By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
Organizers of the All “A” Classic plan to honor the statewide athletic program’s founder, Stan Steidel, during the boys and girls state basketball tournaments this week at Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond.
In November, Steidel died in an automobile accident at the age of 78. He created the All “A” Classic in 1980 with nine local high school basketball teams in the first tournament. Ten years later, the classic became a statewide event with 16 regional champions advancing to Kentucky’s first state basketball tournament for small schools.
The new director of the All “A” Classic is Gary Munsie, who has served as treasurer for the nonprofit organization since the first statewide tournament was held in 1990.
Stan Steidel
“There’s really no replacing Stan,” said Munsie, a former superintendent for Walton-Verona Independent Schools. “We’re just going on and trying to keep doing what he had done. Hopefully, we’ll do it just as well as him, or maybe a little better.”
Before each first-round game this week, an announcement will be made recognizing Steidel for creating the classic to give small schools a chance to compete for state titles. Munsie and other board members also plan to wear red sweater vests that were often part of Stiedel’s state tournament attire.
At halftime of both the boys and girls championship games on Sunday, Munsie said there will be a special tribute to Steidel. His wife and daughter will receive gifts commemorating his 53 years in education and many contributions to Kentucky high school sports.
Steidel was head basketball coach at Dayton High School when he started the All “A” Classic and it continued to grow under his leadership. It now offers small school state tournaments in several sports. Since its inception, the organization has also awarded more than $2 million in scholarships to deserving students around the state. Munsie and the board of directors continue to look for corporate sponsors to provide financial support for the classic.
“We haven’t had one (major sponsor) in three years now, and if we can’t find one we may diversify and get smaller sponsors for different sports,” Munsie said.
“It’s kind of tough to hit (sponsors) for a big sum of money, but we’re still trucking along. We’ve adjusted (our expenses) over the last three years to keep it all going. We have enough money in the bank that we can survive for another few years yet. We’re not destitute at all.”
This week’s state tournament will not be the same without Steidel, whose hard work and perseverance made it a reality.
“He had a big heart for kids and I always knew he wasn’t going to quit this,” Munsie said. “I just wish he would’ve had some time off to take it easy, but that wasn’t him.”
