For almost 70 years, Luther Blanton has been a constant at sporting events around Harlan County. He’s best known for his half century of work as a basketball official scorekeeper, beginning when he was a freshman at Wallins High School during the 1957-58 season.
After a break while serving in the Army, Blanton returned to Wallins and then on to James A. Cawood High School when it opened in the fall of 1966. After several years at Harlan, Blanton returned to Cawood in 1986 and stayed until the school merged into Harlan County High School in 2008, and he also served as the official scorekeeper for the 52nd District Tournament for decades. Blanton stepped down after the 2013 season. His last game was the 2013 13th Region Tournament finals at HCHS when the Bears fell to Clay County.
Blanton continued to attend games in the years that followed.
He announced on social media earlier this month that he had been diagnosed with liver cancer and was undergoing treatment. He was honored on Thursday night before the Bears’ game against Pineville. Blanton was unable to attend because he is in Lexington for treatment, but former Cawood coach Greg Coldiron and Anthony Nolan were in attendance to represent Blanton and accept a plaque in his honor.
“Luther was honored for his 56 years of service to the student-athletes and institutions of the Harlan County Public Schools,” HCHS athletic director Eugene Farmer said. “He was a mainstay at sporting events and served as the longtime bookkeeper at Wallins High School, James A. Cawood High School and Harlan County High School. His professionalism, consistency and integrity garnered Luther an impeccable reputation around our region and state.”