RIP "Mr. Wildcat," Bill Keightley

Incredible memorial service for Mr. Keightley, aired on TV. Great stories, I doubt the equipment manager at another school will ever get this much love.

 

It's amazing how much influence this guy had and how much he was beloved. Tubby crying on the phone? Joe B. Hall being too broken up to talk about it? Billy Clyde dropping everything and rushing to Cincinnati?

He must have been a very special man.

 

Yes, he was.

 

I never got to know him, but everyone that did loved the man.

At the Swseet 16 last year, a longtime stat guy for one of our teams saud he was looking forward to getting to Rupp so he could sit in the seat Keightley sat in. Not the UK coach, but the equipment manager.

Pitino was great. He told this story about when he first got there and had Keightley move to the seat beside him, he said he was supopsed to keep Pitino in the coaches box to stop him from getting a technical. Well, the second game Pitini hops up and starts to head toward center court, Keightley grabbed him and Pitino turned and said, 'you grab me again and you;re a dead man. Everyone laughed at that. There were lots of good speakers, and Gillispie was among those.

I think I'll have some bourbon this weekend in memory of Mr Wildcat.

 

Indeed he was.

The picture of UK's bench we're using in tomorrow's paper is pretty damned powerful.