LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Six of Louisville most famous natives will soon have a banner hung up in their honor as part of the Hometown Heroes 2.0 "Class of 2023."
Mike Sheehy, president of the Greater Louisville Pride Foundation (GLPF), said each nominee is chosen for being nationally, and sometimes internationally, recognized for achieving remarkable success in their fields.
Their banners will join the original 31 Hometown Heroes.
"Class of 2023" nominees
- John Asher (1995-2018): Longtime face of Churchill Downs as Vice President of racing communications. Known as the "Ambassador of the Kentucky Derby" around the world.
- Lionel Hampton (1908-2002): Internationally known jazz vibraphonist, pianist, percussionist and bandleader.
- Jack Harlow: Three-time GRAMMY nominated artist. In 2022, he partnered with KFC, released his sophomore album and had a sold-out North American tour.
- David Jones, Sr. (1932-2019): West Louisville native, co-founder of Humana.
- Justin Thomas: Professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour and formerly ranked Number One in the world. He remains one of the world's top golfers at the age of 29 and has won 15 PGA events.
- Wes Unseld (1946-2020): Former UofL basketball player. First-round NBA draft pick. He won an NBA championship with the Baltimore Bullets in 1978 and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1988 and the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006.
The "Class of 2023" will also include a posthumous award of official Hometown Hero to Kent Taylor, founder and CEO of Texas Roadhouse who died last year.
GLPF also said that it would continue to pursue funding and placement for the previously approved banners for Julius Freedman and "Louisville Rocks" from the original program.
"Anyone who has earned the distinction of being named a 'Hometown Hero' will forever be part of the program," Sheehy said. "Some banners may be retired to make room for another, but the heroes we honor will always be part of any new and creative expression of the program."
The popular banner program was relaunched in late June with the installation of a new Muhammad Ali banner, the first one being hung in 2002.
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