Mark Dunn

Mark A. Dunn, 45, of Nicholasville, husband of Paula Gaye Goforth Dunn, died Tuesday, May 6. He was the son of Tressie Lou Workman Dunn and the late Franklin R. "Sammy" Dunn. He was also the owner and operator of the Best Choice Furniture & Variety Store and a graduate of Woodford County High School. Besides his wife, mother and mother-in-law, survivors include one daughter, Brenda Dunn of Berea, two step children, Heather Abell of Lawrenceburg and Jonathan Hill of Alberta, Canada, a special "son," Ronald Lainhart of Applevalley, Minn.

Mark Dunn still isn't sure if he had to prove he could play major college football or not. "I really don't know what people expected out of me. Some people said I would probably be a flop in college ball. Some people thought I would do well," said Dunn, a senior running back at Eastern Kentucky. "I think I have done fairly decent, but I can do better. I have worked hard to get ready. Hopefully, it will be a great year. Everybody wants their last year to be a good year. " The former Harrodsburg High School star led the Colonels in rushing (802 yards)

FRANKFORT - Mark Dunn made a triumphant return to the football field, rushing for 342 yards and five touchdowns as Harrodsburg routed Western Hills 34-7 in the season opener for both teams Friday. Dunn scored on runs of 2, 11, 27, 49 and 92 yards and picked up his 342 yards on only 20 carries. "I think Mark was ready to get out and prove he still had it. He found the holes well," Pioneers coach Terry Yeast said. "It was a very solid performance by our offensive line. They did a super job blocking for Mark.

Mercer County shot 51.7 percent from the field and had four players score at least 15 points in an 80-51 victory over Casey County in the 45th District Shootout at Liberty Saturday. Mercer (18-7) got 18 points from Chelsea Goodman, 17 from Courtney Watts, 16 from Erin Ashford and 15 from Chrystal Claunch. Mercer hit 30 of 58 shots, including 9 of 20 3-pointers. Ashford hit four 3s, and Mercer coach Chris Souder said her play was a big bonus for the Scotties. "It's a big lift when Erin can step up and hit some 3s, because that opens other things up,"Souder said.

HARRODSBURG - Casey County and Harrodsburg feel they could win without their star running back, but coaches Andy Stephens and Terry Yeast are glad they probably won't have to worry about trying. Rex Delk of Casey and Mark Dunn of Harrodsburg will be the marquee names in Friday night's matchup here, having combined for 518 yards and eight touchdowns in wins last week. Dunn returned with a vengeance after missing most of his junior year with injuries. Dunn rushed for 342 yards and five scores against Western Hills.

Mark Dunn is not done yet. Dunn took his place on the field for Saturday's senior day ceremony at Eastern Kentucky, then took his place in the backfield for the Colonels' eighth consecutive win. But the Harrodsburg native knows he'll have at least one more game to play after he helped the Colonels reach the postseason for the first time since 1997. The Colonels will play at Richmond on Saturday in the first round of what was formerly known as the Division I-AA playoffs. This is one college experience Dunn is glad he isn't missing.

Mark Dunn was just waiting for a chance to make an impact any time he could touch the ball last season. Now the Eastern Kentucky sophomore tailback knows he will get his shot at being the man as the sophomore from Harrodsburg heads into the fall as the Colonels' top returning tailback. Dunn won't say he thought he was the starter heading into preseason camp. Instead, he prefers to say he thinks he has a chance to be the top running back when the season begins. He rushed for 141 yards and three scores on 37 carries last year backing up C.J. Hudson, who graduated.

HARRODSBURG - The Mercer County boys track and field teamis finding strength in numbers. Not that the Titans weren't already strong. They won a regional championship and were a top-10 team in their section of the state meet last season. But now they are developing one of the deepest rosters they have ever had, and they think that will help them have one of their best seasons ever and perhaps even contend for a championship in their section of the state meet. Mercer has more than 30 boys in the program, a number of whom came on board for the first time this year to join a talented group of returning athletes.

There's not one specific memory Jacob Tamme has of playing football against Mark Dunn when Tamme was at Boyle County and Dunn was at Harrodsburg. Instead, it's the overall memory of how good Dunn was that has stayed with Tamme. "I just remember that he was a great running back. He was always fast, always quick. Every time we had a scouting report about them, all we basically talked about was him because he obviously was a great player," said Tamme. Tamme and Dunn will be opposing teams again Saturday night in Lexington when Kentucky hosts Eastern Kentucky in the season opener for both teams.

RICHMOND - At Thursday's Class A, Region 4 meet, Mark Dunn sure didn't look like someone who had been pulled out of the long jump earlier in the season. Instead, the Harrodsburg senior looked like a champion as his jump of 20 feet, 8 3/4 inches bested Danville's Jordan Guest by 3/4 of an inch for the regional title. "I was really happy to see him win," Harrodsburg coach Terry Yeast said. "Early in the year, he wasn't very interested in long jumping and he wasn't doing real well.

HARRODSBURG - The Mercer County boys track and field teamis finding strength in numbers. Not that the Titans weren't already strong. They won a regional championship and were a top-10 team in their section of the state meet last season. But now they are developing one of the deepest rosters they have ever had, and they think that will help them have one of their best seasons ever and perhaps even contend for a championship in their section of the state meet. Mercer has more than 30 boys in the program, a number of whom came on board for the first time this year to join a talented group of returning athletes.

Sometimes all mourners need is each other. Paula Dunn is hoping to gather a large group of widows and widowers from the Fayette and Jessamine County area at the Masterson Station clubhouse in Lexington Monday night to pay tribute to their loved ones together. The event, called MAD Love, will coincide with the one-year anniversary of the death of Dunn's husband, Mark Allen Dunn, who was murdered May 6, 2008. "This is kind of a bridge for me," she said. "I've discovered that I'm not going to have any closure, so I'm trying to make something negative into something positive.

Paula Dunn's New Year's resolution this year is the hardest one she's ever made. "I got off the bitter bus New Year's Eve at midnight," she said. "I've been on that bitter bus for almost eight months. I want a more positive approach in me. " It's a tall order for the 48-year-old Nicholasville woman, who hasn't found much to be positive about since the day Jessamine County firefighters discovered the body of her husband, Mark Dunn, inside a burned-out pickup truck at the end of Hunter's Ferry Road in southern Jessamine County on May 6. The Kentucky State Police are still investigating the murder, but they have still come up short trying to figure out who shot Mark, 45, and burned his body.

Mark A. Dunn, 45, of Nicholasville, husband of Paula Gaye Goforth Dunn, died Tuesday, May 6. He was the son of Tressie Lou Workman Dunn and the late Franklin R. "Sammy" Dunn. He was also the owner and operator of the Best Choice Furniture & Variety Store and a graduate of Woodford County High School. Besides his wife, mother and mother-in-law, survivors include one daughter, Brenda Dunn of Berea, two step children, Heather Abell of Lawrenceburg and Jonathan Hill of Alberta, Canada, a special "son," Ronald Lainhart of Applevalley, Minn.

The Kentucky State Police have released the identity of the man discovered in a burned-out pickup truck Tuesday night. Police said the body of Mark Dunn, 45, of Nicholasville was found by fishermen near Buzzy's Boat Dock on Hunter's Ferry Road. Firefighters from the Jessamine County Fire District found Dunn's remains after responding to a vehicle fire in the remote section of southern Jessamine County. According to a news release, KSP believe that Dunn was murdered. The state police are continuing their investigation but have not released any other details.

Mark Dunn is not done yet. Dunn took his place on the field for Saturday's senior day ceremony at Eastern Kentucky, then took his place in the backfield for the Colonels' eighth consecutive win. But the Harrodsburg native knows he'll have at least one more game to play after he helped the Colonels reach the postseason for the first time since 1997. The Colonels will play at Richmond on Saturday in the first round of what was formerly known as the Division I-AA playoffs. This is one college experience Dunn is glad he isn't missing.

There's not one specific memory Jacob Tamme has of playing football against Mark Dunn when Tamme was at Boyle County and Dunn was at Harrodsburg. Instead, it's the overall memory of how good Dunn was that has stayed with Tamme. "I just remember that he was a great running back. He was always fast, always quick. Every time we had a scouting report about them, all we basically talked about was him because he obviously was a great player," said Tamme. Tamme and Dunn will be opposing teams again Saturday night in Lexington when Kentucky hosts Eastern Kentucky in the season opener for both teams.

Mark Dunn still isn't sure if he had to prove he could play major college football or not. "I really don't know what people expected out of me. Some people said I would probably be a flop in college ball. Some people thought I would do well," said Dunn, a senior running back at Eastern Kentucky. "I think I have done fairly decent, but I can do better. I have worked hard to get ready. Hopefully, it will be a great year. Everybody wants their last year to be a good year. " The former Harrodsburg High School star led the Colonels in rushing (802 yards)

Former Harrodsburg star Mark Dunn is Eastern Kentucky's top returning rusher. He shares his thoughts on various subjects going into the season opener Sept. 1 at Kentucky. Question: How do you feel about opening the season against the University of Kentucky? Dunn: "I am very excited. There are a lot of Eastern Kentucky fans in Harrodsburg, but a lot are UK fans, too. I think it will be a good game. We have played 7-on-7 in the summer with them since I have been in college.

Patrick Bugg feels like he's known Mark Dunn all his life. "We've probably known each other since we were 5 or 6 years old. I really can't remember not knowing him," said Bugg. Dunn is actually two years younger than Bugg, but he recalls meeting Bugg for the first time when Bugg was playing baseball with his older brother, Keith. "My brother went to his house and I just followed him. That's how we first met. We started playing sports together at the YMCA. But even back in the neighborhood we were always riding bikes together.