Kentucky Pro Football HOF

🏈 GET YOUR SEATS NOW — ALMOST SOLD OUT!

Kentucky Pro Football Hall of Fame’s
Purple Jacket Dinner Party & Induction Ceremony

🎉 Honoring our Class of 2026:
• Jerry Blanton (UK / Kansas City Chiefs)
• Bilal Powell (Louisville / New York Jets)
• Chad Pennington (Marshall / New York Jets / Miami Dolphins)
• Ermal Allen (UK / Cleveland Browns / Dallas Cowboys)
• Mark Pike (Edgewood, KY / Buffalo Bills)

⭐ Also honoring Super Bowl XLVII MVP Joe Flacco (Cincinnati Bengals)

🎟️ 30% OFF Tickets — Limited Availability!
• Table for 10: $900
• Individual Seats: $100

📍 Lexington Downtown Hilton
📅 June 26 | 5:30–9:00 PM
👉 Reserve your seats today: www.kyprofootballhof.org

The Kentucky Pro Football Hall of Fame has announced that veteran NFL quarterback and Super Bowl MVP Joe Flacco will receive the 2026 Blanton Collier Award for Integrity On and Off the Field.

The honor recognizes Flacco’s leadership, character, and commitment to the game and to the communities he has served throughout his distinguished NFL career.

Flacco will be presented with the award on Friday, June 26, during the Hall of Fame’s annual Purple Jacket Dinner and Class of 2026 Induction Ceremony at the Hilton Lexington Downtown.

Named in honor of legendary coach Blanton Collier, the award celebrates individuals who exemplify integrity, humility, and respect for the game both on and off the field while using their athletic platform to give back to their communities.

Since its creation in 2007, the award has recognized football legends including Jim Brown, Gale Sayers, Tony Dungy, the Manning family, Nick Saban, Jerome Bettis, and Romeo Crennel.

https://kyprofootballhof.org/blanton-collier-sportsmanship-award/

👏 Congratulations to Joe Flacco on this well-deserved honor.

🏈 A Louisville & NFL Standout 🏈

Bilal Powell (University of Louisville / Lake Gibson HS – Lakeland, FL)

After a standout senior season at the University of Louisville 🐦, where he rushed for 1,405 yards—the fifth-highest single-season total in program history, Bilal Powell was selected by the New York Jets ✈️ in the fourth round of the 2011 NFL Draft.

Powell went on to spend his entire nine-year NFL career with the Jets 💪, establishing himself as a dependable and versatile all-purpose back—equally effective running between the tackles and catching passes out of the backfield. He finished his professional career with 5,275 all-purpose yards and became a fan favorite among Jets supporters for his toughness, reliability, and consistency.

Following his playing career, Powell returned to Louisville 🏠, where he founded the 29th & 9th Foundation —a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting athletes by bridging the gap between mental health and sports🏈.

www.kyprofootballhof.org

www.29thand9th.org

🏈 🐦 ✈️ 💜

A trailblazer ⭐ at the University of Kentucky, Jerry Blanton became the first true freshman to start a varsity football game in program history and later anchored a Wildcats defense that captured an SEC Championship 🏆.

Selected in the 11th round of the 1978 NFL Draft by the Buffalo Bills 🦬, Blanton narrowly missed the roster before being signed the following season by the Kansas City Chiefs. He spent his entire seven-year NFL career in Kansas City, earning a starting role at inside linebacker 💪 and emerging as a defensive leader. In 1983, he led the Chiefs with 136 tackles.

Following his playing career, Blanton built a distinguished legacy in public service and business 👔. In 2003, he accepted an invitation from Ernie Fletcher to become Deputy Commissioner of Kentucky’s Department of Parks, becoming the highest-ranking African American in the department’s history.

His football legacy continues through his son, Kendall —a two-time Super Bowl champion 🏆🏆 with the Los Angeles Rams 🐏 and the Kansas City Chiefs .

www.kyprofootballhof.org

🏈

🏈 Chad Pennington

From college football standout at Marshall University to one of the NFL’s most respected quarterbacks, Chad Pennington built a career defined by resilience, intelligence, and accuracy.

A first-round draft pick of the New York Jets in 2000, Pennington overcame multiple injuries and shoulder surgeries to earn NFL Comeback Player of the Year honors twice (2006, 2008).

He led the Jets to an AFC East title in 2002 and guided the Miami Dolphins to a division championship in 2008, finishing his 11-year NFL career with more than 19,000 passing yards and a reputation as one of the game’s smartest passers.

Today, Pennington continues to lead—this time on the sidelines. In 2024, he guided Sayre School in Lexington, Kentucky to an undefeated season and the program’s first-ever Kentucky Class 1A state championship.

📖 A legacy of leadership—on and off the field.

The Kentucky Pro Football Hall of Fame extends our heartfelt condolences to the loved ones of our dear friend Randy Burke, who passed away yesterday (November 18) at his home in Florida.

Originally from Miami, Randy was a standout athlete in both football and track. His talent earned him a scholarship to the University of Kentucky, where he excelled as a wide receiver from 1973–1977. A record-setting performance at the 1977 Senior Bowl—combined with his remarkable speed—caught the attention of NFL scouts, leading to his first-round selection by the Baltimore Colts in the 1977 NFL Draft. He went on to play five seasons in the NFL.

After his playing career, Randy returned to his adopted hometown of Lexington, where he spent 29 years as a Marketing Consultant at WKYT-TV before retiring in 2017.

Randy Burke was one of the true “founding fathers” of the Kentucky Pro Football Hall of Fame. As President of the Kentucky Chapter of the NFL Players Association, he played an essential role in establishing the nation’s only state-specific professional football hall of fame.

Executive Director Frank Minnifield shared these words:
“For the first eight years of our existence, Randy Burke was as important to our development as anybody. He was key in getting us organized, filing paperwork, and getting the NFL to recognize us. No one in our group was more adept at making business decisions than Randy. Plus, he was well connected and knew everyone in Lexington.”

Randy is survived by his wife, Amy Karns Burke, and a large and loving family.