Arthur Shanklin

Arthur Price Shanklin was born on November 4, 1899, in Lexington, Kentucky. He attended Sayre School before enrolling at the University of Kentucky, where he quickly distinguished himself both on campus and in athletics. During his freshman year, Shanklin was elected president of the freshman class and later served as treasurer of the junior class. He was a member of Phi Delta Theta fraternity and was selected to the University’s Mystic Thirteen honorary society. Following his older brother, Shelby Shanklin, into Kentucky athletics, Shanklin earned varsity letters in both basketball and football and became known around campus by the nickname “Shank.”

A 5-foot-9, 145-pound forward on the basketball team and a standout halfback on the football team, Shanklin was one of Kentucky’s most versatile athletes during the University’s formative years. He earned the coveted varsity “K” in football and was a returning basketball letterman as the Wildcats entered the 1920-21 season. Contemporary accounts praised his reliability, toughness, and athletic versatility, describing him as “one of those fellows who was a regular storehouse of athletic usefulness.” Yearbook writers credited him as one of the foremost members of the freshman class that helped shape Kentucky’s 1917 football team, while football previews highlighted his aggressive running, open-field ability, and knack for gaining tough yardage. On the basketball court, he helped the Wildcats continue their rise as one of the state’s leading programs during the years before Adolph Rupp’s arrival.

Following his time at Kentucky, Shanklin built a distinguished career with the Carrier Corporation, eventually rising to vice president and general sales manager. After retiring in 1956, he settled in Louisville. Shanklin died on August 20, 1968, at the age of 68. Remembered as a campus leader, two-sport letterman, and successful business executive, Arthur Shanklin exemplified the well-rounded student-athletes who helped establish the traditions of Kentucky athletics in the program’s earliest years.