Bill Keightley "Mr. Wildcat"

I'm sure that has most people throughout the BBN were as excited and giddy on Tuesday waiting for Coach Calipari's arrival like kids opening presents on Christmas, people forgot about exactly what date Tuesday was. It was March 31st. It has been exactly one year since the passing of Bill Keightley, commonly referred to by everyone as "Mr. Wildcat". Mr. Keightley was the beloved equipment manager for the men's basketball program since 1962, until 2008. But he was much more than what his title was. He was a very caring and charismatic person; he was always behind the scenes helping with everything that needed to be done. He loved his job and had a passion for it, but most importantly he had a passion for the University and for the Commonwealth. He was the first one at UK in the morning, and the last one to leave at night. He was there to comfort both players and coaches in the good times and the bad ones. He is a true representative of the UK fanbase and of all Kentuckians; he is also a good example of how a person should enjoy their life, as he did.


Born in Lawrenceburg, KY in 1926, Keightley was a former player for Kavanaugh High School. The Anderson County native also a Marine Vet from WWII and had been a former worker for the US Postal Service. He had been apart of 3 National Championships at UK, he had been apart of 57% of the games played in the 100-year history of the program, and witnessed 1,103 victories of the winningest program in college basketball. He was moved to the front of the bench by Coach Rick Pitino in the early-1990's and in 1997, he had his jersey retired. He was one of two non-UK players or coaches to have a jersey retired, other than Cawood Ledford, the legendary broadcaster for UK sports. An award for UK Athletics was created in his name in 2002 because of the character that this great man presented. During this past season, the Cats played in black uniforms in his honor, not to mention that for the entire season the K in the uniforms were outined in black. The first seat on the bench was also left empty in his honor for the entire season from beginning to end, thus implementing his place in UK basketball forever. I had the pleasure of meeting him 2 years ago and I was in complete shock, yet at the same time it was an honor to be in the presence of a great and respectful human being, not to mention an iconic figure in UK history that will forever be remembered.