Love, Legacy and a Lasting Serve Sue Huffman Stanley ’70 built her legacy on a tennis court, in a gymnasium and in the quiet, persistent act of remembering two men she loved most—her father, Paul Butcher, and her late husband, Kenny Huffman ’66. As a young girl in the 1960s, Stanley spent countless hours in the then Pikeville College Gymnasium, trailing behind her father. “My dad practically raised me in the gym,” Stanley said. “I was his tag-along because I loved all sports.”
Butcher’s career at the college spanned from 1958 to 1992, encompassing roles as head basketball and baseball coach, athletic director and president of the Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (KIAC). During his tenure as a basketball coach, he guided the Bears to two KIAC Conference titles and earned KIAC Coach of the Year honors twice. “Paul helped develop a generation of athletes who still speak his name with reverence. I always called him ‘Mr. Pikeville College,’” said former Vice President of Student Services and Athletics Director Ron Damron. “And when you see Paul Butcher Field, you understand why his legacy is woven into the very fabric of this campus.”
During Stanley’s first year at the college, she seized a pioneering moment and asked for a place on the tennis roster. At the time, there was no women’s team. Her dad brought up the question before the Eastern Division of the NAIA conference, and they agreed to let her compete if she could beat 50 percent of the men on the team. For two years, she played on the men’s tennis squad, becoming the first woman in UPIKE history to compete in the sport.
Years before Stanley stepped onto the UPIKE tennis courts, Huffman had been part of the college’s tennis program, creating a connection that would later surface. “Kenny was one of the best tennis players in the region. He was a natural athlete whose dedication to the game matched mine,” she said. “I admired him so much.” The two quickly became young people in love with tennis and in love with each other. Huffman earned his bachelor’s in health and physical education
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and a minor in history and political science. The two married in 1967, and Stanley went on to earn a bachelor’s in health and physical education. For years, they were fixtures on the tennis courts, competing, teaching and growing the sport around the region.
In the early 1970s, Huffman passed away following a cancer diagnosis. To honor him, Stanley collaborated with the University of Pikeville to establish the Kenneth W. Huffman Memorial Scholarship, which provides financial assistance to young tennis players pursuing higher education. “Kenny was young, and his absence left a shape in the world that I’ve spent decades honoring,” she said. “I wanted to do something in his memory that would last.”
In 1973, she founded the Kenneth Warren Huffman Memorial Tennis Tournament, which quickly became a success and has grown into a notable event. In 2010, it was renamed the Kenny Huffman Tennis Classic. The tournament continues to this day, celebrating a sport they both loved while raising funds for the endowed scholarship at UPIKE. “I knew Kenny would have wanted this because he was always playing and helping young players get better,” she said. “What started as a memorial event has grown into a beloved tradition. God has blessed me and this tournament.” Stanley also authored a book titled A Tennis Love Story, sharing her passion for tennis and the legacy of the tournament. The book tells the true story of two young tennis players and shows how life can take unexpected turns, yet with God’s guidance, it continues and hope endures.
She now calls Statesboro, Ga., home, where she lives with her husband, Brad, and their two children, Kenny and Missy. Though miles from campus, Stanley continues to reflect on the foundation her father helped build and the lasting impact Huffman left on the tennis courts. While she hopes to one day see new tennis courts at Bear Mountain, her deeper priority is that student-athletes carry forward the values of humility, character and integrity that both Butcher and Huffman embodied.
By Stacey Walters