Burgess Carey

Burgess Carey was born George Burgess Carey II, on March 4, 1905, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to George Burgess Carey and Katherine Jouett Reed.

Carey was Kentucky’s second All-American in 1925.  He was a powerfully-built backguard, a defensive specialist, who seldom went beyond midcourt and did not shoot the ball: He was stationed permanently under the basket, where he would plant his big (6′ 0″, 195 lbs.) body and dare anybody to invade his territory. He was captain of his UK squad in 1925-26.

Carey came to Kentucky after leading Lexington Senior High School to state and national championships in 1922.  He was also a star quarterback in high school.  He was a member of Kentucky’s freshman squad that went undefeated in 1923-24 then transferred to Washington & Lee for one semester his sophomore year.  He returned to Kentucky for the second half of his sophomore year and his junior and senior years.

Carey may be the lowest-scoring All-American in college basketball history.  He scored only 28 points in 18 games during the 1925-26 campaign, with a single-game high of five.  He earned his All-America status because of his great prowess as a defensive player.  Tall for the time, strong, and rugged, Carey was a “back guard,” a player stationed near the opponent’s basket whose expressed purpose was the keep the enemy from scoring.  Carey was captain of the 1925-26 club, which finished with a 15-3 record, that lost the Southern Conference Tournament championship, 31-26, to Mississippi A&M (later to become Mississippi State). 

Carey married Charlotte Gilboy in Chicago on June 2, 1928.  She formerly attended UK where she was a member of the Kappa Delta sorority.  They had one son, George Burgess Carey, III, on December 10, 1933.

Carey apparently left basketball after 1926, and was a contractor in Lexington when he died in 1961 at the age of 56.  He was a partner in the Carey Construction Co. and H.C. Adams Contractors.  In addition to his business interests, he was president and chairman of the board of the Southern Amiesite Asphalt Co. of Birmingham, Alabama, and was a past director of the Kentucky Plant Mix Asphalt Association. He was also  chairman of the board of Idle Hour Country Club.

He was inducted into the Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame in 1964.

His jersey was retired by Kentucky in 2001 along with Kenny Walker’s.

Carey is remembered as one of the greatest defensive guards in Kentucky basketball history. He was a hard-nosed defender who was always willing to sacrifice his own scoring opportunities to help his team win. He was also a gifted passer who was able to set up his teammates for easy baskets.

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