Slow Motion Replay: Randy Reese’s record boasts of three (3) state titles and 38-consecutive wins @coachclsmit, @ChiefSmoke10, @minguabeefjerky, @bigassfans, @khsaafootball, @KyHighFootball, @CoachJeffHester, @PHS_FB_KY, @Lionathletics

Randy Reese coached at Ludlow, Paris, Henderson County, and Warren East

Randy Reese spent four decades coaching football across Kentucky and parts of Ohio. Reese won a 1A title at Ludlow (1975) and two 1A titles at Paris High (1981, 1982). Along the way, Reese led Paris to a 38-consecutive wins, forever marking his Greyhounds among the very best teams to ever compete at the 1A classification of play in KHSAA history. A 2023 inductee into the KHSAA Dawahares Hall of Fame, Reese began his coaching career in the college ranks at Ohio University as a graduate assistant before stops at both Franklin High and Deer Park. Reese is among the few coaches to ever win a title in his first year at a school (Ludlow, 1975) and among the very few coaches to win state titles at more than one school. This cat belongs among the greatest to ever coach a Kentucky HS football team.

HB Lyon, Scouting Director, “KPGFootball”

Paris, KY: We asked a few features back what makes a coach among Kentucky’s all-timers? Is it wins? Is it titles? Is it Hall of Fame induction?

We believe all of the above are certainly components. What type of men you build, the ability to take a young man from a family who entrusts to you his development and hand back to that family a better man, a better player, and a better citizen is also a component.

There are more “greats” among the pantheon of Kentucky HS football coaches than the guys on the KHSAA all-time wins list. There are guys who committed their lives to the game, coached in more than just Kentucky, and went on all-time, consecutive winning streaks; winning multiple titles, at multiple schools who also crave and deserve recognition, deserve being remembered.

Of course when you are discussing coaches who won titles at multiple schools, who won titles during their first years on a job, this is a pretty short list filled with only a handful of names. Among those names is Randy Reese. Reese, for the reasons below enumerated, is an all-timer. Reese is a Hall of Famer.

Randy Reese spent four decades as a football coach across multiple Kentucky high schools. He was hired at Ludlow in 1975. Reese’s first season on Elm Street, in Ludlow, Kentucky; he won a 1A football title.

How hard is it to win a football title in Ludlow, Kentucky? Well, it took the “The Panthers” until the 2023 season to win another district.

In spite of his success in Ludlow, and for reasons which will appears obvious momentarily, Reese will always be thought of as a Greyhound (Paris High). Paris has won three (3) titles in its history boasting such notable former Greyhounds as Blanton Collier and Bill Arnsparger.

Paris won the title in 1973, under Homer Goins, two years prior to Reese taking the job at Ludlow. Paris wouldn’t win another title until Reese’s going back to back in 1981 and 1982. In 1984, Reese would go back to the title game with Paris only to lose to Bernie Barre and his Beechwood Tigers.

Along the way, Reese and the Greyhounds, who installed an orange, artificial playing surface in 2024, won 38-consecutive games. Paris hasn’t been back to the title game since Reese left.

At the time Reese won his 38-consecutive games, he owned one of the longest, active winning streak in the US. It was also the longest such streak in Kentucky since a guy named Homer Rice won 50 consecutive games at Highlands in the early 60s.

Reese left Paris after eight (8) seasons to take the job at Henderson County. Reese’s Henderson County teams were ranked number one in the commonwealth in both ’87 and ’88 with him winning five (5) district titles for the Colonels, more than any coach either prior or since. Reese was at Henderson County from 1987-1994 before taking the job at Warren East in 1995.

At Warren East, Reese made the playoffs two of his four years, which was no small feat then as a team had to win its district to even make the playoffs. East had only made the playoffs once before Reese’s arrival. Reese coached the only Raiders team to be ranked in the top 10 in both rushing and passing.

Reese ended his career back at Paris High School where he would coach his Greyhounds for four additional seasons before retiring at the end of the 2003 season. In 2002, with only 13-players on his roster, Reese won his district. That feat may truly be his greatest accomplishment among the many amazing things Reese accomplished over his career. How does a team win its district with only 13-players on the roster?

In all, Reese won over a hundred games as the head football coach of Paris High School and is first, all time, on its career wins list. Reese was (rightfully) inducted into the Paris High School Hall of Fame in addition to his induction into the KHSAA Dawahares Hall of Fame.

There is a theme here for anyone looking for such. That theme is this; everywhere Reese went over his long tenure, he did something at that school which had never been before done, nor done since.

You may remember our article about Dan Goble. To jar your recollection, Goble led four (4) squads, as either an assistant or head man, to that program’s all-time, winningest season up until that point. Perhaps we can add another characteristic to our list of characteristics defining Hall of Famers.

Hall of Famers appear to lead programs to heights, under their direction, that program has never before (or since) achieved. Reese certainly did that.

Reese led Ludlow to its only championship in history. Reese led Paris High to two of its three state titles.

Reese led Paris on a 38-game win streak. Reese led the Greyhounds to a district title with only 13-players on the roster. Reese is the only Paris head coach to win over 100-games at the helm.

Reese is the only coach to lead Henderson County to five (5) district titles. Reese is the only coach to have his Henderson County Colonels ranked number one in the KHSAA football polls in two consecutive years (’87, ’88).

Reese is the only coach in Warren East history to have the Raiders offense in the Kentucky top ten in both passing and rushing simultaneously.

All through his career, “Reese is the only, Reese is the first.” Only and first just keeps reverberating like the monotonous beat of a metronome.

Perhaps it suffices to say, Reese was consistent…consistently awesome and consistently noteworthy. Yep, that is how one builds a Hall of Fame résumé.

This is Friday Night Fletch, reporting for KPGFootball, reminding you to PLAY THROUGH THE WHISTLE!

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