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| Don Ringstaff |
Don Ringstaff, 84, passed away Wednesday at his son’s home in Salem.
Gov. Andy Beshear said Ringstaff’s death was among a dozen attributed statewide to the winter storm that moved through Kentucky earlier this week.
Livingston County authorities explained that Ringstaff’s death was considered weather-related because after his vehicle became stuck in the snow, he exited it and walked a short distance to his son’s home, where he later suffered a medical emergency.
Ringstaff’s name is woven deeply into Livingston County sports history as both an elite player and a highly successful coach.
“When you hear the name Coach Ringstaff, that is Livingston Central basketball,” said current Livingston Central coach Matt Hargrove. “He’s legendary and embodies everything Livingston Central basketball was about, and you couldn’t find a better person.”
Hargrove and others in the community said it was a shock to learn of Ringstaff’s passing, which came just days after the Board of Education announced plans to memorialize what he meant to the school by naming the gymnasium floor for him.
“He was a legend, and I don’t say that about too many people around here,” said former Livingston Central basketball coach Jimmy Croft. “He was a walking, talking legend, and he’d talk to everybody. He never met a stranger and was just a gentleman.”
A 1959 graduate of Livingston Central, Ringstaff scored 1,838 career points and held the school record until this season when it was broken by Logan Wring. Ringstaff averaged 22.9 points per game during his senior season at LCHS. He was named First Team All-State in 1959 and selected to the Sweet Sixteen All-Tournament Team. His performance at the 1959 state tournament remains part of Kentucky high school basketball lore, highlighted by a 46-point game against Olive Hill - still ranked seventh all time in Sweet Sixteen history - and a state tournament record 20 made free throws in that same game.
Ringstaff continued his career at Vanderbilt from 1959 to 1961, earning All-SEC Third Team honors. He averaged 11.5 points per game, which was second on the team, along with 5.2 rebounds per contest. He later transferred to Southeast Missouri State University, where he was a two-year starter from 1961 to 1963.
His impact on the game only grew during a two-decade coaching career at Livingston Central from 1966 to 1986. Ringstaff compiled 332 career victories, led his teams to seven Fifth District championships and 10 appearances in the Second Region tournament, and guided the Cardinals to a Second Region runner-up finish in 1978. He was a lifetime member of the Kentucky High School Coaches Association.
In 2002, Ringstaff was inducted into the Kentucky High School Athletic Association Hall of Fame as both a player and a coach, a distinction achieved by few.
Livingston County Sheriff Bobby Davidson said he played under Ringstaff and was stunned by his sudden passing.
“He was an outstanding coach and just a wonderful man,” the longtime sheriff said.
In recent weeks, Ringstaff was also featured by the West Kentucky High School Basketball Heritage Museum in a video recognizing his career.
Ringstaff’s legacy lives on as his granddaughter, Kenley Ringstaff-Hefner, is currently athletic director at Livingston Central. The family has been a mainstay in Livingston County sports and education history for decades. The ballparks in Smithland are named for his brother, Roy Ringstaff.
Ringstaff’s wife, Sue, survives. Visitation is 5- 8 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 31 at Boyd’s Funeral Home in Salem. The funeral is at 2 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 1 at the Livingston Central High School gymnasium. See the complete obituary at Boyd Funeral Directors and Cremation Services in Salem.
Photo courtesy of West KY HS Basketball Museum
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