Community members gathered near the Hopkinsville Greenway System bridge that runs over Lafayette Road on Wednesday for a bridge dedication ceremony honoring the life and legacy of the late William Falls.
William Falls was the head basketball coach at Attucks High School from 1935 to 1967. Under his leadership, the Attucks Basketball team achieved over 500 wins. In 1967, Attucks High School integrated into Hopkinsville High School and he became the assistant coach of the basketball team.
William Falls often drove players home after practice and in 1973 when he was driving three players home, his car was struck by a train on Lafayette Road. Falls and one other player was killed in the wreck.
Since his death, William Falls was inducted into the Kentucky High School Athletic Hall of Fame, and in September Hopkinsville City Council approved naming the walking bridge that runs over Lafayette Road, “Coach William Falls Memorial Bridge.”
Hopkinsville Mayor J.R. Knight says William Falls was much more than just a coach and an educator, but a community leader who focused on moving Hopkinsville forward. The bridge dedication stands as a symbol of his impact on the community.
William Falls was a coach, educator and friend to James Victor. Victor shared that William Falls was his teacher from seventh to twelfth grade and inspired him to be a teacher in the same subject.
William Falls was also a coach to former Hopkinsville Mayor Wendell Lynch. Lynch says William Falls always focused on what he could do for the community. Lynch was among the former players who accepted Falls’ Hall of Fame recognition award on his behalf in 2019.
Lynch read a letter from Bill Falls III and Mia Falls McIntosh, William Falls’ grandchildren. The pair weren’t able to attend the dedication in person, but in the letter, they thanked the City of Hopkinsville, Lynch, Pioneers Inc. and the “Hoptown Chronicle” for keeping their grandfather’s memory alive.
To conclude the letter, the pair shared that they look forward to coming to Hopkinsville with their family to see the bridge dedication. William Falls died before Bill Falls was born and when McIntosh was only three years old, but despite his early passing, the pair know about his legacy in Hopkinsville.
Growing up, McIntosh says she knew that her grandfather was a basketball coach and her family has a newspaper clipping about him winning his 500th game. However, it wasn’t until William Falls’ induction into the hall of fame that she realized what her grandfather meant to Hopkinsville.
Bill Falls calls the bridge dedication a tremendous honor and says he feels connected to Hopkinsville.
The dedication sign stands along Lafayette Road across from the Dell Drive intersection.
