Kentucky High-school Football, Class 3A Champions

For three straight years, the Belfry Pirates advanced to the KHSAA Class 3A final only to lose to Louisville Central. This season, the Wayne County knocked out the reigning champs, and then Belfry won its 3A crown, 3-0 over the previously unbeaten Cardinals on Friday, on a 35-yard field goal through freezing rain from freshman kicker Austin Woolum. For the beloved Pirates of "Pond Creek Nation," it was the first 3A championship (Belfry won 2A crowns in 2003 and '04), and it caps a 14-1 season in which their head coach of 29 years, Philip Haywood, was voted as the nation's top high-school football coach in a USA Today contest. 

The Belfry Pirates are the 2013 Class 3A State Champions! pic.twitter.com/39plRmZl4p
— KY High Football (@KYHighFootball) December 6, 2013

Here are Kentucky's year-by-year Class 3A football champions:


2013 Belfry
2012 Louisville Central
2011 Louisville Central
2010 Louisville Central
2009 Paducah Tilghman
2008 Louisville Central
2007 Louisville Central
2006 Covington Catholic
2005 Lexington Catholic
2004 Fort Thomas Highlands
2003 Boyle County
2002 Boyle County
2001 Boyle County
2000 Fort Thomas Highlands
1999 Fort Thomas Highlands
1998 Fort Thomas Highlands
1997 Covington Catholic
1996 Fort Thomas Highlands
1995 Bowling Green
1994 Covington Catholic
1993 Covington Catholic
1992 Fort Thomas Highlands
1991 Bell County
1990 Ashland Paul Blazer
1989 Fort Thomas Highlands
1988 Covington Catholic
1987 Covington Catholic
1986 Owensboro
1985 Paducah Tilghman
1984 Danville
1983 Hebron Conner
1982 Fort Thomas Highlands
1981 Fort Thomas Highlands
1980 Franklin-Simpson
1979 Franklin-Simpson
1978 Russell
1977 Fort Thomas Highlands
1976 Erlanger Lloyd Memorial
1975 Fort Thomas Highlands
1974 Louisville Saint Xavier
1973 Louisville Trinity
1972 Louisville Trinity
1971 Louisville Flaget
1970 Louisville Butler
1969 Louisville Saint Xavier
1968 Louisville Trinity
1967 Louisville Flaget
1966 Louisville DuPont Manual
1965 Louisville Seneca
1964 Louisville Male
1963 Louisville Male
1962 Louisville Saint Xavier
1961 Louisville Flaget
1960 Louisville Male
1959 Louisville DuPont Manual