KSU PICKS NEW AD: Kentucky State University has hired its first female to head the schools

RATCLIFFE: First female and young-est to lead Kentucky State athletics

athletics programs. Derita Ratcliffe, a former Assistant Athletics Director and Senior Women's Administrator at Eastern Kentucky University, will head the Thorobred athletic program in 2005. KSU President Mary Evans Sias made the appointment on December 31. "It was a great Christmas present," Ratcliffe said in response to her hiring. Ratcliffe, 38, takes over from interim director Curtis Campbell who held the position since former Athletic Director Derrick Ramsey left to join Governor Fletcher's administration last November. Ratcliffe is also the youngest athletic director in school history. Ratcliffe's immediate plans are to meet with the athletics staff to assess the program and build upon its strengths. "I want to see where we stand, what challenges we face and what hidden opportunities exist that we need to make the most of collectively." Ratcliffe is a native of Portsmouth, Va., who received her bachelor's degree in psychology from James Madison University in 1989 and her masters of science degree in clinical psychology in 1995 from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Prior to her new position at KSU, she spent six years at EKU as assistant athletic director and five years at Virginia Tech in multiple areas including the director of student life and assistant athletics director.

LEGEND IN "THE HOUSE": Legendary former Winston-Salem State head basketball coach Clarence "Big House" Gaines, a native of Paducah, Kentucky, was honored Sunday during halftime of the nationally televised Kansas-Kentucky game at Rupp Arena in Lexington. Gaines, 81, retired in 1993 after 47 seasons leading the Rams to unprecedented CIAA and national heights including winning the 1967 NCAA Small College Division title. His 828 wins rank him fifth on the NCAA career coaching wins list. When he retired, Gaines was second only to former Kentucky coach Adolph Rupp. During the ceremony, a retrospective of Gaines' long career was shown on the arena's video screens, and Kentucky Gov. Ernie Fletcher named Gaines as an honorary member of the Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels. "I'm deeply honored by this," Gaines said. "It's been a lot of fun. To be honored by the university's athletic department, with the quality of its program and all it's achieved, I'm glad to be part of it." Gaines was born in Paducah and played at Lincoln High School. He attended and played football at Morgan State and became the basketball coach at WSSU in 1946, when he was 22 years old. Gaines had 18 20-win seasons, won eight CIAA Tournament titles and in 1967 led the Rams to a 31-1 record and the NCAA title. His star player on that team was future NBA standout Earl "The Pearl" Monroe. Gaines was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 1982.

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