HAZARD, Ky. – As a three-sport athlete at Hazard’s Cordia High School, Keith Combs saw firsthand the difference a caring coach and a good physical therapist could make.

So, he said, it isn’t too surprising that, more than 20 years later, he spends his time working as both.

“When I was hurt, the therapists were great and helped get me back on the court,” he said. “That was when I decided that I would like to do that, too. I wanted to help people get back to work and to their sports activities as quickly as possible.”

When Combs initially enrolled in the University of Kentucky’s Physical Therapy School, the plan was to work in college athletics. When the program took him back home, however, he realized Hazard – and Hazard ARH Outpatient Therapy Services, where he’s worked since graduating in 2002 – was where he wanted to be.

Combs didn’t know it at the time, but his decision to remain in Perry County didn’t end his initial plan to work in sports – it just changed it a bit.

When Mallory, the oldest of his four children, decided to play softball at 6 years old, Combs signed up to coach.

“We made it to the state tournament and finished in the top 5 two years in a row,” he said of the team he coached until Mallory aged out after her 12-year-old season. “It was a lot of fun.”

Combs thought his coaching career was over when Mallory left Little League, but in 2021, a new opportunity arose.

“The job opened up at Hazard High School, and I honestly didn’t even apply,” he said, explaining the position wasn’t something he even considered until he was asked to do it. “I guess they just talked me into it.”

To say Combs’ tenure as head coach of the Lady Dawgs has been successful would be a bit of an understatement.

Under his guidance, the team has twice made it to the elite 8 in the Kentucky State Softball Tournament, small school’s division and, in the spring, advanced to the all-school state tournament for the first time since 2005.

“We were five outs from making it to the final four,” Combs said. “This area isn’t really known for softball so it was a really special and important thing for our girls to see that they can compete with anyone from any part of the state.”

Following the team’s postseason run, Combs was named the 2026 All-Mountain Softball Coach of the Year. And though it’s not a recognition he sought, he said it’s one of which he’s proud.

“You don’t really think about winning awards as a coach,” he said. “The most important thing was making sure the girls played their best. Making it to the state tournament was the dream for me and for the kids.

“Being named coach of the year is an honor, but it was just an added bonus.”

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Mallory, who kicked off her father’s coaching career, is now entering her sophomore year at Wabash Valley University, where she continues her softball career.

Her younger sisters Maggie and Eliza have followed in her footsteps and are now coached by their father at Hazard High School, where their brother Luke plays baseball.

Maggie has two years of school left and Eliza has another five, but Combs said he has no plans of giving up the coaching mantle even when they’re gone.

“When I started, I said I didn’t want to be the head coach, but I would help until they found someone,” he said. “But they never did and I’m glad because I’ve really enjoyed it.”

Though it isn’t always easy managing a full-time job and coaching, he said he’s thankful for co-workers and a supervisor who support his efforts.

And, he said he’s grateful for the opportunity to mentor and encourage the younger generation.

“When I was growing up, my coaches and teachers had a big influence on my life,” he said. “They are people I still look up to today and I just hope I have that same good, positive impact on the players I coach as well.”

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Combs and his wife Anna reside in Hazard with Maggie, Eliza, Luke and their dog Kash.