77 Bill Spivey

William Edwin Spivey, known as Bill Spivey, was born on March 19, 1929, in Lakeland, Florida.  Standing at an impressive 7 feet tall, Spivey was one of the first towering figures in college basketball. His journey to basketball stardom began in high school, where he quickly made a name for himself with his remarkable skills and height.

As a 6-8 high school sophomore in Georgia, Spivey, nicknamed “Grits,” had to play the whole year wearing three pairs of socks because there were no sneakers big enough to fit him.  “The next season I got a pair of sneakers, size 12, and cut the toes out with a razor blade,” he said in an interview.

“I got blisters on my toes, but at least I stopped the walking violations.”

He had shoes by his senior year, had raised his game average 10 points to 29 and began attracting attention regionally, if not nationally.  Mr. Spivey was a spindly 6-foot-10 1/2 and 174 pounds when he drew the attention of UK Coach Adolph Rupp.

Spivey was recruited by the University of Kentucky, where he played from 1949 to 1951. He was UK’s first 7-foot-tall player.  Rupp got him a job at a drugstore, where he took fluorescent lights down from the ceiling and cleaned them. He did not need a ladder.  During his time at Kentucky, he led the team to the 1951 NCAA tournament championship, showcasing his talent and leadership on the court. His performance earned him numerous accolades, including being named a consensus first-team All-American in 1951.  Spivey, selected as top player in the nation in 1950 by the Helms Foundation, was UK’s 29th all-time scorer with 1,213 points although he did not complete his final season. He had 22 points and 21 rebounds in UK’s 1951 NCAA championship game.

On February 18, 1950, Spivey led Kentucky to a dominant victory over Georgia Tech with a score of 97-62. This game was particularly significant as Spivey shattered Alex Groza’s Southeastern Conference scoring record by scoring 40 points.  During the game, Spivey’s teammates focused on feeding him the ball, allowing him to break the record with a one-handed push shot from behind the foul circle with just 26 seconds left on the clock.

His performances earned him numerous accolades, including being named a consensus first-team All-American  and the Helms National Player of the Year in 1951.

“I think the thing about Bill, first of all, was he was the first great big basketball player — and I don’t mean good, I mean great,” said UK Athletics Director C.M. Newton, who played on the 1951 NCAA championship team with Mr. Spivey. Mr. Spivey, Newton said, could do things on the court that other men his size could not do.

“He was the first big man that could just fly up and down the court. He had extremely good agility as a big man.”

Newton, who roomed with Mr. Spivey in college, said an extra-long bed had to be made for Mr. Spivey, and the bed took up most of their dormitory room.  He wore a size 15 shoe which the athletic department had to have specially made for him.

“He was one of those guys that loved to live. He played hard. He worked hard. He lived hard. He just loved life.”

Spivey earned the nickname “Grits” due to his Southern roots and not because he loved the classic Southern dish, grits. The nickname reflected both his upbringing and his personality on the court—tough, tenacious, and full of energy.

However, Spivey’s career faced a significant setback when he was accused of being involved in a point-shaving scandal in 1951. Despite his denial and eventual acquittal of perjury charges in 1953, the scandal had a lasting impact on his career. He was banned from competing in the National Basketball Association (NBA), which forced him to play professionally for various minor league teams instead.

Spivey continued to excel in the Eastern Professional Basketball League (EPBL), where his teams won three championships during his ten seasons. He retired from professional basketball in 1968 and transitioned into a career in business, working in sales and operating restaurants. Despite the challenges he faced, Spivey remained a significant figure in the basketball world and was inducted into the State of Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame and the University of Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame.

Bill Spivey passed away on May 8, 1995, in Quepos, Costa Rica, leaving behind a legacy as one of the pioneering giants of college basketball.