LEXINGTON, Ky. — Former University of Kentucky quarterback Tim Couch is one of seven athletes who will be inducted into the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) National High School Hall of Fame. The induction ceremony will be held in Orlando, Florida at the Orlando World Center Marriott and will be streamed live on the NFHS Network beginning at 6 p.m. EST.
What You Need To Know
- Former UK quarterback Tim Couch will be inducted into the NFHS National High School Hall of Fame
- The induction ceremony will be held July 1 at 6 p.m. in Orlando
- Couch played football at Leslie County High School in Hyden, Kentucky in the mid-1990s
- He will become the 10th person and just the fourth athlete from Kentucky in the NFHS Hall of Fame
The NFHS will conduct a press conference with the hall of fame class at noon July 1, which will also be streamed on the NFHS Network.
Couch played football at Leslie County High School in Hyden, Kentucky, during the mid-1990s. During his time there, he set three national career passing records— 872 completions, 12,104 yards and 133 touchdowns. He also helped Leslie County land a 13-1 record as a junior while completing 75% of his passes, a national record that stood for 15 years.
As a senior, Couch passed 42 touchdowns and led his team to an 11-3 mark. He was named Gatorade and USA Today National Player of the Year, while earning Mr. Football honors in Kentucky. ESPN.com selected Couch as the sixth-best high school athlete in history.
Couch's talents extended to the basketball court, where 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.
After high school, Couch continued to make his mark at UK, 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.
He will become the 10th person and just the fourth athlete from Kentucky in the NFHS Hall of Fame.
In addition to the seven former athletes in this year's class are three high school coaches, one former state association administrator and one speech and debate coach in the performing arts area.
The 12 were selected in March 2020; however, due to COVID-19, they were not inducted last year.