Albert Cummins 1926-2021

<p>Bracken County Hall of Fame members Warren Cooper and Albert Cummins had their numbers retired during the 2019 Hall of Fame Class being honored, in Brooksville. (Evan Dennison, The Ledger Independent)</p>

Bracken County Hall of Fame members Warren Cooper and Albert Cummins had their numbers retired during the 2019 Hall of Fame Class being honored, in Brooksville. (Evan Dennison, The Ledger Independent)

Former Brooksville High School standout Albert Cummins accolades could go on and on.

The Polar Bears alum died on Sunday, he was 95.

Cummins, born in Brooksville in 1926, was part of the 1944 Brooksville Polar Bears team that had an undefeated regular season and garnered a No. 1 ranking in the state. They were upset in the second round of the state tournament, finishing with a 27-1 season in his senior year. Cummins was named to the All-State tournament team that year. His whole Brooksville team was offered a scholarship by Adolph Rupp and the University of Kentucky in ‘44.

He played basketball for four seasons in Brooksville from 1941-1944, scoring 793 points. He also played baseball for the Polar Bears and was their ace pitcher and middle-infielder, where he won a Region Championship and finished State Runner-Up in 1944.

After serving in the United States Navy in 1945 and ‘46, Cummins returned to the Bluegrass to play for the University of Kentucky and Adolph Rupp. He played in 38 games and scored 52 points, winning two SEC Championships. Kentucky would go on to be NIT Runner-Up in 1947. He also lettered in baseball in 1947, but decided to transfer after that, leaving the Kentucky basketball team that would win the 1948 and 1949 NCAA Championship. He transferred to Michigan State to play baseball, but was ruled ineligible his junior year in 1948. So, in 1949 and 1950, he played second base for Michigan State, lettering both years. He led his team with a .367 batting average in 1950 with 43 hits, and was named a 2nd team All-American. He also played baseball at the University of Wisconsin.

Cummins went on to play for the St. Louis Cardinals minor league team in Allentown, Pennsylvania for two seasons in 1951 and 1952.

In honor of his achievements, Albert Cummins was inducted to the 10th Region Hall of Fame in 2018, and the Bracken County Athletic Hall of Fame in 2018.