30 Bennie Coffman

Bennie Coffman was born Benjamin Cameron Coffman in Lexington, Kentucky, and grew up in Huntington, West Virginia. At Vinson High School, he played guard and forward, earned second-team all-state honors as a senior and also starred in baseball, batting .387 in his final season. Coffman first enrolled at Kentucky in 1955 but did not play freshman basketball, then spent two years at Lindsey Wilson Junior College. He helped the Blue Raiders win the Kentucky Junior College Conference championship, earned honorable mention Junior College All-America recognition and totaled 1,119 points in 54 games, including a sophomore season in which he ranked ninth nationally at 25.6 points per game.

Returning to Kentucky in 1958, the quick, accurate 6-foot guard earned a place in Adolph Rupp’s backcourt and helped a rebuilding Wildcat team rise to No. 1 nationally and finish 24–3. Coffman was Kentucky’s third-leading scorer in his first season, earned second-team All-SEC honors from United Press International and set a school record by shooting .509 from the field. As a senior, he remained a dependable double-figure scorer and established another Kentucky record by making 67 of 76 free throws for an .881 percentage. He lettered twice and completed his Wildcat career with 526 points in 50 games.

Coffman’s defining Kentucky moment came against Maryland in December 1958. With the Wildcats trailing 54–51 in the closing seconds, he drove through two defenders, scored, drew a foul and made the tying free throw before Kentucky won 58–56 in overtime; Coffman finished with 18 points, tying Johnny Cox for the team lead. Later that season, he scored 16 points as Kentucky defeated Auburn 75–56 and ended the Tigers’ 30-game winning streak. He closed his junior year with a career-high 28 points on 13-of-18 shooting against Marquette in the NCAA Mideast Regional. As a senior, he scored 23 points to lead Kentucky past North Carolina in the 1959 UK Invitational semifinal, then paced the Wildcats with 20 against Jerry West and West Virginia in the championship game, earning all-tournament honors.

Coffman graduated from Kentucky in 1960 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in ancient languages and was selected by the Syracuse Nationals with the 53rd overall pick in the NBA Draft. He later earned All-America honors with the Goodyear Wingfoots before beginning a successful high school and college coaching career, highlighted by his work with the Boone County Lady Rebels. Inducted into the Lindsey Wilson Athletics Hall of Fame, Coffman died in Huntington on February 21, 2024, at age 86.