Charter member of WYMT Mountain Classic Committee dies at 88

PIKEVILLE, Ky. (WYMT) - Virgil Osborne died on Sunday, Feb 5, at the age of 88.

Osborne was a former school teacher at Virgie and Jenkins, and he also coached basketball, baseball, and football.

He was a charter member of the WYMT Mountain Classic basketball tournament, as well as the Pike County Bowl.

“Virgil was one of the founding members of the Mountain Classic Committee, and he spent a year just planning how the Mountain Classic would be run. So he spent the next 35 years, trying to help it be successful,” said fellow Mountain Classic committee member, Archie Everage.

Former WYMT General Manager Ernestine Cornett remembered Osborne fondly.

“During Virgil’s many years representing the 15th Region as part of the WYMT Mountain Classic Committee, I was always impressed with his superior knowledge of the game of basketball, as well as his unwavering dedication to ensure the teams from the 15th Region were fairly and passionately represented,” Cornett said. “Virgil never missed an opportunity to promote his region and fight for his team’s participation while serving on the Classic committee.”

Former Floyd County Schools Superintendent, Gene Davis, was friends with Osborne starting in 1965. They spent several years on the Mountain Classic committee together.

“He was just the type of guy that he loved helping students get scholarships for college, especially those that need financial help,” he said.

Osborne was also the director of Eastern Kentucky Concentrated Employment Program.

Osborne’s visitation will be Wednesday at 6 p.m. at the Lucas and Son Funeral Home.

Services will be held Wednesday and Thursday nights at 7 p.m.

The funeral will be on Friday at 1 p.m. at the Lucas and Son Funeral Home.

You can read Osborne’s entire obituary here.

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