Stout becomes first black to head state association

Jet, July 25, 1994

Louis Stout recently became the first Black to head a full state athletic association, when he took over as commissioner of the Kentucky High School Athletic Association (KHSAA), said the National Federation of State High School Associations.

There are currently 11 state athletic associations with Black assistants. Stout, however is the first from a full-fledged state to hold the top job. Though not a state, Washington, D.C., has had three Blacks in the top post of its association.

"It took 23 years for me to get here and unless there is a drastic change in ideas and philosophies of state associations, it may be another 23 before you see this again," noted Stout in the USA Today.

Stout, 55, is the fifth commissioner in KHSAA history. He has been an assistant commissioner since 1971 and an executive assistant since 1992. Stout immediately will face the challenge of resolving a $2 million deficit from the $3 million headquarters constructed several years ago.