16 Carl Staker

Carl Staker was born on September 24, 1920, in Maysville, Kentucky, to John Henry Staker and Margaret Mariah Wood. A standout at Maysville High School, he came to the University of Kentucky on a basketball scholarship. As a freshman guard, he helped a yearling squad defeat Adolph Rupp’s varsity in a practice game. He was later counted among Rupp’s “Lost Battalion,” players held out of varsity competition to preserve three full seasons of eligibility.

Staker appeared in 11 varsity games in 1939–40 and became a regular the following season. Playing alongside captain Lee Huber in Kentucky’s backcourt, he scored 12 points against Maryville and led the Wildcats with 14 against Georgia Tech. After the 1940–41 season, his teammates chose him to succeed Huber as captain.

As captain in 1941–42, Staker helped lead Kentucky to SEC regular season and tournament championships and the school’s first NCAA Tournament appearance. He scored 10 points against Florida in Kentucky’s opening SEC tournament game. His second-half shooting also helped the Wildcats rally past Illinois, 46–44, in their NCAA opener before their run ended against Dartmouth. Remembered for his steady floor play and defense, Staker finished his three varsity seasons with 226 points in 59 games.

Staker earned three varsity letters as a baseball pitcher and belonged to engineering and physics honor societies. He led a student engineering society, served as vice president of the K-Club, and shared the campus “most popular man” honor with Al Spare. After graduating magna cum laude, he played industrial league basketball while working for Goodyear and served as a Navy officer in the South Pacific during World War II. He later became president of Osborn Engineering, working on major stadium projects. Staker died of a heart attack on November 11, 1991, at age 71.