A two-time state individual champion, a state football champion, a professional champion coach, and one of the greatest leaders of special-needs athletes in Kentucky history comprise the 2016 Class to be inducted into the Russellville Alumni Association Athletic Hall of Fame next week.
Rodney Gordon, Nikki Koller, and the father-son duo of Tom and Nathan Thompson will be inducted between games of the Clash of the Cats on Friday, Feb. 5.
Here’s a look at the neweset Hall of Famers.
Nikki Koller (Class of 2008)was Kentucky’s dominant female golfer in the middle of this century’s first decade. She won the state high school championship two straight seasons, 2006 and ’07. The Lady Panther qualified for state all four of her high school years. In her final season, she also won the Class A state championship with a four-under-par 68.
Additionally, she led Coach Dennis Pardue’s team to the 2006 regional golf title. The Lady Panthers also qualified for state her sophomore and junior years. Russellville finished in the top 10 all three seasons.
In addition to that 68, Koller once shot a 6-under-par 30 on nine holes.
She also swam for Coach Dee Wilkins’ Lady Panthers from sixth through tenth grades and helped the Lady Panthers win their first regional title as a sixth grader by her lead lap in the 4x50. In her last swimming season as a sophomore, she was the lead swimmer in the 4x50 freestyle relay state-qualifying team, although she only practiced four times that season.
She earned 12 varsity sports letters, seven in golf and five in swimming. She also lettered four times in band, marching in two semi-state band championships with a solo in one and a duet in the other.
The RHS faculty honored her with the deGraffenried Award, symbolizing the outstanding member of her senior class.
As a junior golfer in non-school events, she finished fourth in the Nike National All Star Junior Golf Qualifier in Oregon, won the Nike Camp Lejeune championship, was qualifier medalist in the USGA Junior Girls Golf Championship, finished in the top 20 in the Junior World Golf Championship, won the Westfield Championship Qualifier, was Nike Long Drive Champion, was Rolex Junior Girls Champion, won the Kentucky State Girls Amateur, was champion of the AJGA Bluegrass Partners Girls Tournament, and finished in the top 17 of the USGA Women’s Amateur Golf Championship.
In college she was a four-year letterman while playing in four conference championships (winning one), four NCAA Division I regional championship, and three national championship tournaments. She finished in the top three at the 2010 regional, leading Arizona to the PAC 10 regional championship. She finished in the top five in the nation in par 3 score average.
Nikki was a two-time Academic All American and three-time PAC 10/12 All Academic.
Runner-up overall and low amateur in the 2011 Kentucky Women’s Open Golf Championship, Nikki Koller is now employed as project manager for Warren County Public Works.
Rodney Gordon (Class of 1985) was a rugged fullback/tailback in the starting backfield of Coach Ken Barrett’s 1983 state champions and was the top rusher in 1984 when the Panthers continued their state-leading 24-game win streak all the way to the state semifinals. He was also a defensive stalwart.
He was first team Courier-Journal all-state in 1984 and two-time All-WKC. He finished with 2,319 yards rushing for 37 touchdowns and 222 points. He also threw six touchdown passes. On defense, he had 300 tackles, 7 fumble recoveries, and 11 sacks.
Rated among the top 10 college prospects in the state, he signed with and played four years for Morehead State University along with RHS teammate Sonny Green. Former Panther coach Stumpy Baker was on the Eagles’ coaching staff.
In basketball, he was a three-year starter. Coach Don Burton’s 1984 team was considered the second best in the region behind state champion Logan County. The following year, Gordon scored a career-high 26 points in the Panthers’ first-ever win over the Cougars.
Gordon was also a key member of the track team, especially on relays.
As an adult, he became a professional wrestler. He makes his home in Russellville.
Nathan Thompson (Class of 2001) was a three-sport standout as a Panther. Not only the most prolific scorer in Panther soccer history, he is one of the top offensive players in Kentucky soccer history. He also knew success as a basketball and baseball player, coaches at RHS, served as the school’s athletic director, and is a champion professional coach.
When his high school soccer career ended, he was seventh all-time in state history with 98 goals—18 as a freshman followed by 22, 28 and 30. The last two are tops in RHS history. His nine consecutive games scoring a goal is tied for 19th in state history. His four consecutive games scoring multiple goals ranks 11th in the state, those 98 goals are now 15th in history, and his nine consecutive games with a goal or assist is tied for 23rd. He scored five goals in one game.
He played college soccer for Kentucky Wesleyan and Lindsey Wilson. His high school coach was his dad, Tom Thompson.
In basketball, he was a starter on Coach Phil Todd’s 2001 Final Four team. He was the designated long-range shooter. He is the only player in RHS history to have been part of three different state basketball tournaments. He was all-district his senior season.
He holds the distinction of having been part of the most wins in RHS soccer and basketball history, both in a season and a career. The soccer numbers are 14 and 46. In basketball, they are 28 and 97.
He played outfield for Coach Lou Kendall’s baseball Panthers for four years. In his senior season, he was named Best Pitcher and won a Gold Glove Award.
Although he works full-time for First Southern National Bank, Nathan has coached at his alma mater much of his adult life. He was head soccer coach two years and an assistant the year before that. He has been head golf coach three years and was an assistant basketball coach seven years, mostly under Pardue. He served as the RHS Athletic Director two years, from 2012-14.
His coaching resume includes having been general manager and coach of the Bowling Green Hornets minor league professional basketball team the past two years. He was assistant coach the first year and was head coach last year. He coached the Hornets to the championship of the Central Basketball Association last year.
Nathan Thompson has coached the CBA Global Team the last two years, playing tournaments in Canada in 2014 and in Brazil in 2015.
Tom Thompson was head coach of two Russellville teams for a total of 25 years, but he may be best known for his work with Special Olympics for 32 years. He also sponsored the RHS chapter of Fellowship of Christian Athletes for five years.
Tom coached the Russellville Special Olympics team those 32 years while teaching special education in the Russellville schools. He personified the Special Olympics motto of “Let me win, but if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt.” He coached special needs youngsters through adults in such sports as track and field, gymnastics and bowling.
He coached the RHS soccer Panthers for 16 years, taking over the program in the second year of its existence. His teams reached the district finals and the regional tournaments three times while playing in a district that included powerful Bowling Green and Warren Central along with Warren East and Muhlenberg County. He is the winningest coach in Panther soccer history. Several of his players went on to play college soccer, including Hall of Famer Sara Schauberger as a starter at Ole Miss in the SEC.
His son Nathan might well have been the best soccer player in RHS history. Two more of his players—Daniel McCarley and P.J. Wynn—played collegiately for Ohio Valley College, and McCarley became the founder of Logan County’s soccer program.
Thompson also coached the Lady Panther softball team for a decade. He took over the program shortly after the transition to fast pitch, and his softball team matched the soccer team with three district finals and regional berths. He’s the winningest fast pitch softball coach in RHS history.
His daughter, Sarah Thompson (Ibarra), was one of his top players. She is now an educator. Tom and his wife of 35 years Sandra, who has worked for both school systems, also have another daughter, Molly.
Tom Thompson has been active in the community in many ways. He was a leader in the Russellville Optimist Club and taught adult education for several years after his retirement from the school system. He is now pastor of Russellville’s First Presbyterian Church.