John Filar

Mr. Filar is considered to be one the best girls’ high school basketball head coaches in Kentucky during the 1980s. He was able to take a Bearcat program with its small enrollment to a competitive level, winning against many of the large Louisville area girls’ programs. His nine seasons collected a very impressive school record 150 victories against 59 defeats. His teams achieved eight straight winning seasons while having three seasons with twenty or more wins, including one team with a school record 63.8 Litkenhous rating. In 1987, he was voted the Seventh Region Girls High School Basketball Coach of the Year. In addition to coaching the KCD girls’ basketball team, Mr. Filar successfully coached many winning seasons for the girls’ volleyball program (also being selected Seventh Region Volleyball Coach of the Year) along with a short stint as the Bearcat Athletic Director. Mr. Filar left KCD to accept the head girls’ basketball coach position at Davidson College, where many of his stars followed his path. He served as the Davidson College Wildcat head coach for nine seasons and finished his career as the school’s all time win leader. After decades of coaching both girls’ college and high school basketball, today Mr. Filar lives in Davidson, North Carolina, where he owns a tennis shop.

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