Topic: Bill Keightley...."Mr Wildcat" A UK Treasure! (Read 500 times)
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Bill Keightley...."Mr Wildcat" A UK Treasure! « Thread Started on Aug 14, 2007, 12:00am »
Bill Keightley...."Mr Wildcat" A UK Treasure!
It is a rarity for any sports program to have any individual remain with the program for decades. Coaches and staffs come and go!
However, now with UK welcoming Billy Gillispie as it's new head coach along with a new staff.....it's good to reflect on an individual in the UK basketball program that has survived and thrived through all the coaching changes.
I'm, of course, referring to Bill Keightley...the equipment manager. Bill first came aboard the UK basketball program in 1962 under the legendary coach Rupp. Since then Bill has worked under Coach Hall, Coach Sutton, Coach Pitino, Coach Smith and now Coach Gillispie. This is truly an amazing record.......45 years as equipment manager under 5 UK coaches. Now, we all know that employees don't remain this long with any organization unless thay have been outstanding. Yes, Bill Keightley has been outstanding and much more. Bill has enjoyed wonderful relationships with all the coaches and players. Certainly, Bill's title as equipment manager doesn't begin to do justice to the many wonderful contributions he has made over these many years to the UK program. One can only guess at all the wise advice and help that Bill has given to UK coaches and players over these many years!
As a UK fan, and I'm sure I speak for all UK fans, seeing Bill Keightley sitting on the UK bench gives me a sense of pride knowing all that he has meant to the UK program over these many years. Certainly, the UK program did itself proud when it honored Bill Keightley with a retired jersey in his honor in 1997. Bill, along with UK's beloved Cawood Ledford are the only non coaches or non players so honored.
I know Cat fans are all excited about next year with our new coach and staff, but Cat fans will be most happy and grateful that one individual still remains on the UK bench......"Mr Wildcat".
A sincere thanks to Bill Keightley for all he has meant to the UK programs over these many years. Bill, you are loved and respected by all UK fans.....best wishes for many more years as "Mr Wildcat"!
Sadly since I wrote this article on Bill Keightley...."Mr. Wildcat" has passed away. I had the honor of personally meeting Bill Keightley while touring the new UK practice facility last September. Bill was warm and friendly as we chatted about some of UK's past players. I had my picture taken with Bill as did many others who loved seeing Mr. Wildcat up close and personal. It was easy to see that Bill was very proud of the new UK practice facility and thoroughly enjoyed meeting and talking to Big Blue fans.
As we all know, Bill never scored a point or grabbed a rebound at UK, but his influence and impact on the UK program over many decades was very significant. As we read the many comments and condolences from former coaches and players, it is clear that Bill was like a father figure....giving wisdom and support while being a great friend to all. Even in his short tenure at UK, Coach Gillispie called Bill is very good friend and is obviously very saddened, as all in the UK family, are at Bill's sudden passing. Bill Keightley was respected and loved by all who met him......he was a wonderful person.....and I am so glad that I was fortunate enough to have met him in person!
Bill Keightley was a wonderful bridge to UKs past history.....going back to Coach Rupp. Now "Mr. Wildcat" will join Coach Rupp and Cawood Ledford and cheer for the Cats from a higher bench. UK and it's fans have lost a beloved member of the UK family....we will all greatly miss "Mr. Wildcat" and all he has meant to the UK program over these many years. Our prayers and condolences go out to the Keightley family.
“I think right now everybody’s on notice,” Telep said. This is old school Kentucky right now, and the rest of the country has been served notice."-Dave Telep
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Re: Bill Keightley...."Mr Wildcat" A UK Treasure! « Reply #1 on Apr 1, 2008, 12:12am »
Kentucky Coach Billy Gillispie said of the passing of Bill "Mr. Wildcat" Keightley, "He influenced each of us on a daily basis, and he was a great example of someone who loved his University more than anything."
Long time Kentucky basketball manager Bill Keightley passed away Monday night at the University of Cincinnati hospital from internal bleeding caused by a previously undiagnosed tumor on his spine. Keightley was 81 years old.
Doctors believe the internal bleeding began Monday afternoon while Keightley was attending the Cincinnati Reds season opener. He was taken to University Hospital, where doctors at the trauma center were not able to stop the bleeding, according Dr. Pete Muskat, Clinical Director of Trauma Services. He passed away at 7:45 p.m., with his family and members of the UK coaching staff with him at the hospital.
Affectionately known as “Mr. Wildcat,” Keightley had been associated with the Wildcats’ basketball program since 1962. Keightley, who manned the “Bill Keightley Equipment Room” in Memorial Coliseum, was as much a fixture around UK basketball as the seven national championship trophies on display in the Joe Craft Center.
“This is one of the saddest days of my life,” head coach Billy Gillispie said from Cincinnati Monday night. “I commented earlier today that at the age of 81, he’s become one of my very best friends, and the person I was talking to said ‘that’s what makes him so great, because everyone feels he’s their best friend’.” And that’s because he was so genuine and so caring about others.
“He influenced each of us on a daily basis, and he was a great example of someone who loved his University more than anything. Obviously, he’s in a better place, but the void he leaves for all of us, and especially his family, is going to be a difficult situation. Our hearts go out to his family and the millions of Wildcats fans who he loved so much.”
Having just completed his 48th season on the UK sidelines, the Wildcats’ record over the past four decades with Keightley as equipment manager is 1,113-351. During his tenure, he served under six UK head coaches — Adolph Rupp, Joe B. Hall, Eddie Sutton, Rick Pitino, Orlando “Tubby” Smith and Billy Gillispie.
Kentucky, which has fielded 105 teams, has played 2,588; meaning Keightley played a role in 57 percent of those games.
In 1997, UK honored Keightley with a retired jersey in his honor. He joins veteran broadcaster Cawood Ledford as the only non-player or coach to have a jersey retired at UK. Keightley was also among 88 Wildcat greats inducted into the charter class of the UK Athletics Hall of Fame in 2005.
“I’m shook up,” former UK head coach Joe B. Hall said Monday night. “We had dinner together Friday night and he was in great spirits. It’s hard to believe. He was a good friend to all of us. He was so close to all the coaches, players, managers and everyone who was associated with Kentucky basketball. It’s a total shock.”
A graduate of Kavanaugh High School in Lawrenceburg, he was a retired U.S. Postal Service carrier and veteran of the Marine Corps in WWII.
The avid Cincinnati Reds fan is survived by his wife, the former Hazel Robinson of Lawrenceburg and his daughter, Karen, who works in the University’s veterinary science department and son-in-law Alden Marlowe.
Memorial services for Keightley will be announced.
“I think right now everybody’s on notice,” Telep said. This is old school Kentucky right now, and the rest of the country has been served notice."-Dave Telep
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Re: Bill Keightley...."Mr Wildcat" A UK Treasure! « Reply #2 on Apr 1, 2008, 12:16am »
Bill Keightley talked with UK head coach Billy Gillispie during Big Blue Madness in Rupp Arena on Oct. 12, 2007. Photo by Charles Bertram | Staff.
Long-time UK basketball equipment manager Bill Keightley died on Monday. He was 81
According to a statement from University of Kentucky athletics, Keightley died from internal bleeding caused by a previously undiagnosed tumor on his spine.
According to the statement, doctors believe the internal bleeding began Monday afternoon while Keightley was attending the Cincinnati Reds season opener. He was taken to University Hospital, where doctors were not able to stop the bleeding, according Dr. Pete Muskat, Clinical Director of Trauma Services. He died at 7:45 p.m., with his family and members of the UK coaching staff with him at the hospital, the statement said.
Keightley was part of a group that traveled to Cincinnati to watch the Reds’ game against Arizona, friend Van Florence said. Keightley fell as he got off a bus at the stadium, Florence said.
Initially, the group did not believe Keightley had been seriously injured, Florence said.
A native of Lawrenceburg, Keightley had worked in UK basketball’s equipment room since 1962. He and the late radio play-by-play announcer Cawood Ledford are the only non-player or non-coaches to have their jerseys ceremonially retired in Rupp Arena.
Keightley was affectionately known as “Mr. Wildcat.”
“This is one of the saddest days of my life,” head coach Billy Gillispie said from Cincinnati, according to the statement from UK. “I commented earlier today that at the age of 81, he’s become one of my very best friends, and the person I was talking to said ‘That’s what makes him so great, because everyone feels he’s their best friend.' And that’s because he was so genuine and so caring about others.
“He influenced each of us on a daily basis, and he was a great example of someone who loved his University more than anything. Obviously, he’s in a better place, but the void he leaves for all of us, and especially his family, is going to be a difficult situation. Our hearts go out to his family and the millions of Wildcats fans who he loved so much.”
According to UK, the Wildcats’ record over the past four decades with Keightley as equipment manager is 1,113-351. During his tenure, he served under six UK head coaches — Adolph Rupp, Joe B. Hall, Eddie Sutton, Rick Pitino, Orlando “Tubby” Smith and Billy Gillispie.
Don Crouse, director of public relations and marketing for University of Cincinnati Hospital, said that Keightley went into cardiac arrest after he was brought to the hospital.
“What they discovered was he had a previously undiagnosed cancerous tumor on his spine, and that’s basically what was the cause of death,” Crouse said.
Doctors believed internal bleeding began while he was attending the Reds' opener. They could not stop the bleeding.
He was pronounced dead at 8:05 p.m.
“Head Coach Billy Gillispie is here, as is most of the UK coaching staff," Crouse said. “They were notified and they came up right away because the situation was obviously grim.”
Keightley is survived by his wife, the former Hazel Robinson of Lawrenceburg and his daughter, Karen, who works in the university’s veterinary science department.
Memorial services for Keightley will be announced.
“I think right now everybody’s on notice,” Telep said. This is old school Kentucky right now, and the rest of the country has been served notice."-Dave Telep
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Re: Bill Keightley...."Mr Wildcat" A UK Treasure! « Reply #3 on Apr 1, 2008, 12:25am »
2: One of only two non-players or coaches to have his name hoisted into Rupp Arena rafters. The other was longtime broadcaster Cawood Ledford. 3: UK NCAA titles at which Keightley sat courtside. 6: Head coaches Keightley served under (Adolph Rupp, Joe B. Hall, Eddie Sutton, Rick Pitino, Tubby Smith, Billy Gillispie). 8: UK trips to Final Four at which Keightley sat courtside. 12: Southeastern Conference Tournament titles during his tenure. 19: All-Americans who have gone through UK in Keightley’s tenure. 24: Won or shared UK Southeastern Conference regular-season championships 48: Seasons as equipment manager on UK bench. 57: Percentage of games in the 105-year history of UK basketball in which Keightley worked. 1,113: Wins he witnessed from UK bench.
“I think right now everybody’s on notice,” Telep said. This is old school Kentucky right now, and the rest of the country has been served notice."-Dave Telep
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Re: Bill Keightley...."Mr Wildcat" A UK Treasure! « Reply #4 on Apr 1, 2008, 12:30am »
It was March 22, 2007. Word had just broken that Tubby Smith was leaving Kentucky for Minnesota.
I was scrambling to leave the state high school basketball tournament to get back to the office when I ran into a familiar face behind Rupp Arena.
Bill Keightley’s eyes were filled with tears.
His title may have been UK men’s basketball equipment manager. His nickname may have been “Mr. Wildcat.”
What Bill Keightley really represented was the heart of University of Kentucky basketball.
It was Dec. 29, 2002. Rick Pitino had just coached his first game in Rupp as Louisville head coach. UK had administered an 82-62 beatdown to its former coach.
In the bedlam of the Kentucky locker room, reporters gathered around Keightley to get his take on what had been a day like no other in UK hoops history.
“I love Rick like a son,” Keightley said that day, “and sometimes your son needs his butt kicked.”
Keightley died Monday at 81 of internal bleeding after falling as he got off a bus to attend opening day for the Cincinnati Reds. If you think about it, he deserves to be remembered as one of the more extraordinary figures in the history of sports in our state.
A guy who never played a second for the Kentucky Wildcats, never coached a game, never wooed a recruit, nevertheless became the living symbol of the winningest program in college basketball history.
“How many equipment managers in any sport are known by their school’s student body?” Larry Conley, the former UK forward and current college basketball analyst, asked Monday night.
Not many. Probably not any.
A longtime employee of the U.S. Postal Service, Keightley joined the UK basketball family in 1962 through the efforts of one of his buddies at the post office. George Hukle was also a letter carrier as well as Adolph Rupp’s equipment manager. Hukle brought Keightley on to help him wash Kentucky jerseys and hand towels to UK players and do all the other things that went with that job.
Rupp always called the new man “Little George.”
Until Monday’s freak accident, Keightley never left. He was on the Kentucky bench the night of the famous loss to Texas Western in the 1966 NCAA finals. He was there when UK ruined Indiana’s unbeaten season in the ’75 Mideast Region finals.
Jack Givens’ 41-point game in the ’78 national championship game. Rex Chapman’s freshman tour de force vs. Louisville in 1986. The Laettner Shot. The Mardi Gras Miracle. National titles in 1996 and ’98. Joe Crawford’s valiant 35-point game in this year’s NCAA loss to Marquette.
Keightley was the link to all of them.
“Coaches, players, athletics directors, they go and they come,” former Kentucky star Kenny Walker said Monday night. “Bill Keightley was the constant.”
Besides longevity, Keightley owed his special status inside UK basketball to sheer personality.
In newspaper journalism, we develop a heightened detector for phonies. The gregarious, outgoing Bill Keightley you saw in TV interviews was the exact same guy I always saw when the TV lights were not shining. Mr. Wildcat was the same with the fat-cat boosters or the average Joe and Jane Cat fans from someplace like Waddy.
“That’s a tough question,” Keightley said last spring, asked how he explained his popularity. “I’ve tried to be congenial and considerate to everyone I’ve met.”
Mostly, he loved being around the Kentucky players.
“Saying he was kind of like a grandfather sounds kind of cliched,” said former UK guard Cameron Mills. “But that’s how he was. When you get in trouble with your parents, you can go to your grandparents and they will kind of love on you. That’s how Mr. Keightley was with us. When the coaches got on you, he was the guy you could go to who’d make you feel better.”
The next time the Kentucky Wildcats take the basketball court, Bill Keightley will not be sitting at the end of the bench. That’s hard even to envision.
“I always felt like someday he’d sit down on the end of the bench in Rupp Arena, go to sleep and just not wake up,” Conley said. “He was an icon.”
Bill Keightley is gone. The heartbeat of Kentucky basketball can never be quite the same.
“I think right now everybody’s on notice,” Telep said. This is old school Kentucky right now, and the rest of the country has been served notice."-Dave Telep
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Re: Bill Keightley...."Mr Wildcat" A UK Treasure! « Reply #5 on Apr 1, 2008, 12:37am »
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Bill Keightley, the longtime equipment manager for the University of Kentucky basketball team — known throughout the college basketball world as "Mr. Wildcat" — died tonight in Cincinnati. He was 81.
Keightley died from internal bleeding caused by a previously undiagnosed tumor on his spine.
Doctors believe the internal bleeding began Monday afternoon while Keightley was attending the Cincinnati Reds' season opener, according to a UK release. He was taken to University Hospital, where doctors were unable to stop the bleeding, Dr. Pete Muskat, clinical director of trauma services said in a release.
Keightley died at 7:45.p.m., with his family and members of the UK coaching staff with him at the hospital. Keightley was a retired U.S. Postal Service carrier and a veteran of the Marine Corps in World War.II, but he became known throughout college basketball for his affiliation with UK.
He worked under six coaches — Adolph Rupp, Joe B. Hall, Eddie Sutton, Rick Pitino, Tubby Smith and current coach Billy Gillispie — during 47 seasons and 1,463 games on the Wildcats' bench.
He was beloved not only for his presence on the bench and his undying loyalty to UK basketball but also for his genial demeanor.
"Everyone liked to be around him," Hall said Monday night. "He had a positive spirit about him. He was always in a great mood. So many people loved him. He touched so many people's lives — coaches, players, managers. Even players from other teams would get to know him. He had thousands of fans."
In 1997, UK retired a jersey in Keightley's honor. Along with the late Cawood Ledford, the Cats' longtime play-by-play radio announcer, Keightley is the only non-player or coach to have a jersey retired at Rupp Arena.
Keightley was an inaugural member of UK's Athletics Hall of Fame in 2005, alongside the likes of Adolph Rupp, Ralph Beard, Paul "Bear" Bryant and Jamal Mashburn.
"Never would I have ever dreamed in my wildest imagination that I would have been in the University of Kentucky Hall of Fame with all of these great athletes," Keightley said then.
Last May, Keightley was also enshrined into the Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame, less for his achievements on the basketball court — he was an honorable-mention All-State player as a center for Kavanaugh High School in Lawrenceburg, Ky. — than for his fame as right-hand man to UK's basketball coaches.
The most recent of those, Gillispie, was at the hospital in Cincinnati Monday night.
"This is one of the saddest days of my life," Gillispie said in a release. "I commented earlier today that at the age of 81, he's become one of my very best friends, and the person I was talking to said 'that's what makes him so great, because everyone feels he's their best friend.' And that's because he was so genuine and so caring about others.
"He influenced each of us on a daily basis, and he was a great example of someone who loved his university more than anything. Obviously, he's in a better place, but the void he leaves for all of us, and especially his family, is going to be a difficult situation. Our hearts go out to his family and the millions of Wildcats fans who he loved so much."
Hall said he had dinner with Keightley on Friday and described him as his "usual jovial, upbeat self."
Those who knew him say Keightley was a loyal friend, even when his loyalty was tested.
In his 1992 book "Full-Court Pressure," Pitino wrote of Keightley, "Bill would blame everything on Louisville if he could. The Gulf War. The recession. He's disliked them for over 40 years."
But when Pitino became the head coach at the University of Louisville, Keightley remained his close friend.
Last week, Pitino got Keightley tickets for the Cardinals' game against Tennessee in the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 in Charlotte, N.C., said Louisville businessman Ron Carmicle, a friend of both men.
"He saw Rick before the game and said, 'I came to see you beat Tennessee. I know you're going to beat them. I know you'll figure out a way to do it. You're going to win this game,'." Carmicle said. "He could never cheer for the University of Louisville, but he could cheer for his friend Rick Pitino. He wore his University of Kentucky pin, but his friendship with Rick convinced him to come to the game. That's how important friendship was to Bill."
Carmicle said he sat next to Keightley during the North Carolina-Washington State game.
"Bruce Pearl (the Tennessee coach) walked by and said hello," Carmicle said. "The officials looked up in the stands and saw him and waved. He knew everybody."
Keightley was an avid Reds fan for whom the trip to Cincinnati for opening day was a tradition.
"He'd been going to opening day for as long as he could remember," Carmicle said. "He and his friends would get a van and drive to Cincinnati. He looked forward to that every year. He was a true baseball fan."
Along with baseball, UK basketball was Keightley's passion. Pitino wrote in "Full-Court Pressure" that in 1991, Keightley wouldn't celebrate Christmas until after the Cats beat U of L.
When the Cats beat Tennessee Tech at Rupp Arena this season, it was the 1,100th time Keightley had sat on the bench for a UK win. The Cats were 1,113-351 with Keightley on the sideline.
"I've never scored a point or got a rebound to help us win, never coached a player to do it," Keightley said after that game. "But I can go places around the state, even up in Eastern Kentucky, and people will recognize me. And that is an honor, and it actually humbles you."
Keightley is survived by his wife, the former Hazel Robinson of Lawrenceburg, Ky., and his daughter, Karen, who works in UK's veterinary science department.
“I think right now everybody’s on notice,” Telep said. This is old school Kentucky right now, and the rest of the country has been served notice."-Dave Telep
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Re: Bill Keightley...."Mr Wildcat" A UK Treasure! « Reply #6 on Apr 1, 2008, 12:47am »
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Kentucky basketball manager Bill Keightley, who was with the Wildcats for 48 seasons, died Monday in Cincinnati. He was 81.
Keightley died of internal bleeding caused by a previously undiagnosed tumor on his spine, the university said in a statement. He was on a trip to see the Reds' season-opener and suffered a fall, Kentucky spokesman Scott Stricklin told The Associated Press. He was taken to University Hospital, where he died of internal bleeding at 7:45 p.m. EDT.
Stricklin said doctors believe the fall was probably due to bleeding.
Keightley's tenure reached back to the Adolph Rupp era and continued through Joe B. Hall, Eddie Sutton, Rick Pitino, Tubby Smith and current Kentucky coach Billy Gillispie. He came to be known as "Mr. Wildcat."
"For many Kentuckians, and, indeed, for much of the country, Bill Keightley was not only the face of UK Wildcat basketball, but the University of Kentucky itself," university President Lee Todd said in a statement. "An entire state tonight - from Paducah to Pikeville - is mourning his passing and, I'm sure, remembering his family in prayer along with Patsy and me. It's my belief that in heaven he's already helping organize a game or two and telling stories of Wildcat lore to anyone who will listen."
Keightley was with the team in Anaheim, Calif., when the Wildcats lost to Marquette March 20 in the first round of the NCAA tournament, Stricklin said.
"He'd been feeling great," Stricklin said. He said Keightley was up at 6 a.m. every day and he had seen him within the last week, "pushing his cart of laundry up the hallway," a task he would never accept help with, Stricklin said.
"In my 40 years at Kentucky, I've come to hate three things: smelly socks, dirty uniforms and the Louisville Cardinals," Keightley said as Kentucky began practice for the 2000-2001 season.
Two years later, as Kentucky was celebrating the basketball program's 100th season, Keightley popped out of a cake at center court as a capacity crowd for Midnight Madness sang "Happy Birthday."
"I'm shook up," Hall said in the school's statement. "We had dinner together Friday night and he was in great spirits. It's hard to believe. He was a good friend to all of us. He was so close to all the coaches, players, managers and everyone who was associated with Kentucky basketball. It's a total shock."
Pitino, now coach at Louisville, said he was "deeply saddened" by Keightley's death.
"I'm so grateful that we had such special memories together," he said in a statement.
Keightley was with his family and members of the Kentucky coaching staff at the hospital when he died, the university said.
"I commented earlier today that at the age of 81, he's become one of my very best friends," Gillispie said in the statement, "and the person I was talking to said 'that's what makes him so great, because everyone feels he's their best friend.'"
Kentucky honored Keightley in 1997 with a retired jersey in his honor, one of only two people who did not play or coach. The other was broadcaster Cawood Ledford. Keightley was inducted into the charter class of the university's Hall of Fame in 2005, the school said.
"He was one of those individuals who make everyone around them feel special," Kentucky Athletics Director Mitch Barnhart said. "His love of Kentucky was evident in everything he did. He was a friend to all who loved the Wildcats, and I feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to call him my friend."
Keightley began his career as an assistant to the equipment manager in 1961-62. He took over as head manager in 1972.
He graduated from Kavanaugh High School in Lawrenceburg and was a retired U.S. Postal Service carrier and World War II Marine Corps veteran.
Keightley is survived by his wife, Hazel, and daughter, Karen. No arrangements have been announced.
“I think right now everybody’s on notice,” Telep said. This is old school Kentucky right now, and the rest of the country has been served notice."-Dave Telep
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"If you want too win...Don't play KENTUCKY"
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Re: Bill Keightley...."Mr Wildcat" A UK Treasure! « Reply #7 on Apr 1, 2008, 12:53am »
Bill Keightley, right, stands with head coach Billy Gillispie during the playing of the national anthem before UK's first-round loss to Marquette in the NCAA Tournament. It was Keightley's last game of his 48-year UK career. Media Credit: Elliott Hess
Long-time basketball equipment manager Bill Keightley died Monday night at the University of Cincinnati Hospital from internal bleeding caused by a previously undiagnosed tumor on his spine.
He was 81.
Doctors believe the internal bleeding began yesterday afternoon in Cincinnati where Keightley and his long-time friend Van Florence were attending the Reds' season opener, according to a UK press release. Keightley was taken to the university hospital, where doctors were unable to stop the bleeding, according to Dr. Pete Muskat, Clinical Director of Trauma Services.
Keightley passed away at 7:45 p.m., with his family and friends with him at the hospital.
Affectionately known as "Mr. Wildcat," Keightley had been associated with the Wildcats' basketball program since 1962 where he worked in the equipment room. In 1997, UK honored Keightley by raising a retired jersey bearing his name to the Rupp Arena rafters. Along with long-time radio broadcaster Cawood Ledford, Keightley is one of two non-player and non-coach to receive such an honor.
“I think right now everybody’s on notice,” Telep said. This is old school Kentucky right now, and the rest of the country has been served notice."-Dave Telep
Bigdaddy Administrator Wildcats Thunder Co-Founder member is offline
"If you want too win...Don't play KENTUCKY"
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Re: Bill Keightley...."Mr Wildcat" A UK Treasure! « Reply #8 on Apr 1, 2008, 12:59am »
Cincinnati, Oh (WHAS11, The Courier Journal, UK Athletics) – WHAS11 has learned that the University of Kentucky equipment manager Bill Keightley has passed away at 81.
Affectionately known as Mr. Wildcat, Bill Keightley was a part of Kentucky Basketball since 1962 when Adolph Rupp was coach.
Keightley has served under five UK head coaches: Adolph Rupp, Joe B. Hall, Eddie Sutton, Rick Pitino, Orlando “Tubby” Smith and Billy Gillispie.
His tenure as the Wildcat equipment manager had lasted over 45 years.
Keightley was also a WWII U.S. Marine Corps veteran.
Longtime Kentucky equipment manager dead at 81
LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) -- Kentucky basketball manager Bill Keightley, who was with the Wildcats for 48 seasons, died Monday in Cincinnati. He was 81.
Keightley died of internal bleeding caused by a previously undiagnosed tumor on his spine, the university said in a statement. He was on a trip to see the Reds’ season-opener and suffered a fall, Kentucky spokesman Scott Stricklin told The Associated Press. He was taken to University Hospital, where he died of internal bleeding at 7:45 p.m. EDT.
Stricklin said doctors believe the fall was probably due to bleeding.
Keightley’s tenure reached back to the Adolph Rupp era and continued through Joe B. Hall, Eddie Sutton, Rick Pitino, Tubby Smith and current Kentucky coach Billy Gillispie.
“For many Kentuckians, and, indeed, for much of the country, Bill Keightley was not only the face of UK Wildcat basketball, but the University of Kentucky itself,” university President Lee Todd said in a statement. “An entire state tonight—from Paducah to Pikeville—is mourning his passing and, I’m sure, remembering his family in prayer along with Patsy and me. It’s my belief that in heaven he’s already helping organize a game or two and telling stories of Wildcat lore to anyone who will listen.”
Keightley was with the team in Anaheim, Calif., when the Wildcats lost to Marquette March 20 in the first round of the NCAA tournament, Stricklin said.
“He’d been feeling great,” Stricklin said. He said Keightley was up at 6 a.m. Every day and he had seen him within the last week, “pushing his cart of laundry up the hallway,” a task he would never accept help with, Stricklin said.
“In my 40 years at Kentucky, i’ve come to hate three things: smelly socks, dirty uniforms and the Louisville Cardinals,” Keightley said as Kentucky began practice for the 2000-2001 season.
Two years later, as Kentucky was celebrating the basketball program’s 100 th season, Keightley popped out of a cake at center court as a capacity crowd for Midnight Madness sang “Happy Birthday.”
“I’m shook up,” Hall said in the school’s statement. “We had dinner together Friday night and he was in great spirits. It’s hard to believe. He was a good friend to all of us. He was so close to all the coaches, players, managers and everyone who was associated with Kentucky basketball. It’s a total shock.”
Keightley was with his family and members of the Kentucky coaching staff at the hospital when he died, the university said.
“I commented earlier today that at the age of 81, he’s become one of my very best friends,” Gillispie said in the statement, “and the person I was talking to said ‘that’s what makes him so great, because everyone feels he’s their best friend.”’
Kentucky honored Keightley in 1997 with a retired jersey in his honor, one of only two people who did not play or coach. The other was broadcaster Cawood Ledford. Keightley was inducted into the charter class of the university’s Hall of Fame in 2005, the school said.
“He was one of those individuals who make everyone around them feel special,” Kentucky Athletics Director Mitch Barnhart said. “His love of Kentucky was evident in everything he did. He was a friend to all who loved the Wildcats, and I feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to call him my friend.”
Keightley began his career as an assistant to the equipment manager in 1961-62. He took over as head manager in 1972.
He graduated from Kavanaugh High School in Lawrenceburg and was a retired U.S. Postal Service carrier and World War II Marine Corps veteran.
Keightley is survived by his wife, Hazel, and daughter, Karen.
“I think right now everybody’s on notice,” Telep said. This is old school Kentucky right now, and the rest of the country has been served notice."-Dave Telep
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"If you want too win...Don't play KENTUCKY"
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Re: Bill Keightley...."Mr Wildcat" A UK Treasure! « Reply #9 on Apr 1, 2008, 1:03am »
Bill Keightley, the long-time equipment manager for the University of Kentucky basketball team and known by many as simply “Mr. Wildcat,” died on Monday at the age of 81.
Keightley was believed to have died from internal bleeding resulting from an undiagnosed tumor on his spine. Earlier in the day Keightley had been at the Cincinnati Reds season opener. On the way to the game Keightley fell while exiting a bus but those with him didn’t think he had been injured.
It wasn’t until he arrived at University Hospital that it was discovered Keightley had a tumor on his spine.
Keightley had been involved with Kentucky basketball’s equipment room since 1962 and had left his mark as one of the most beloved figures in Wildcats history.
Head basketball coach Billy Gillispie commented, “He influenced each of us on a daily basis, and he was a great example of someone who loved his University more than anything. Obviously, he’s in a better place, but the void he leaves for all of us, and especially his family, is going to be a difficult situation. Our hearts go out to his family and the millions of Wildcats fans who he loved so much.”
“I think right now everybody’s on notice,” Telep said. This is old school Kentucky right now, and the rest of the country has been served notice."-Dave Telep
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"If you want too win...Don't play KENTUCKY"
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Re: Bill Keightley...."Mr Wildcat" A UK Treasure! « Reply #10 on Apr 1, 2008, 1:09am »
LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) -- Kentucky basketball manager Bill Keightley, who was with the Wildcats for 48 seasons, died Monday in Cincinnati. He was 81.
Keightley died of internal bleeding caused by a previously undiagnosed tumor on his spine, the university said in a statement. He was on a trip to see the Reds' season-opener and suffered a fall, Kentucky spokesman Scott Stricklin told The Associated Press. He was taken to University Hospital, where he died.
Stricklin said doctors believe the fall was probably due to bleeding.
Keightley's tenure reached back to the Adolph Rupp era and continued through Joe B. Hall, Eddie Sutton, Rick Pitino, Tubby Smith and current Kentucky coach Billy Gillispie.
"For many Kentuckians, and, indeed, for much of the country, Bill Keightley was not only the face of UK Wildcat basketball, but the University of Kentucky itself," university President Lee Todd said in a statement. "An entire state tonight -- from Paducah to Pikeville -- is mourning his passing and, I'm sure, remembering his family in prayer along with Patsy and me."
Kentucky honored Keightley in 1997 with a retired jersey in his honor, one of only two people who did not play or coach to be honored that way. The other was broadcaster Cawood Ledford.
Keightley began his career as an assistant to the equipment manager in 1961-62. He took over as head manager in 1972.
Keightley is survived by his wife, Hazel, and daughter, Karen.
“I think right now everybody’s on notice,” Telep said. This is old school Kentucky right now, and the rest of the country has been served notice."-Dave Telep
Bigdaddy Administrator Wildcats Thunder Co-Founder member is offline
"If you want too win...Don't play KENTUCKY"
Joined: May 2006 Gender: Male Posts: 30,752 Karma: 215
Re: Bill Keightley...."Mr Wildcat" A UK Treasure! « Reply #11 on Apr 1, 2008, 1:22am »
LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Long time Kentucky basketball manager Bill Keightley passed away Monday night at the University of Cincinnati hospital from internal bleeding caused by a previously undiagnosed tumor on his spine. Keightley was 81 years old.
Doctors believe the internal bleeding began Monday afternoon while Keightley was attending the Cincinnati Reds season opener. He was taken to University Hospital, where doctors at the trauma center were not able to stop the bleeding, according Dr. Pete Muskat, Clinical Director of Trauma Services. He passed away at 7:45 p.m., with his family and members of the UK coaching staff with him at the hospital.
Affectionately known as “Mr. Wildcat,” Keightley had been associated with the Wildcats’ basketball program since 1962. Keightley, who manned the “Bill Keightley Equipment Room” in Memorial Coliseum, was as much a fixture around UK basketball as the seven national championship trophies on display in the Joe Craft Center.
“This is one of the saddest days of my life,” head coach Billy Gillispie said from Cincinnati Monday night. “I commented earlier today that at the age of 81, he’s become one of my very best friends, and the person I was talking to said ‘that’s what makes him so great, because everyone feels he’s their best friend’.” And that’s because he was so genuine and so caring about others.
“He influenced each of us on a daily basis, and he was a great example of someone who loved his University more than anything. Obviously, he’s in a better place, but the void he leaves for all of us, and especially his family, is going to be a difficult situation. Our hearts go out to his family and the millions of Wildcats fans who he loved so much.”
Having just completed his 48th season on the UK sidelines, the Wildcats’ record over the past four decades with Keightley as equipment manager is 1,113-351. During his tenure, he served under six UK head coaches — Adolph Rupp, Joe B. Hall, Eddie Sutton, Rick Pitino, Orlando “Tubby” Smith and Billy Gillispie.
Kentucky, which has fielded 105 teams, has played 2,588; meaning Keightley played a role in 57 percent of those games.
In 1997, UK honored Keightley with a retired jersey in his honor. He joins veteran broadcaster Cawood Ledford as the only non-player or coach to have a jersey retired at UK. Keightley was also among 88 Wildcat greats inducted into the charter class of the UK Athletics Hall of Fame in 2005.
“I’m shook up,” former UK head coach Joe B. Hall said Monday night. “We had dinner together Friday night and he was in great spirits. It’s hard to believe. He was a good friend to all of us. He was so close to all the coaches, players, managers and everyone who was associated with Kentucky basketball. It’s a total shock.”
A graduate of Kavanaugh High School in Lawrenceburg, he was a retired U.S. Postal Service carrier and veteran of the Marine Corps in WWII.
The avid Cincinnati Reds fan is survived by his wife, the former Hazel Robinson of Lawrenceburg and his daughter, Karen, who works in the University’s veterinary science department and son-in-law Alden Marlowe.
Memorial services for Keightley will be announced.
“I think right now everybody’s on notice,” Telep said. This is old school Kentucky right now, and the rest of the country has been served notice."-Dave Telep
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"If you want too win...Don't play KENTUCKY"
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Re: Bill Keightley...."Mr Wildcat" A UK Treasure! « Reply #12 on Apr 1, 2008, 1:47am »
A piece of Kentucky basketball died today. Mr. Bill Keightley is not simply the equipment manager for the University of Kentucky basketball team. That may be his official title but it does not even touch the surface of who Keightley really is and what he represents. More so that any one player, coach or administrator could ever be, Mr. Bill is Kentucky basketball.
College athletics are by their very nature a transitory business. Players and coaches come and go depending on their ability or job status and while each makes their own mark on the program, it moves forward no matter who is at its core. But not Mr. Keightley. For Bill Keightley has been, like so many of the fans who adore him, a mainstay of Kentucky basketball through times of great turmoil and triumph. While others moved on, he stayed. And as the names on the backs of the jerseys changed and the signs on the head coach’s office were altered, Bill Keightley remained. Seated in his standard seat at the end of the bench, no matter who was fortunate enough to be next to him, he was the representative of the true UK program. Unlike everyone else, he cannot be replaced.
Keightley’s life in many ways parallels the life of so many Kentucky fans like him. He was born in a small town in 1926 (Lawrenceburg) and attended high school at a community school so small, it no longer exists (Kavanaugh High School). Like so many of his great generation, he joined the armed forces in 1944 and fought in the United States Marine Corps. After receiving a job working in the postal service, he agreed to help a friend on the side who had a second job as equipment manager for the UK basketball team.
Beginning in 1962, he started work with the UK basketball program under Adolph Rupp and ten years later, he became the head Equipment Manager. During that time, he worked for six coaches, was a part of three national championship teams and handled the equipment of countless college basketball legends. In a position that is usually done with no fanfare and receives virtually no attention from fans, Keightley quietly, and with dignity, became a legend himself. Along with his good friend and fellow UK legend Cawood Ledford, Keightley was the one constant of the UK program, a face that could be counted on in good times and in bad times to oversee whatever was taking place in the UK basketball world.
And what things Mr. Bill saw! He was there when Rupp’s Runts lost to Texas Western in 1966, Dan Issel set every UK record imaginable, the Cats dropped the championship game to John Wooden in his last tournament appearance, Jack Givens went for 41 to bring home a title, the Dream Game against his true rival Louisville came to fruition, Walker, Bowie and Turpin had the Commonwealth rolling, probation nearly brought the empire down, a young coach from New York named Pitino brought it back, the Unforgettables had their heart broken against Duke, Jamal Mashburn made the Cats great again, the 1996 team set a standard for dominance, Tubby and the Comeback Cats took the 1998 title, Tayshaun hit five threes in a row against UNC, the 2003 Cats went undefeated in the SEC for the first time ever and Billy Clyde began a new era. He saw every part of the last 46 YEARS of basketball at Kentucky from the best seat in the house…and he loved every minute of it, for at his core he was a fan just like the rest of us.
And therein lies the reason that so many Kentuckians are so devastated around the Commonwealth today. It isnt simply that a legend has died or that someone associated with the program is now gone. It is that the true representative of the Kentucky fan has passed away. In an age when big-time college athletics can be about everything but the game, Bill Keightley was like all the fans that adored him around the state. He loved the kids who wore the jersey with Kentucky on the front and they loved him back. I have never heard one player call him any name that didnt star with “Mr.” Their love and respect for him was uniform and genuine. He also loved the coaches who led them into battle every night and all of them have a special connection with the man. I personally have heard Joe B Hall, Rick Pitino, Tubby Smith and Billy Gillispie speak of him in reverential terms and the sight of the latter coach meeting him just before his introductory press conference is one I will remember for all time. But most importantly, Mr. Keightley simply loved the Big Blue. A year or so ago, I asked him why he continued to do the job and he said, “its not a job, its just me loving my life.” Every time I saw Bill Keightley at a game, he had a smile on his face. He looked genuinely excited at the chance to be a part of a Big Blue event….just like any other fan would.
When one tries to describe the UK basketball program and the affection that its fans have towards it to those from elsewhere, it is almost impossible to quantify. Basketball in Kentucky means so much more to the people of the Commonwealth than can be rationally understood by outsiders. But one person who did understand it is Bill Keightley. He dedicated a good part of his life to being a part of its experiences and to being the face of Kentucky basketball to an entire state of supporters. He was a kind and gentle man, always quick with a smile, story or simply a salute. He was the type of person who could hold Billy Donovan’s attention just minutes before a game, but would also tell a young kid with a blog congrats on passing the bar. He had time to give to everyone who wanted time from him and he enjoyed every moment of it. He represented all that is good about the Kentucky basketball program and why it is so special to so many. Today we lost a piece of Kentucky basketball and one that cannot be replaced.
“I think right now everybody’s on notice,” Telep said. This is old school Kentucky right now, and the rest of the country has been served notice."-Dave Telep
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Re: Bill Keightley...."Mr Wildcat" A UK Treasure! « Reply #13 on Apr 1, 2008, 11:51am »
Longtime basketball equipment manager Bill Keightley died last night at the University of Cincinnati Hospital from internal bleeding caused by a previously undiagnosed tumor on his spine.
He was 81.
Doctors believe the internal bleeding began yesterday afternoon in Cincinnati where Keightley and his longtime friend Van Florence were attending the Reds' season opener, according to a UK press release. Keightley was taken to the university hospital, where doctors were unable to stop the bleeding, according to Dr. Pete Muskat, Clinical Director of Trauma Services.
"This is one of the saddest days of my life," UK head coach Billy Gillispie said last night from Cincinnati through a press release. "I commented earlier today that at the age of 81, he's become one of my very best friends, and the person I was talking to said, 'That's what makes him so great, because everyone feels he's their best friend.' And that's because he was so genuine and so caring about others."
Affectionately known as "Mr. Wildcat," Keightley had been a fixture with the UK basketball program since 1962 where he worked in the equipment room.
In 1997, UK honored Keightley by raising a retired jersey bearing his name to the Rupp Arena rafters. Along with legendary radio broadcaster Cawood Ledford, Keightley is one of only two non-players and non-coaches to receive such an honor.
"For many Kentuckians, and, indeed, for much of the country, Bill Keightley was not only the face of UK Wildcat basketball, but the University of Kentucky itself," UK President Lee Todd said in a statement. "In his five decades with the university, Mr. Keightley represented UK and the Big Blue Nation with class, with devotion and with an abiding love for our players and fans. He was as much a part of the basketball program as any player or coach. He was 'Mr. Wildcat.' "
"It's my belief," Todd said, "that in heaven he's already helping organize a game or two and telling stories of Wildcat lore to anyone who will listen."
Keightley fell off a bus yesterday before entering Great American Ballpark with Van Florence, said Lois Florence, Van's wife. Van Florence told his wife that he did not believe the injuries were serious at first.
Former UK head coach Joe B. Hall said that he received a call from Van Florence at the hospital shortly after Keightley arrived. Hall, who worked with Keightley for 20 years as an assistant and head coach at UK, said Keightley had a "50-50" chance of surviving the fall.
Hall received another call a couple hours later saying that Keightley had passed away. Keightley died at 7:45 p.m., with his family and friends with him at the hospital.
"I was totally shocked because the news came so sudden," Hall said. "I couldn't talk to anyone at first because I couldn't believe it."
Keightley served as the equipment manager at UK under the last six UK head coaches - Adolph Rupp, Hall, Eddie Sutton, Rick Pitino, Orlando "Tubby" Smith and Gillispie. He was on the bench for UK's 1976 National Invitation Tournament title, three national championships (1978, '96 and '98) and eight of UK's 13 Final Four appearances.
During those 48 seasons, UK compiled a 2,013-351 record with Keightley on the sideline.
Todd and his wife, Patsy, honored Keightley at the 2005 CATSPY awards, presenting him with the Lifetime Achievement Award.
After receiving the award, Keightley told a crowd of UK athletes and students what his time at UK meant to his life.
"Years ago I thought I was here to mold young people," Keightley said. "But now you have molded me."
But few people molded lives like Keightley, Hall said.
"He always had a smile on his face and he was always upbeat," Hall said. "He always made everyone feel like they were his best friend."
Kenny "Sky" Walker, who played at UK from 1983-86, said Keightley always took a great interest in people no matter who they were.
"It was no secret why he was so well liked, because he liked everyone," Walker said. "He wasn't just like that with me. He was like that for everyone at the University of Kentucky."
Integrated strategic communications senior Logan Mayer, public service and leadership senior Matt Gandolfo and finance senior Pat McMahon organized a candlelight vigil at about 10 p.m. yesterday to honor Keightley. Mayer, who had a chance meeting with Keightley on Sunday during the UK women's basketball game, echoed Walker's sentiments about Keightley's friendliness.
All three students said UK needs to honor Keightley next season by leaving his trademark chair on UK's bench empty for the year.
"It's just going to be very hard to see that seat at the end of the bench filled by somebody else," Mayer said. "We were actually just talking about how there should be a petition going around to have that one seat empty from here on out as a token to him."
No matter how UK chooses to honor Keightley, the UK bench will always be without a man Walker said "brought together generations" of UK fans and players.
"He was probably, in my mind, the greatest Wildcat of them all," Walker said.
Before his time at UK, Keightley served as a Marine in World War II and worked for the U.S. Postal Service.
Keightley is survived by his wife, the former Hazel Robinson of Lawrenceburg, Ky.; his daughter, Karen, a UK employee in the veterinary sciences department; and son-in-law Alden Marlowe.
Information about memorial services for Keightley were not available at press time.
“I think right now everybody’s on notice,” Telep said. This is old school Kentucky right now, and the rest of the country has been served notice."-Dave Telep
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Re: Bill Keightley...."Mr Wildcat" A UK Treasure! « Reply #14 on Apr 1, 2008, 12:06pm »
Bill Keightley shares a story with UK coach Billy Gillispie, freshman Patrick Patterson and former Cat Richie Farmer during the 2008 Sweet 16 at Rupp Arena.
Longtime Kentucky basketball manager Bill Keightley passed away Monday night at the University of Cincinnati hospital from internal bleeding caused by a previously undiagnosed tumor on his spine. Keightley was 81 years old.
Doctors believe the internal bleeding began Monday afternoon while Keightley was attending the Cincinnati Reds season opener. He was taken to University Hospital, where doctors at the trauma center were not able to stop the bleeding, according Dr. Pete Muskat, Clinical Director of Trauma Services. He passed away at 7:45 p.m., with his family and members of the UK coaching staff with him at the hospital.
Affectionately known as "Mr. Wildcat," Keightley had been associated with the Wildcats' basketball program since 1962. Keightley, who manned the "Bill Keightley Equipment Room" in Memorial Coliseum, was as much a fixture around UK basketball as the seven national championship trophies on display in the Joe Craft Center.
"This is one of the saddest days of my life," head coach Billy Gillispie said from Cincinnati Monday night. "I commented earlier today that at the age of 81, he's become one of my very best friends, and the person I was talking to said 'That's what makes him so great, because everyone feels he's their best friend'." And that's because he was so genuine and so caring about others.
"He influenced each of us on a daily basis, and he was a great example of someone who loved his University more than anything. Obviously, he's in a better place, but the void he leaves for all of us, and especially his family, is going to be a difficult situation. Our hearts go out to his family and the millions of Wildcats fans who he loved so much."
Having just completed his 48th season on the UK sidelines, the Wildcats' record over the past four decades with Keightley as equipment manager is 1,113-351. During his tenure, he served under six UK head coaches — Adolph Rupp, Joe B. Hall, Eddie Sutton, Rick Pitino, Orlando "Tubby" Smith and Billy Gillispie.
Kentucky, which has fielded 105 teams, has played 2,588; meaning Keightley played a role in 57 percent of those games.
In 1997, UK honored Keightley with a retired jersey in his honor. He joins veteran broadcaster Cawood Ledford as the only non-player or coach to have a jersey retired at UK.
"Mr. Bill embodied the optimism and love of life that epitomizes all of Kentucky," athletics director Mitch Barnhart said. "He was one of those individuals who make everyone around them feel special. His love of Kentucky was evident in everything he did. He was a friend to all who loved the Wildcats, and I feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to call him my friend."
"For many Kentuckians, and, indeed, for much of the country, Bill Keightley was not only the face of UK Wildcat basketball, but the University of Kentucky itself," said UK president Dr. Lee Todd. "In his five decades with the university, Mr. Keightley represented UK and the Big Blue Nation with class, with devotion and with an abiding love for our players and fans. He was as much a part of the basketball program as any player or coach. He was 'Mr. Wildcat.'
"An entire state tonight – from Paducah to Pikeville – is mourning his passing and, I'm sure, remembering his family in prayer along with Patsy and me," Todd added. "It's my belief that in heaven he's already helping organize a game or two and telling stories of Wildcat lore to anyone who will listen."
Keightley was also among 88 Wildcat greats inducted into the charter class of the UK Athletics Hall of Fame in 2005.
"I'm shook up," former UK head coach Joe B. Hall said Monday night. "We had dinner together Friday night and he was in great spirits. It's hard to believe. He was a good friend to all of us. He was so close to all the coaches, players, managers and everyone who was associated with Kentucky basketball. It's a total shock."
A graduate of Kavanaugh High School in Lawrenceburg, he was a retired U.S. Postal Service carrier and veteran of the Marine Corps in WWII.
The avid Cincinnati Reds fan is survived by his wife, the former Hazel Robinson of Lawrenceburg and his daughter, Karen, who works in the University's veterinary science department and son-in-law Alden Marlowe.
Memorial services for Keightley will be announced.
“I think right now everybody’s on notice,” Telep said. This is old school Kentucky right now, and the rest of the country has been served notice."-Dave Telep
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Re: Bill Keightley...."Mr Wildcat" A UK Treasure! « Reply #15 on Apr 1, 2008, 2:13pm »
LEXINGTON, Ky. – A public memorial for Bill Keightley, the longtime University of Kentucky equipment manager who died last night at age 81, will be held Thursday at Rupp Arena.
There will be a public viewing from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. in the Rupp Arena Lobby (High Street Entrance). The public is welcome to attend a viewing of the casket during those hours.
The line will close at 3 p.m. to allow for set up of the memorial service that begins at 6 p.m. in Rupp Arena.
The memorial service runs from 6 p.m.-8 p.m. at Rupp Arena.
Seating on the floor will be available for Keightley's family, former UK men's basketball players, coaches, managers, university and elected officials.
These dignitaries should park in the Cox Street lot and enter through the media entrance. Rupp Arena will be available for general public seating, beginning at 5 p.m. Parking in the High Street lot will be free to the public.
A private reception will be held immediately after the service for family, former players, coaches and managers at the Lexington Center in the Heritage Ballrooms, Rooms 1 to 3.
On Friday, a private memorial service will be held at the Lexington Center, Heritage Ballrooms.
The Keightley family requests memorial donations be made to The Bill Keightley "Mr. Wildcat" Basketball Managers Scholarship Fund, UK Office of Development, 100 Sturgill Development Buildings, Lexington, KY 40506-0015.
“I think right now everybody’s on notice,” Telep said. This is old school Kentucky right now, and the rest of the country has been served notice."-Dave Telep
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Re: Bill Keightley...."Mr Wildcat" A UK Treasure! « Reply #16 on Apr 1, 2008, 2:40pm »
He is easily America's most famous Division I college basketball equipment manager.
Once described by CBS basketball analyst Clark Kellogg during an NCAA broadcast as the man who had done "so much for so many for so long," Bill Keightley - "Mr. Wildcat" - has just completed his 44th season with the University of Kentucky.
"Well, if you stay here as long as I have, many, many people are going to recognize you," said Keightley, 78, a former Lexington mail carrier .
Each time Southeastern Conference referee Gerald Boudreax, who is officiating at the Final Four this year, sees Keightley, he bows as though in the presence of royalty.
Friends have noted that, even in restaurants hundreds of miles from Lexington, Keightley is often interrupted numerous times during meals by fans of Kentucky and other SEC teams who want to say hello and ask for an autograph or photo.
"Bill is a great ambassador for the university," ESPN broadcaster Dick Vitale said. "I can't think of anyone (in his field) who could compare with him."
Keightley was walking alone down the hallway to the visitor s' locker room at halftime of the South Carolina game in Columbia this season when he heard a voice say, "Hey, Bill, you're behind now, but you'll come back the second half."
Keightley looked up to see the smiling face of football coach Steve Spurrier, who remembered Keightley from the days when Spurrier was the football coach at Florida and sometimes visited the Kentucky basketball locker room.
As Keightley watched Duke sharpshooter J.J. Riddick drill three-pointers during an open shoot around before an NCAA Tournament game a few days ago, Blue Devils coach Mike Krzyzewski stopped to say hello and to joke with Keightley that he had found Riddick in Eastern Kentucky.
Growing up a farm boy
Keightley grew up on a farm near Lawrenceburg in Anderson County, was an honorable mention All- State center at Kavanaugh High School and served in the Marine Corps. He has earned his familiarity with college basketball's biggest names on the sidelines of some of the most exciting games of the past 50 years.
He joined the Wildcats in 1961 when Adolph Rupp was coach, and some 1,368 games later has shared the Wildcat bench with head coaches Joe Hall, Eddie Sutton, Rick Pitino and Tubby Smith.
Keightley recalls that he has had something in common with each of the five coaches - even Pitino.
"You have to change gears for Rick, because his cultural background was totally different from say, Eddie Sutton, who was a farm boy, and Tubby, who was a farm boy, and Rupp and Joe Hall, who both had farms. With Rick, the way we bonded was that he slept very little and I sleep very little. He'd call me at 6 o'clock in the morning, and we just grew from that," Keightley said. "He respected me, and he respected my age."
Keightley still occasionally gets humorous notes from Pitino, though he now guides the rival University of Louisville program.
Many former UK players still write to Keightley as well, and he enjoys a close friendship with Smith.
"As a human being, Tubby Smith is possibly the best person I've ever been around," Keightley said. "People think they can tell Tubby is congenial and caring, but they really don't know how deeply that runs. He relates to people from all walks of life … and gives the same time to everyone.
"Before every game, he goes down the scorer's table where all the workers sit and shakes every one of 'em's hand before every game. It's not for show, but this is just Tubby, and it means something to me … because that's a little bit the way I live my life, too."
“I think right now everybody’s on notice,” Telep said. This is old school Kentucky right now, and the rest of the country has been served notice."-Dave Telep
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Re: Bill Keightley...."Mr Wildcat" A UK Treasure! « Reply #17 on Apr 1, 2008, 2:45pm »
LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Yesterday, for the 1,100th time, University of Kentucky equipment manager Bill Keightley sat on the Wildcats' bench for a victory.
Most places wouldn't keep track of such statistics, let alone hang a banner from the Rupp Arena rafters for a person in that capacity.
Of course, the world of UK basketball isn't like most places. And Keightley, well, he's not quite like anyone else in college basketball.
He's been on the sidelines for more than half the games in UK basketball history. Think of that. He's been through six head coaches, many of them not the easiest guys to get along with in their primes. Some players are lucky to last six months.
Keightley has lasted 47 seasons.
Part of it is testament to his love of the program, part to his genuine liking of people and his outgoing nature. But there's more to Keightley than that.
Somewhere along the line, his devotion to this program struck a chord with fans in this state.
After yesterday's milestone mark, Keightley said, "I've never scored a point or got a rebound to help us win, never coached a player to do it. But I can go places around the state, even up in Eastern Kentucky, and people will recognize me. And that is an honor, and it actually humbles you."
Here's the thing about Keightley. He's friendly and accessible to all, speaks to everybody he passes, has a smile almost all the time, except when the Wildcats are trailing.
But what has made him beloved by so many UK supporters is this: They can't score a point or get a rebound, either. They can't coach the players. But they love the program the way he loves it. He might not be their eyes and ears in the locker room, but he certainly is their presence. He represents a great many fans who would do anything in the world for that program.
"When we lose," senior guard Ramel Bradley said, "the person I feel the worst for is Big Smooth (the team's nickname for Keightley). I know how much this program means to him, how much of his life he's put into it."
Keightley is the guy there slapping the backs of discouraged players when the rest of the Big Blue Nation can't.
"He's always encouraging," freshman A.J. Stewart said. "No matter what is going on."
You wonder how an 81-year-old man and an 18-year-old freshman have much in the world to talk about. But while I was talking to Keightley after yesterday's game, Stewart walked up and clapped Keightley on the shoulder.
"Today was all about Mr. Bill," Stewart said.
Keightley laughed and said, "I don't think like someone my age — if I knew anyone my age. I think like these young guys. We socialize together, go to events, go to restaurants. I've been fortunate to be around so many good people. ... Society has changed and kids have changed, but good people don't change."
Keightley is good people. You wonder, given his age, how many more of these milestones he can accomplish. More and more, people are asking him if he's getting close to stepping aside.
"I tell them I'm day-to-day," Keightley said. "Someday, I'm reasonably sure, everybody meets an end. I don't want to stay too long. But you know, it's so much a part of me, I don't know how I'd function without it. That's the tough part. You don't really want to try it to see, because once you try it, you might be gone.
"... I taught Sunday school for 16 years but must not have been as good at it as I thought. I turned out more coaches than preachers."
I suspect he's exactly where he belongs. Because more than anything, as long as he's on that sideline, the program's past and its passion is alive — not just in the rafters, but in the locker room.
“I think right now everybody’s on notice,” Telep said. This is old school Kentucky right now, and the rest of the country has been served notice."-Dave Telep
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"If you want too win...Don't play KENTUCKY"
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Re: Bill Keightley...."Mr Wildcat" A UK Treasure! « Reply #18 on Apr 1, 2008, 2:49pm »
High school: Kavanaugh High (now defunct) in Lawrenceburg, where he played basketball.
Military career: Marine Corps, veteran of World War II.
Other career: U.S. Postal Service carrier.
Family: Wife, Hazel; one daughter, Karen.
Other noted sports love: Cincinnati Reds.
UK CAREER
1962-72: Assistant equipment manager under George Hukle.
1972-present: Equipment manager.
UK coaches during his tenure
Adolph Rupp, Joe B. Hall, Eddie Sutton, Rick Pitino, Tubby Smith, Billy Gillispie.
Retired jersey
In 1997, UK honored Keightley by hanging his name from the Rupp Arena rafters. He joined broadcaster Cawood Ledford as the only non-player or coach to have a jersey retired at UK.
“I think right now everybody’s on notice,” Telep said. This is old school Kentucky right now, and the rest of the country has been served notice."-Dave Telep
Bigdaddy Administrator Wildcats Thunder Co-Founder member is offline
"If you want too win...Don't play KENTUCKY"
Joined: May 2006 Gender: Male Posts: 30,752 Karma: 215
Re: Bill Keightley...."Mr Wildcat" A UK Treasure! « Reply #19 on Apr 1, 2008, 3:15pm »
Bill Keightley Position: Equipment Manager Years at Kentucky: 45th Year
Affectionately known as “Mr. Wildcat,” Bill Keightley has been associated with the Wildcats’ basketball program since 1962.
Keightley, who mans the “Bill Keightley Equipment Room” in Memorial Coliseum, is as much a fixture around UK basketball as the seven national championship trophies on display in the Coliseum.
Now in his 44th season on the UK sidelines, the Wildcats’ record over the past four decades with Keightley as equipment manager is 1,023-307.
During his tenure, he has served under five UK head coaches — Adolph Rupp, Joe B. Hall, Eddie Sutton, Rick Pitino and Orlando “Tubby” Smith.
In 1997, UK honored Keightley with a retired jersey in his honor. He joins veteran broadcaster Cawood Ledford as the only non-player or coach to have a jersey retired at UK.
Keightley, 77, graduated from Kavanaugh High School in Lawrenceburg and is a retired U.S. Postal Service carrier and veteran of the Marine Corps in WWII.
The avid Cincinnati Reds fan is married to the former Hazel Robinson of Lawrenceburg. The Keightleys have one daughter, Karen, who works in the University’s veterinary science department.
Personal Full Name: William Bond Keightley Birth Date: December 17, 1926 Hometown: Lawrenceburg, Ky. High School: Kavanaugh High Sport Played: Basketball Military Career: Marine Corps, Veteran of WWII
UK Career
1962-1972 Assistant Equipment Manager under George Hukle
“I think right now everybody’s on notice,” Telep said. This is old school Kentucky right now, and the rest of the country has been served notice."-Dave Telep
Wildcats Thunder is not affiliated with the University of Kentucky, the Kentucky Wildcat Athletic Department, the NCAA or any other sports programs. The views, takes, and opinions are those of the author, and not of this site. The contents of this website have not been reviewed or approved by Wildcats Thunder.
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