Bill Congleton

Bill Congleton was born William Edwin Congleton on September 21, 1911, in Lexington, Kentucky, to William Thomas Congleton and Effie May Kilgore Congleton. He attended Henry Clay High School before enrolling in the College of Commerce at the University of Kentucky. A 6-foot-1 player, Congleton joined Coach M. E. Potter’s freshman basketball team before earning a place on Adolph Rupp’s first Kentucky varsity team during the 1930–31 season. His younger brother, Lucien H. Congleton, also attended the University of Kentucky.

Congleton helped Kentucky’s freshman team complete an undefeated season and capture the state freshman championship during the 1929–30 campaign. Contemporary reports in The Kentucky Kernel identified him as one of the squad’s promising players, while the 1930 Kentuckian listed him among the forwards on Potter’s undefeated team. He earned a freshman numeral and received All-Southern freshman mention for his play.

By the opening of the 1930–31 season, Congleton had moved to center and was a member of Rupp’s inaugural Wildcats squad. He made his lone varsity appearance in Kentucky’s 67–19 victory over Georgetown on December 18, 1930, scoring the only two points of his collegiate career. He remained enrolled at Kentucky after his playing days, was inducted into Lamp and Cross, the university’s junior men’s honorary fraternity, and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Commerce in 1933.

Following college, Congleton worked for the W. T. Congleton Company, the family business founded by his father, who had served as mayor of Lexington. He was a member of Central Christian Church. Congleton died at his Lexington home on March 8, 1993, at the age of 81, following a long illness, and was buried in Lexington Cemetery.