NMHS Athletic Hall of Fame

Athletically gifted and tall of stature, Ken Horne is best remembered as one of the Green Wave’s best-ever basketball players. The 1962 New Milford High School graduate was lithe, 6’4” and multi-talented, and also made an impact running cross country and as a state-class high jumper and hurdler for legendary coach Russell Devin’s indoor and outdoor track & field teams.

 

In recognition of his significant contributions to Green Wave athletics, Ken has earned induction into the NMHS Athletic Hall of Fame.

 

Ken showed promise on the hardcourt as a freshman, ranking second only to fellow Athletic Hall of Famer Howard “Pete” Pease in scoring for the Green Wave junior varsity basketball team. He quickly stepped up to be an important player for coach Alan Basney’s 8-10 varsity as a sophomore, scoring in double figures four times while averaging 5.7 points per game in 18 contests for a predominantly upper-class squad.

 

As a junior, Ken exploded onto the scene in the first season of the Western Connecticut Conference. A career-high 34 points vs. Ridgefield, 29 points vs. Joel Barlow and 26 in the season finale vs. Newtown highlighted his WCC efforts. He scored 230 points in 12 league games to become the WCC’s first scoring champion with a 19.2 points per game norm.

 

Overall, Ken averaged 17.0 as the Green Wave etched a 5-11 record. For his performance, Ken was selected as the team MVP.

 

By the time his senior campaign began, Ken was acknowledged as one of the best players in the WCC, and the area, and served as co-captain of the Green Wave. His size was complemented by his well-practiced basketball skills, including a deft game in the paint and prowess as a rebounder at both ends of the court.

 

The Green Wave had started slowly, yet put it all together to win 11 of its final 12 games. Ken scored in double figures in all 18 games, with highs twice of 26 points and three more times with 23 in each. For a second straight season, Ken led the WCC in scoring, this time with an 18.0 average, and he totaled 322 points to finish his Green Wave career with 697 points, just a single point behind AHOF inductee Dick Volinski.

 

More to the point, Ken and his teammates posted a laudable 13-5 record, and are regarded as among the best Green Wave teams of their era.

 

Less auspicious than his basketball skills were Ken’s important contributions to Green Wave cross country and both indoor and outdoor track teams.

 

Ken was an important contributor to fellow AHOF inductee Russell Devin’s cross country pack, starting as a freshman and capping his harrier days as one of the key runners for a Green Wave which claimed second place in the WCC. Individually, Kent climaxed his harrier efforts by finishing Top Ten to medal in the 1961 WCC championship race.

 

Ken competed in indoor track & field back when the sport had but a truncated season wedged between winter sports such as basketball and the outdoor track & field season. Still, it didn’t take long for Ken to make his mark. Limited to practicing in the hallways of the old East Street high school, Ken nevertheless developed his jumping and hurdling skills to become one of the state’s best in those events.

 

He peaked his efforts as a senior at the state class ‘B’ championship indoor meet by establishing a new school record in the 60-yard high hurdles and tying the Green Wave standard in the high jump. Both performances were good for second places individually, bringing home the lion’s share of his team’s points as coach Devin’s squad earned third place in the state behind Wilton and Woodbury.

 

As a four-year member of coach Devin’s Green Wave outdoor track & field squad, Ken distinguished himself in such diverse events as the 120-yard high hurdles, the high jump, the 440-yard run and as a member of the 4 x 220-yard relay quartet.

 

A highlight during his sophomore season was claiming second in the high jump, third in the 400 and running the second leg on the Green Wave’s victorious 4 x 220 relay, all during a 67-37 team win over Housatonic Valley Schoolmen’s League rival Litchfield.

 

During Ken’s senior campaign, he set school records in the 120-yard high hurdles and the high jump and, while somewhat hampered by injury, contributed as the Green Wave earned third place in the WCC championship meet and fifth place of 20 schools at the state meet.

 

Along the way, in his final sports season at NMHS, Ken won the high jump with a height of 5’8” during a 77-17 cruise past visiting Newtown in the final track & field meet ever contested on the cozy confines behind the East Street school.

 

By the time Ken graduated from NMHS, he had etched a prominent place in Green Wave sports history, and was destined to secure induction into the Athletic Hall of Fame.