Apollo High School’s baseball field has been renamed to honor legendary former coach Bob Mantooth, whose No. 15 was retired by the baseball program in 2019. A formal ceremony and sign unveiling could take place as early as next week.
School and team officials surprised Mantooth with the plan earlier this week, and he was at a near loss for words Thursday evening after the Daviess County school board made the decision official with a unanimous vote of approval.
“I was overwhelmed, just overwhelmed really,” Mantooth said. “It’s quite an honor and I really don’t know what to say. My whole family has a love for Apollo, and to honor me like that, it’s just rather really special.”
The baseball facility as a whole will still be called Eagle Park, but the field will now be called Bob Mantooth Field.
Prior to the vote, Daviess County Public Schools Board of Education member Dale Stewart said of Mantooth: “He’s very deserving. He was a great baseball coach, but he’s a better person.”
DCPS Superintendent Matt Robbins added, “He certainly has an amazing record of achievement. One of our pillars of our strategic plan defines excellence, and I think Coach Mantooth exemplifies excellence throughout his career as well as individual display.”
Mantooth stepped down from his head coaching position after the 2018 season, finishing his career ranked fifth all-time in wins (977) in KHSAA. He got his start at Webster County but spent most of his years at the helm for Apollo.
Starting with his first region title in 1994 and finishing with his last in 2015, Mantooth led 11 different teams to a region championship. Four of those squads (1994, 2003, 2007, 2008) advanced to the Final Four of the state tournament.
Mantooth’s number is only the second to ever be retired — behind Brad Wilkerson’s No. 12 — from the Eagles’ baseball program.
Tentative plans call for the name change ceremony to take place Thursday before the game against Owensboro Catholic, though that is dependent on when the signage can be complete and weather conditions.
