr. Roach taught biology, physiology, and anatomy classes. By 1943, Mr. Roach had become head basketball coach. In his 22 years as head coach, he led Dunbar High to a 512-142 record.
In 1965, Mr. Roach’s first wife, Mary, herself a basketball enthusiast, died unexpectedly. Shortly after, Mr. Roach retired from coaching. Between 1965 and 1966, Mr. Roach served as principal of George W. Carver Elementary School, becoming the first black principal of an integrated elementary school in Lexington. Between 1966 and 1975, Mr. Roach worked as an administrator at Lexington Junior High, and became the first black principal of a Fayette County secondary school. From 1975 to 1988, Mr. Roach worked as a minority recruiter and principal assistant for the state secretary of transportation, and from 1989 to 1995 he worked for Mayors Scotty Baesler and Pam Miller.
Mr. Roach received numerous awards and honors for his educational and coaching career. In 1974, he became the first African-American board member of the University of Kentucky Athletic Association. In 1991, the new Paul Laurence Dunbar High School dedicated its S.T. Roach Sports Center in his honor. Mr. Roach was featured in the National High School Sports Hall of Fame, the Kentucky High School Athletic Association Hall of Fame, and the Kentucky State University Athletic Hall of Fame.
Mr. Roach married Lettie in 1967, and had two children: Sandra Roach Cole and Tom Roach. Mr. Roach passed away on September 2, 2010 at the age of 94.
